Analysis
Symbols and Tropes
Hero's Journey
Ordinary WorldClarice Starling is training for a new job. We've all been there. Except instead of learning how to upgrade a cell phone plan, make book recommendations, or sell a scarf to match a sh...
Setting
Quantico, Baltimore, Memphis, and Ohio, early 1990sOn the RoadSilence of the Lambs beings in the woods near Quantico, VA. We know this because the screen says "Woods near Quantico, VA." This is whe...
Point of View
They're Ready for Their Close UpThe characters in The Silence of the Lambs basically go from point A to point B, with a few skinned corpses, creepy moths, and transvestite solo dance numbers along...
Genre
Drama, Psychological Thriller, Monster MovieTo Catch a PredatorDespite being a sophisticated crime drama, The Silence of the Lambs takes its primary nugget of wisdom from a retort commonly heard on...
What's Up With the Title?
As much as you've wanted to silence Lamb Chop after ten hours of singing "The Song That Doesn't End", that isn't what this movie is about. There isn't a single lamb in this film, neither real, cart...
What's Up With the Ending?
Clarice Starling saves Catherine Martin, kills Buffalo Bill, and graduates from the FBI Academy with flying colors. Yay!But the ending to The Silence of the Lambs isn't all one big party, even if t...
Shock Rating
RWhile it's nowhere near the gory heights of its brain-eating sequel, Hannibal, The Silence of the Lambs is one bloody appetizer. It was so violent for its time, many actors turned down roles in th...