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IMDb 8.6 18+ HD

The Silence of the Lambs

1991 1 h 58 min Drama · Detective · Thriller

A young FBI trainee must trade personal secrets for clues from an imprisoned cannibalistic psychiatrist to catch a killer.

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About the film

To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman.

What it’s about

Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI academy, is assigned by Jack Crawford to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist serving life for murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes Lecter may have insight into a case that has stymied the Bureau. Lecter agrees to help only if Starling feeds his curiosity with details of her personal life.

What hooks you

Jonathan Demme directs Jodie Foster as Starling and Anthony Hopkins as Lecter, a role that won him an Oscar for Best Actor. The film also earned Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay, making it one of only three films to win all five major categories. Based on Thomas Harris's novel, it was shot largely in Pittsburgh, whose varied architecture stood in for different parts of the country.

Who it’s for

It suits viewers who appreciate psychological tension built through conversation rather than action, and who are drawn to stories where the line between hunter and hunted blurs. Those with a taste for crime procedurals anchored by complex, unsettling characters will find much to engage with.

Technical details
Country
United States
Year
1991
Running time
1h 58min
Age rating
18+
MPAA
R
World premiere
Jan 30, 1991
Budget$19,000,000
Box office (world)$272,742,922

×14.4box office to budget

Ratings

MOVIE․ONE · 1,203 votes
8.5 /10
IMDb
8.61,700,000
Kinopoisk
8.3603,175
Your rating —
— /10
1 · Didn't land 10 · Masterpiece

Creative team

All 9
Director Jonathan Demme
  1. The film is based on Thomas Harris's novel The Silence of the Lambs (1988).
  2. The role of Hannibal Lecter was offered to Gene Hackman, who was also offered the director's chair. At the same time, Michelle Pfeiffer and Meg Ryan were considered for the role of Clarice.
  3. Besides Hackman, Robert Duvall, Jeremy Irons and Brian Cox were also considered for the role of Dr. Lecter.
  4. Most of the footage was prepared in Pittsburgh. The city was ideal for filming due to the huge number of architectural structures and other beautiful locations. Thus, the crew managed to create the illusion that filming took place in different parts of the country.
  5. This film became the third in the entire history of the Academy Awards ceremony to win all 5 major awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. Before that, the same honors went to It Happened One Night (1934) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).
  6. Anthony Hopkins, describing the voice provided for his character Hannibal Lecter, called it a "symbiosis of Truman Capote and Katharine Hepburn."

Awards and nominations

13 wins 19 nominations

All
  1. 5 wins Academy Awards 1992 · 2 nominations
  2. 1 win Golden Globe Awards 1992 · 4 nominations
  3. 2 wins BAFTA Awards 1992 · 7 nominations
  4. 1 win Berlin International Film Festival 1991 · 1 nomination
  5. 4 wins Saturn Awards 1992 · 4 nominations
Top wins
  1. Best Actor Anthony Hopkins Academy Awards · 1992
  2. Best Actress Jodie Foster Academy Awards · 1992
  3. Best Director Jonathan Demme Academy Awards · 1992
  4. Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Awards · 1992
  5. Best Film Ron Bozman Academy Awards · 1992
  6. Best Actress (Drama) Jodie Foster Golden Globe Awards · 1992

Also nominated Cesar Awards1

Franchise

8
  1.  
    Охотник на людей Prequel
  2. 1991
    The Silence of the Lambs You are here
  3.  
    Ганнибал Sequel
  4.  
    Красный Дракон Sequel
  5.  
    Ганнибал: Восхождение Sequel
  6.  
    Ганнибал Sequel
  7.  
    Криминальный роман Remake
  8.  
    Кларисса Spin-off

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