The Silence of the Lambs (52 Films in 52 Weeks)

Hannibal Lecter: "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

The Story: Clarice Starling, an FBI agent in training, is given the task to interview Hannibal Lecter, to see if she can extract from his some information regarding the serial killer Bufallo Bill. A relationship develops between the two characters when Hannibal asks Clarice to give him details of her personal life in exchange for clues on Bufallo Bill.


Review: This movie is so engraved into popular culture and I've heard and read much about it that I felt like I knew everything about Silence of the Lambs without even watching it. But, thankfully, that wasn't the case. I really enjoyed every bit of it and was surprised by all the twist and turns that this awesome movie has.

Much has been said about the two main performances, Hopkins and Foster, and I thought they were every bit as good as everybody says they are. Hopkins is just terrifying with his calm poise, his emotionless expression, his quirky remarks and his voice. He just gave me the chills. Although I do have to admit that it really isn't a leading performance since the film is mainly about Buffalo Bill; Lecter is only the means by which the transvestite killer is found. But, as it happened with Whitaker this year, the performance is so powerful and good that it was considered lead. I really don’t have a problem with that, his Oscar was well deserved.


Jodie Foster is very good too. I loved how Clarice changes throughout the movie. At first she’s very vulnerable and scared but as the movie progresses she finds her inner strength and is able to confront her own demons (with Lecter’s help) and go after a very dangerous serial killer on her own. Foster has this special charm that helps the audience identify with her character. I also loved the fact that most of the movie is seen through Clarice’s eyes.

The music and cinematography really help to create the eerie mood of the film. The scene were Clarice goes into a dark warehouse is especially spooky and the final confrontation between Clarice and Buffalo Bill when everything goes dark is terrifying as well.

A-

The Remains of the Day (52 Films in 25 Weeks)

Mr. Stevens: "In my philosophy, Mr. Benn, a man cannot call himself well-contented until he has done all he can to be of service to his employer. Of course, this assumes that one's employer is a superior person, not only in rank, or wealth, but in moral stature."

*There could be some mild spoilers*

So I finally watched my third film on the list: The Remains of the Day. I loved it.

The Story: Mr. Stevens has always served as a butler under Lord Darlington. His existence is shaken up when the new housekeeper, Miss Kenton, arrives at Darlington Hall. The two of them have clearly fallen in love, although neither of them will acknowledge it. The film is told through a series of flashbacks in which Mr. Stevens remembers what his life was like living in Darlington Hall.

Commentary: As Mr. Stevens, Anthony Hopkins is a revelation. It was heartbreaking to see this man repress all his feelings in favor of servitude. His blind devotion to his master prevented him from living, from mourning his father, from realizing that history was being written at Darlington Hall, from loving, etc. Mr. Stevens lived like this because at that time he thought he was serving a good master who was worth it, so it was even more heartbreaking to see Mr. Stevens realize that all the sacrifices he made were for nothing. But at least he had this revelation and decided to make things up with his loved one, Miss Kenton. Hopkins performance is very measured and he conveys Steven's inner feelings with just his eyes and the expression of his face. Even though he doesn't show any emotions you know that he is suffering deep inside.

Emma Thompson is fantastic as Miss Kenton. She brings a wit and an intelligence to the characters that is characteristic of her. Besides, she has great chemistry with Hopkins.

Overall the movie is great, very subtle. It makes me want to check out the other Ivory film: Howard's End.

A-

52 Films in 52 Weeks: 2007

So as part of the new year I've decided to make a list of all the films I want to see during 2007. There are 52 movies on the list, therefore I would watch one per week. Don't know if I will be able to see all 52 but I'll give it a try nonetheless. I will write reviews of the movies after I've seen them and post them here on my blog.

1. The 400 Blows
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. The Accused
4. All About Eve
5. Ali
6. Almost Famous
7. Being John Malkovich
8. Blade Runner
9. Blue Velvet
10. Boys Don’t Cry
11. Breaking the Waves
12. The Bridges of Madison County
13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
14. Casino
15. Cinema Paradiso
16. Chinatown
17. Cries and Whispers
18. A Cry in the Dark
19. Dead Poets Society
20. The Deer Hunter
21. Dirty Harry
22. Edward Scissorhands
23. Fargo
24. Gods and Monsters
25. Goodfellas
26. The Graduate
27. The Grifters
28. Howard’s End
29. The Hustler
30. In America
31. It’s a Wonderful Life
32. In the Name of the Father
33. Interiors
34. To Kill a Mockingbird
35. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
36. Once Upon a Time in America
37. Once Upon a Time in the West
38. Paris, Texas
39. Persona
40. Psycho
41. Taxi Driver
42. Tootsie
43. The Remains of the Day
44. Rocky
45. Scarface
46. Schindler’s List
47. The Silence of the Lambs
48. Silkwood
49. Sophie’s Choice
50. Sunset Boulevard
51. Unfaithful
52. The Veredict

I watched Sophie's Choice already this week and I will write a review of it later on.

So one down and 51 to go!