"The Silent Lamb" may be the most acclaimed horror film, even higher than Kushen's "The Shining". Anthony Hopkins' performance changed the face of murderers in horror and suspense films. Since his old man played Hannibal, his appearance has become harmless and polite, listening to classical music. A particularly scary thing is a hundred times more scary than that kind of character who dances with swords and shoots guns and has a face full of flesh and blood.
Like all masterpieces, the theme expressed in "The Silent Lamb" is far from simply shaping a remarkable metamorphosis, and can be interpreted from multiple angles. It would be a pity for such an exquisite movie to fail to see those extremely careful little details.
The secret hidden in the name
The two most important name clues that Dr. Lecter provided to Starling in the film are both deliberately misleading, but they also give true clues through other means. They deliberately set a long line to catch the big fish Starling and lure her time and time again. Come back again. The first clue was that the two met for the first time. The doctor asked Starling to find his former patient Mofet and spelled out the name. But the clever Starling was not misled by the name, but from the previous sentence, through the clue of Yourself and another combination of Hester Mofet, The rest of me, he found the true intention given by the doctor and found his secret warehouse, so The doctor appreciated the decision to help her solve the case. The second clue was for the senator, or a crossword puzzle, which was solved the last time he and Starling met. Louis Friend, after rearranging the combination is Iron sulfide, Fool'sgold, similarly, the doctor pointed Stariling again and gave the key to solving the case.
Since the director likes anagrams so much, let's start with the protagonist's name and see what the secret is.
Clarice Starling. Starling means Ouqiong bird. This bird is beautiful and small in size. It eats pests such as moths in summer and plant fruits in winter, but does not destroy plants. It is a beneficial bird for agriculture. These birds live in groups and can avoid large birds of prey such as peregrine falcons together. Starling is equally beautiful, petite, flexible and smart, and there is also a black female classmate who is equally beautiful and smart to help her make suggestions. If Buffalo Bill is a skeleton moth, then Starling is his predator. Her name Clarice is derived from the Latin Clarus, which means light. At the end, after she killed Buffalo Bill in the dark, the sun shines into the basement from the outside. The doctor obviously noticed the meaning of her name. When he met Starling for the first time, he used "Stink of the lamp", "You fly back to school now little starling". The first sentence obviously refers to her name, and the last sentence refers to Starling. Obviously referring to the similarities between her surname and the bird.
Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal's name is much simpler. Hannibal is not only a homonym for Cannibal, but also the name of a famous general in Carthage. General Hannibal's most brilliant military masterpiece is undoubtedly the unexpected defeat of Rome by leading his army across the Pyrenees and Alps. He was called the father of military strategy by later generations, suggesting that the Ph. There are two explanations for Lecter. First, Lecter is a homophonic Lector, who is Starling's mentor. Secondly, Lecter comes from Lechier in Old French, gluttonous, suggesting that Hannibal cannibalism.
Multiple Miggs. Hannibal's cellmate. Miggs means urine, unclean, it's just what the name says. His nickname is more interesting than his name. Multiple means multiple personalities. Although this buddy is nicknamed Multiple, we only see his one personality. What about the other personalities? Let’s take another look at the corridor holding the doctor from Freud’s perspective. The first cell is a prisoner who looks strong and vicious. He is obviously interested in Starling but not rude. You might as well understand him as Hannibal’s id; the second Miggs is the most rude, is Hannibal’s ego; Hannibal lives in the innermost, no iron fence, separated him by thick plexiglass, the innermost doctor It's his superego, so walking into this corridor is to walk into the doctor's heart. Starling and his Superego are talking to the other two at the same time, so the three of them went crazy when the conversation ended. We know that the second, more wretched personality, bit his tongue and committed suicide after the doctor talked about it all afternoon. It would be much more interesting to understand that the superego kills the self. The image of the doctor is getting bigger and bigger in my mind.
Catherin Martin. The name of the girl rescued by Starling is basically another Starling. Martin means swallow, which corresponds to Starling, and is also the Latin Martinus, which is the god of war. And Catherine is the Greek word Katharos, which also means bright. It corresponds to Clarice. The last name and first name correspond to Starling. It would be much more interesting to watch the movie as one person, and we will analyze it in detail later.
