tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post110845654602085990..comments2023-10-11T03:42:59.033-07:00Comments on The Criterion Contraption: #13: The Silence of the LambsMatthew Dessemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-6534539016859052592012-12-28T16:48:17.707-08:002012-12-28T16:48:17.707-08:00The Silence of The Lambs, in my mind, deserves its...The Silence of The Lambs, in my mind, deserves its status as a classic. I know a lot of people who don't care for Jodie Foster, but I have to agree with the AFI when they have Clarice Starling and Ellen Ripley as the highest-ranking female heroes (and the only ones in the top 10) on their 50 Heroes...50 Villains list. I respect the books, but the sequels were just depressing to me; as much asKinchStalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13554821394715134265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-82017294039136525552011-08-11T03:36:33.622-07:002011-08-11T03:36:33.622-07:00the perfect thriller...nostalgic days.one of my fa...the perfect thriller...nostalgic days.one of my favorite <a href="http://www.badascreen.com/2011/03/top-10-thriller-movies-of-all-time_23.html" rel="nofollow">Top 10 thriller movies of all time</a>jknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-22231543840121566992011-07-01T01:35:13.872-07:002011-07-01T01:35:13.872-07:00I always found this to be a pretty standard thrill...I always found this to be a pretty standard thriller and never really understood why it's considered by so many to be a "great" film. Frankly, I prefer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Movies-Ever-Made-Mostly/dp/0615494625/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309508831&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow"><br />this guy's take</a> on it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-68912887391360126892011-04-10T14:42:06.272-07:002011-04-10T14:42:06.272-07:00That said, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is the greatest Ro...That said, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is the greatest Roger Corman movie ever - a brilliant piece of high-end pulp done by smart filmmakers who Love Their Trash. I've always felt that was this film's genius - how Demme managed to transmute junk into art, or near-art.<br /><br />The only place his B-movie reflexes tripped him up was that laughably pulpy moment near the climax where Crawford'Timothy Liebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964909587824784208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-31377987988548504402011-04-10T14:33:29.669-07:002011-04-10T14:33:29.669-07:00Three years later, but good point about how Lecter...Three years later, but good point about how Lecter's "face turn" (making him a into cool antihero rather than the cultured monster he was in the earlier books) sort of ruined the character, Matthew. In Harris's last two books (HANNIBAL and HANNIBAL RISING) he becomes closer to the Dully Handsome Prince than the Beautiful Beast of Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - all threats Timothy Liebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964909587824784208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-79013179208805833832008-02-24T03:00:00.000-08:002008-02-24T03:00:00.000-08:00John,My year's off to a great start, thanks! Hope...John,<BR/><BR/>My year's off to a great start, thanks! Hope yours is going well also; it can't be going too badly if you've been watching <EM>The Silence of the Lambs</EM>.<BR/><BR/>Re: the way everyone misremembers Hannibal Lecter's importance, Hopkins steals the film. He's not as memorable in the novel (or in <EM>Red Dragon</EM>, for that matter). You might enjoy Martin Amis's review of <EM>Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-63296796764451500142008-01-30T20:48:00.000-08:002008-01-30T20:48:00.000-08:00Hope your New Year is off to a good start.This is ...Hope your New Year is off to a good start.<BR/><BR/>This is a near perfect film, isn’t it? I almost regret Jodie Foster pointing out in her commentary the one big technical goof (the shadow of Gumb’s gun on her back in the final shootout). I have watched this three times in the past few weeks and have found it difficult to approach analytically. All elements work so well here, the film simply Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-8068523851026658892007-07-11T22:40:00.000-07:002007-07-11T22:40:00.000-07:00Olli Sulopuisto,You're right that it makes histori...Olli Sulopuisto,<BR/><BR/>You're right that it makes historical sense for the film to have been edited on, well, film. It was just strange for me, watching a DVD, to see grease pencil marks and be forcibly reminded that the image I was seeing had come from a physical object, a roll of film, that an actual person had drawn on with an actual pencil. It made the process suddenly much less abstractMatthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-11596930114950818972007-07-11T22:34:00.000-07:002007-07-11T22:34:00.000-07:00Peter Zachos,I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I...Peter Zachos,<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I very much enjoyed your comments about the scene, & learned from them. I hadn't thought about the way they hold off on the line about why Lecter wouldn't go after Starling until afterward, and how that adds to the tension -- but you're right, it's fear for Starling, not the SWAT team, that infuses the scene with dread. Anyway, thank Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-28766600533507223482007-07-11T11:39:00.000-07:002007-07-11T11:39:00.000-07:00Considering the movie was released in 1991, I'd fi...Considering the movie was released in 1991, I'd find it surprising if it were edited on an Avid. (Compare that Murch did his first Avid cut in 1996 for the English Patients.)<BR/><BR/>* * *<BR/><BR/>I find your blog to be flawless in idea and execution. Hopefully you can keep it up in the future.Olli Sulopuistohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16231856218415949967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-56362309013976670982007-07-10T09:25:00.000-07:002007-07-10T09:25:00.000-07:00Sir,I've been reading your reviews here with great...Sir,<BR/><BR/>I've been reading your reviews here with great interest. Your insights are fascinating, entertaining, and sometimes funny as hell.<BR/>I'd like to comment on your analysis of the screenwriting commandment-breaking involving the extended SWAT-team sequence. It is true that neither Starling nor Lecter aren't present and the SWAT team and their procedures have to carry the weight.<BRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com