The Silence of the Lambs: Blood, Guts, and rivetting performance art in a post-Oscar setting …

17th February, 2011.

You know, I’ve got to admit, there’s one thing I know that BBC series, Outcasts has managed to do.

APART from seriously split critical opinion, cause intense discussion amongst fans of TV sci-fi and become as divisive as Marmite* … ?

Well, means that the usual Tuesday night movie got missed, last week.

And shifted to last night, this week.

Not that I’m complaining, too much.

It meant the when Movie Night Adrian, Kevin D, Sarah and I all got together last night, we had a bit of catching to do: Sarah was keen to explain her thinking on a band she was in, Kevin to borrow my shower, and Adrian to …

Well …

Mostly be Adrian, and eat popcorn …

It also — also — got us all nattering about exactly which movie we should actually watch.

I know Kevin and I wasn’t impressed by a western that Adrian had picked up from Brentwood Library.

And I think all of us were a touch intimidated by the sheer length of Night Watch.

We did manage to settle on something, though.

The multi-Oscar winning, 1991, Jonathan Demme film, The Silence of the Lambs.

Notice I didn’t mention a genre in that sentence … ?

More on that, later …

•••••

Based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs sees trainee FBI agent, Clarice Starling — played by Jodie Foster in the second of her Oscar winning roles° — co-opted by Special Agent Jack Crawford — played by Scott Glenn — to run what he calls “… an interesting errand”.

Crawford is — ostensibly — overseeing the building of of the Bureau’s VICAP‡ criminal profile database, and wants Starling to interview the one they’ve not managed to get talking, just yet.

To quote Crawford and Starling’s exchange … ?

Crawford: The pyschiatrist, Hannibal Lecter.

Starling: Hannibal the Cannibal …

Underscoring all this … ?

Crawford wants Ms Starling to deal with the figure that’s now such an icon, ever since that initial introduction …

Not that’s any urgency, of course …

•••••

Now …

You notice I didn’t mention the genre of The Silence of the Lambs, earlier … ?

That’s deliberate …

You see one thing I know that both Kevin, Adrian and I had noticed, over the years, was the simple amount of times that The Silence of the Lambs gets a mention in various ‘Top Horror’ type lists you see infesting movie magazines like Empire.

Whether that’s accurate is a whole other matter.

Speaking personally, though … ?

I think I can appreciate the reasoning behind that.

After all, why bother with the likes of Freddy, Jason, Michæl, et al, when the genuine article — especially when played with the Oscar winning conviction that earned Anthony Hopkins both the Oscar and the knighthood — can be so much more chillingª.

The Silence of the Lambs
★★★★

* Marmite’s anti-malarial properties are an urban myth, dating back to 1934/5. Apparently …

ª Just as a thought to ponder, here, though, about the evils that people do: in the original novel, Thomas Harris has Dr Lecter saying “I collect church collapses, recreationally. Did you see the recent one in Sicily? Marvelous! The facade fell on sixty-five grandmothers at a special mass. Was that evil? If so, who did it? If he’s up there, he just loves it, Officer Starling. Typhoid and swans - it all comes from the same place.”

° The other was for 1988 film, The Accused.

‡ Or at least, the film’s version of it.

V For Vendetta: Voraciously Verbose

Well, FINALLY!

We got through a bag of crisps!

AND had a third person with us … !

It’s a Saturday, and, as you can probably tell by now, it’s been a quiet one.

A quiet Valentine’s Night, actually, as myself, Paul and Adrian either are all single, or who have partners un-available, tonight.

And, before the Smug Marrieds amongst my readers sit back and smirk, it is – in some parts of the world, – Singles Awareness Day so Nyah!

But I’m digressing, aren’t I?

As you’ll know, myself and Adrian – joined by fellow movie night regular, Paul, tonight – usually get together to dig up the contents of various DVD collections.

As you’d’ve noticed: one gangster, a thriller, an s-f trilogy, and THAT chap in kevlar, just don’t turn up out of nowhere.