Hunter and prey
The first shot at the beginning of the film is the towering woods, and then the shot moves downwards. The little Starling in the towering woods pulls a rope to climb the hillside. The first shot confesses the theme of the film, which is a woman ascending. Story, but someone needs to guide (rope), and Doctor and Crawford are the rope. Starling's dark clothes, gloomy weather and melancholic background music all hinted at Starling's inner distress.
The characters in each scene of the film can be divided into two categories, hunters and prey. But overall Hannibal, Starling, Buffalo Bill, Catherine Martin and the Senator are both hunters and prey. Their transformation of identity between the two is the most fascinating part of the film. From a general gender perspective, men are hunters and women are prey, but the women in the film are all good hunters who defeat the strong by the weak, which makes these female characters full of charm.
There are scenes of predators in the film many times. First of all, in the doctor's warehouse, the first object illuminated by the Starling flashlight was a specimen of an owl with outstretched wings. In Greek mythology, the owl is the love bird of Athena, a symbol of wisdom and a ferocious bird of prey, just like the doctor. Owl stared at Starling, strengthening her prey that she had become the doctor, and was walking towards the "trap" set by the doctor step by step. Starling went to find a doctor of entomology to identify the pupa scene. The first shot started with a huge tyrannosaurus fossil, and then moved down to Starling walking among a lot of huge dinosaur fossils, both to strengthen the weak Starling is the prey The intention also implies that she is a predator deep in her heart. Buffalo Bill used a subjective lens when he kidnapped Martin. He stared at Martin through Bill's green night vision device. It was another hint of a predator, but in the end the predator was killed by the prey.
Four classic dialogues
"The Silent Lambs" is a chattering film. A lot of characterization is done through dialogue, especially the dialogues between Starling and the doctor are quite exciting. It can be said that these scenes are classics in the filming of dialogue classics. Let us start from These dialogues started to analyze the movie to see how the doctor turned his back on the subject step by step and how the relationship between the two people was sublimated.
The first dialogue in the mental hospital was the most exciting and the most important scene. Starling came to the hospital to subdue the doctor by Crawford's order, but the information about the doctor is all about how dangerous this "prey" is. On the way to the doctor's cell, Dr. Chilton and Starling went all the way down. When the doctor told that the doctor had eaten a nurse's face and the heartbeat did not exceed 70, the two stopped in front of a red door. At this time, red lights were used. Red always implies danger, paving the way for the doctor to transform from prey to hunter.
The doctor's appearance was extraordinary, standing neatly and neatly in the cell. At this time, the doctor is locked in a cage like a beast in the zoo, but you will still be afraid, just like the tourists in the zoo still dare not get too close to the cage. The doctor first asked to see Starling's certificate and asked "Closer please, Closer". Combined with the previous explanations of Crawford and Chilton, this "Closer" is simply chilling. Without any suspense, the doctor discovered that Starling was a temporary worker.
"Jack Crawford sent a trainee to me?"
In a word, the Doctor was in the selected role, and Starling passively waited to be selected. The doctor suddenly changed from a prey to a hunter, and Starling, who was originally sent to "hunt" the doctor, became a prey. In the following shots, the doctor lacks interest in the questionnaire or the Buffalo Bill case. Those are things he already knows. He is only interested in Starling. There are only two lenses used for the doctor, close-up shots when talking about Starling, and close-up shots when talking about other topics. While shooting Starling, close shots were used throughout. This is the Doctor's hunt for Starling, the hunter is so close, helpless prey seems to be readily available, just ask if you are afraid.
In this scene, Starling has always been sitting, and the doctor stood there all the time, even if Starling returned to the cell at the end, the doctor still shouted to her with open hands from a condescending position. The doctor was always in the predator's position. It is worth noting that the doctor never blinks. All of his blinking and closing his eyes are done deliberately. This is actually imitating the eyes of an owl, the eyes of a predator. numb.
