This Valentine’s Day, “The Silence of the Lambs” celebrates 30 years of haunting imaginations and changing serial-killer cinema forever.
On this week’s Be Reel, Noah and Chance appreciate the many inimitable qualities of Jonathan Demme‘s 1991 classic, including its lack of genre fealty, its simultaneous intensity and restraint, and how it perfectly positions Clarice Starling as the true detective (so to speak) and Hannibal Lecter as a beyond-memorable side dish.
LISTEN: Remember John Le Carré: The Film Adaptations Of A Master Spy Novelist [Be Reel Podcast]
From there, Be Reel dives into the wider world of Thomas Harris adaptations, discussing Michael Mann’s ice-veined “Manhunter” (1986), the gore carnival of Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal” (2001), and the bizarre origin story attempt “Hannibal Rising” (2007). If you want to hear us talk about “Red Dragon” (2002) for your own odd reasons, our archives can assist.
Harris’ serial killer fiction continues to inspire, obviously. The canceled NBC drama “Hannibal” is constantly rumored for renewal by Netflix, and CBS premieres its network “Lambs” prequel “Clarice” this very week. With the imitators and sequels, it’s not diminishing returns per se, but rather no one artist’s vision (including Thomas Harris’ own) cohering the way Demme’s did in 1991—with arresting, perverse horror meeting highly intelligent sensitivity.
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