And I should mention tonight’s science-fiction movie.   One directed by James McTeigue, who’d worked in various assistant directorial posts on the various entries in the Matrix series, and scripted by  Larry and Andy Wacholski.

V for Vendetta.

You know, I thought that some of the knife throwing sequences had a familiar feel to them … 

But, as with the Matrix franchise, it’s a film that has plenty of action to it, a nicely riveting plot – concerning one man’s attempt to gain revenge on those who’d tortured him, overthrowing the dictatorial government his tormenters had established – and food for thought, for those of us wanting to look for it.

Political, rather than the more mystical tone of the earlier Wachowski films.

The best way I can explain that is to quote the main character himself, though – “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

Soundbite?   Maybe, but sometimes a truth has to be point simply, to be understood by as many people as possible …

Either way, though, V For Vendetta IS an enjoyable, well put together flick, although – as Adrian pointed out – one can overdo it.   He has seen it a few times.   Not that he was complaining too much, as, from what he’s told me over the years, it’s one he doesn’t mind seeing again, every so often.

Paul hadn’t seen the film, though, and was rather keen to.

Now Paul has a mild advantage on many of us with this movie.

You may not know it, but the film version “V for Vendetta” is another adaption from the work of writer Alan Moore, who I first came across, when he scripted various strips for 2000AD, many years ago.

And it’s one that, as with From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Alan Moore took his name from: mostly over concerns that the producers would dilute and change the meaning or intent of the work.

From the little I know, something he felt had happened with both previous films.   For me, that’s not a MAJOR worry, so long as I see an enjoyable movie for my hard earned money.

But definitely something I can sympathize with: if that was my book being put on screen, I’d want to make sure the producers got it right as well!

And this is where Paul has me, at least, at an advantage: he’s read the original.

It’s something I usually try and make a point of doing, knowing that Hollywood has a reputation of being a bit … ah … liberal, shall we say, with the story-line of a book they’re turning into a film.

One book that certainly suffered, in my view, was Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot”.   Now, I’ve seen the Will Smith movie of the same name, and it’s an enjoyably entertaining film, but a very good example of what I mean.

I’ve read Asimov’s original short story collection, and the Will Smith film of the same name has very little to do with the original short story collection in terms of plot line, despite the title, some of the character names, and, importantly, the Three Laws of Robotics. 

That made it a film I’d’ve felt more comfortable avoiding, frankly.

It’s also why I’ve encouraged people who think well of Dr Asimov’s work to avoid the Will Smith film.   As enjoyable as I believe Will Smith’s I, Robot is, I feel it has very little to do with Isaac Asimov’s work.

It’s kind of why reading the original novel before watching the film of the book is an ideal I always try and aim for, even if I don’t always manage to do so.

It’s why I’ve always felt that the Peter Jackson epic film version of the J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings does well, as does the 1991, Jonathon Demme directed version of Silence of the Lambsº.

They’re both entertaining films, and good, fairly faithful, re-tellings of the respective novels*.

Yeez!   I’ve just seen the time!   I have to get up for work, in the morning!!!

Let me summarize, quickly, here.

I’ve had some good company, tonight, and seen a very entertaining film.

But I think I want to go and look the original graphic novel up, at some point; – just to make sure of what Alan Moore had in mind, when he wrote it …

*   I’m no kind of expert, but it does occur that there’ll scenes in a novel that just won’t be technically possible in a film version.   There’s also a limit to how long an audience is prepared to sit still.   And let’s face it, J. R. R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson didn’t exactly have the same kind of worries about the budget …

º   I should point out that the Ridley Scott directed version of Hannibal, by contrast, is a good counterpoint.   Whilst most of what’s in the film is on the pages of the books — including THAT scene with the bone saw, an antique dinner service and the contents of Ray Liotta’s head — in filming Hannibal, Mr Scott and the writers changed the ending.   Where do I start … ?!