The tension in the second scene when the two met was much weaker than that in the first scene, because it was not the first time that the two met, and they also had specific content to talk about. After Miggs' death, the doctor should have been tossed by Dr. Chilton quite miserably, not so majestic anymore. And Starling had just returned from investigating in a rainy night, and was completely wet. The doctor was sitting on the ground. Starling was sitting on the ground without a stool this time. The two were equal, and the topic of discussion became deeper. First he asked an embarrassing topic
Do you think Jack Crawford wants you, sexually? True, he is much older, but do you think he visualizes scenarios, exchanges, fucking you?
The problem itself is not important, what is important is that this is the doctor's idea, to some extent he regards Crawford as a rival in love.
The doctor affirmed Starling's talents and decided to help her solve the case. In this scene, the doctor stood up, but he turned his back to Starling when he talked about the conditions. A close-up lens was used here, and the background was blurred to strengthen this passage. It was not the doctor talking with Starling, but a higher level. , Implying that he understands that Starling is not talking about this kind of thing. During the whole conversation, Starling looked up to the doctor, and the doctor was looking up to a higher place, which was another hint of power. Starling had a foreboding that the head in the jar had something to do with Bill Buffalo, and asked who the murderer was. The doctor said, "Allgood things to those who waits." This sentence was for himself. He was waiting for Bill Buffalo's next prey. , A big prey.
The scene of the third meeting was quite interesting. The scene started with Starling standing, the doctor sitting, and the doctor looking up to Starling. The relationship of power has changed. Because Starling has obtained the bargaining chip, the doctor can go to an island every year for vacation. For a week, the condition is that if Catherine dies, the condition is invalidated. When the two people exchanged information, Starling sat down, and the two people became equal again. The doctor immediately threatened Starling with "Poor Catherine is waiting", and this was precisely the condition that Starling had just threatened the doctor. It seemed She is even more anxious. The doctor went a step further and asked her directly what was the scariest memory of childhood. Starling spoke candidly about his father's experience of the attack and death, and the doctor also gave very useful information. "If Ihelp you it would be turns with us too." The doctor undoubtedly liked Starling. This scene was a turning point in the relationship between the two people. The doctor began to express himself and said something worthy of fun. "I think it would be quite something to know you in private life.", I also praised Starling "Clever girl, you're so close to the way you're gonna catchhim". Perhaps it was this sentence that inspired Starling. Perhaps this was the first time that she was recognized for her ingenuity outside of her feminine charm, and she asked "Why" twice. Starling's performance was quite relaxed. For the first time, he strongly requested "Quid pro quo" to try to regain the initiative of the dialogue. For the first time in the last group of dialogues, two people were in the same frame of the front and back shots. The doctor's face was reflected on the glass, which can be called the scariest front and back shot in film history. The relationship between the two is getting closer.
The fourth scene is the most ambiguous. Starling took the initiative to deliver the paintings, playing with his fingers awkwardly and unconfidently, walking around uncomfortably. The doctor is exactly like a boss, showing his head from behind the desk and behind the book he is holding. When he knew that Starling was not here by Crawford’s order, the doctor said, "People would say we are inlove." It’s a little bit proud. Obviously, if he treats Crawford as his love rival, he has already won, and then straightforwardly exposes Starling’s lies about the island. , Not upset at all. This time, the doctor told Starling all the points succinctly without waiting for Starling to share first. When Starling wanted the doctor to say more, the doctor refused. Obviously he also knew that he didn’t have much time left, so he should make good use of this. Time to listen to Starling's story. This story is very interesting and it is also the core of the whole film. It will be analyzed separately later.
This is the first time the two talked through the iron fence. The fence in the close-up shot of the last doctor in the conversation completely disappeared. The relationship between the two was sublimated. Finally, the doctor gently stroked Starling's finger. Ambiguous close-up
Lights and colors
The tone of the whole movie is gloomy. This is to express the gloomy theme of the film. The sky is never blue, and it will always be grey and cold. Most of the scenes are indoors, and a few outdoor scenes at the airport are either cloudy or dark, or in towering forests with no sky. The light given to Starling is always a three-point light, a flawless three-point light. This is the light used by Li Xiangyang in our "Plain Guerrillas" shooting with double guns. The feature is that it can make people look good and highlight the heroic characters. , But the shadow is weak and lacks a sense of hierarchy. This use of light echoes her name "Claris" on the one hand, and highlights the struggle between light and darkness on the other.
Many viewers think that Doctor is a perfect person, even he is a god, but obviously not. He has unpleasant little thoughts about Starling, let alone cannibalism. So in what way did the director mislead the audience? I think he is still running out. Generally speaking, such an evil person should be darker, at least half-bright and half-dark like the godfather. The brilliance of photography is that he does the opposite. Most of Dr.’s lenses use the same three-point lighting as Starling, but the main light source is with a little overhead light, with a certain angle, the light is very hard, the shadow area of the face is not large but the contrast is very strong, resulting in a perfect but It feels a little scary, like a large carnivore, elegant but dangerous. The disadvantage is that it is not scary enough, so some other lighting methods are occasionally used in the film.
When the two met for the second time, the lights in the room were turned off in the first half of the play, so the doctor sat in the dark, where a little bit of weak light source was overhead light, and several lenses after turning on the lights used overhead light. It is also the most scary scene of the doctor. Similarly, if you only take a look, you can turn a person into a devil. This is the magic of light and shadow. I love these photos taken by the crew!
The last time the two met, the doctor wore white in the ball cage. American felons never wear white, they always wear orange. Originally, the doctor in this scene was also wearing an orange jumpsuit, but it was changed to white at the suggestion of Anthony Hopkins. This is a successful change. One is that the white clothes stained with blood in the later scene of the doctor’s escape is particularly scary. The other is that white is a sacred color. The pope wears white to emphasize that the doctor is perfect and sacred. Contour light is also used. The supplementary light adds a sense of sacredness. The supplementary light of the eyes makes this section a little scary, and I always remind you that this is a horror movie.
The doctor’s escape scene also uses top light, the effect is not generally scary, especially when he looks up and immersed in the Gothenburg Variations, don’t be too exciting and scared. Anthony Hopkins's performance is amazing, but a large part of the final effect is due to light, shadow and color. As long as such a dozen is scary, even Judy Foster can become Doctor Cannibalism every minute.
From chrysalis to butterfly-Buffalo Bill's body perplexed
The three main characters in the film all have identity confusion. Buffalo Bill wants to gain female power; Starling hopes to gain a place in the male-dominated FBI; and the doctor's problem is much more complicated. The film only gives explanations to Buffalo Bill and Starling's problems, and the doctor's part is left blank.
Buffalo Bill is a very interesting but often overlooked character. He does not want to change gender, but just wants to gain feminine charm. This charm includes both the appearance of women and the characteristics of women such as motherhood. He has a very complicated set of internal logic. But no one cares about his logic except Starling and the Doctor. Starling asked the doctor whether Buffalo Bill's lover was a transvestite, and the doctor gave a negative answer, saying that he was simply depressive, tedious, very tedious, meaning that Buffalo Bill was much more interesting. Like Raspail, Buffalo Bill is not a transvestite at all. From the photos of him and strippers, it can be seen that his sexual orientation is female, and it is impossible to be a transvestite. On the other hand, Starling himself answered this question: "There's no correlation between transsexualism and violence. Transsexuals are very passive."
So what is the problem with Buffalo Bill? We can see that Buffalo Bill has tattoos and nipples on his body, which is a modification of his body. The transformation of the body is not dissatisfaction with the body, but dissatisfaction with the identity. Tattoos are not so much a transformation of the body as they are a transformation of identity. Some tattoo lovers add something to their bodies every year. Old tattoos will always be accepted by themselves. Once they accept the tattoo, they will become a part of the body. To lose the old identity, only by tattooing new works to break the shackles of the body again. This is no different from buying new clothes every year. Everyone will change their identity by changing clothes, but not everyone can accept a tattoo to change their identity, and basically no one can accept Buffalo Bill's perverted gift. Make a human leather suit yourself. I believe that Buffalo Bill’s initial desire also began with clothing. He is an avid sewing lover, but this craze became more and more uncontrolled, and eventually developed adult leather suits.
What Buffalo Bill does not want is a female body, what he covets is female charm. Men who love women generally covet the female body. They can feel the power of women and are impressed by this charm, but they do not desire to obtain this charm, not at all. Buffalo Bill’s love for female charm lies in his desire to obtain this charm. He wants to satisfy his masculine love of this charm through the way he acquires this charm. It is almost as vague as a tongue twister to explain it in words. Let's take a look at how the movie behaves. Remember what he was doing when he was about to be done? He wore a wig and a colorful scarf in front of the mirror, twisted his body in silk stockings, and muttered something in his mouth.
I'd fuck me.
Come on.
I'd fuck me hard.
I'd fuck me so hard.
This paragraph is really abnormal. Buffalo Bill has never raped his victim. This is a kind of male arrogance, because those fat girls do not fit his aesthetics. What he likes is the slim strippers in the photos. Girl. But now he wants to fuck himself in the fat girl's skin, it's really abnormal! In his eyes, those girls are not people, not objects to attract him, but objects. Starling's insight is great, remember what she said? "If he sees Catherine as a person and not just an object, it's harder to tear her up." It's a pity that the senator's words did not have this effect. In the end, Martin delayed the time by kidnapping Buffalo Bill's puppy. What's more interesting is that such a brutal perverted murderer as Buffalo Bill really misses his puppy! It seems that his desire for female charm lies not only in the appearance of women, but also in the instinctive love of women. He can treat women as an Object like a male sex offender, but he cannot treat a puppy as an Object. This is his. The internal logic, but this logic is not understood by ordinary people, at least the FBI does not understand it.
The figure of women is actually the standard in a male-dominated society. Slimness is more determined by male aesthetics, and Starling uses "Big girl" instead of "fat" when describing victims. This is the tolerance of women to other female figures. The director is really attentive, and every effort is spared in the diss patriarchal society.
The charm of female appearance and the power of love-Starling's identity confusion
This is what the doctor said of Starling when we first met:
You're so ambitious, aren't you? Do you know what you look like, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well-scrubbed, hustling rube, with a little taste.
Good nutrition's given you length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you?
And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed: pure West Virginia.
What is your father, dear? ls he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp?
How quickly the boys found you. All those tedious, sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars, while you could only dream of getting out, getting anywhere, getting all the way to the FBI.
Is the doctor right? It's just right! Almost told Starling that he was crying. But for one thing, he affirmed Starling's feminine charm. Starling is a very beautiful woman. According to the popular saying now, it is obvious that she can rely on her face to eat but she has to rely on her strength. The action of Starling being watched was repeatedly emphasized in the film, which is a manifestation of feminine charm. Starling went to find Crawford, a group of men in the elevator staring at her; the police at the scene of the first murder case stared at her unkindly; while running on the FBI training ground, a group of male students stared back at her. She watched; a man stared at her at the airport, and she subconsciously changed her purse. This was a defensive action; in the Nature Museum, the entomologist directly invited Starling to dinner, and that guy’s eyes were really impressive Impressed; and Dr. Chilton directly asked Starling if he would spend the night in Baltimore...
The film has repeatedly shown that the world is unfriendly to women. How did Buffalo Bill get its name?
It started as a bad joke in Kansas City Homicide.
They said "This one likes to skin his humps."
Humps used here, a very unfriendly word, this is a victim of sexual crimes. Although Buffalo Bill has never raped his "prey", the police still use the word Humps, which is the male world under the dominance of men, and arrogance blinds them, so they can't succeed, but Starling can.
Even her two mentors in the film also "have bad intentions" towards her.
When meeting Hannibal for the first time, Miggs next to him said "I can smell your cunt!" The doctor asked her to repeat this sentence, then put her nose close to the hole in the bulletproof glass and said "I myself cannot. "Here I used a close-up shot of a nostril from bottom to top, emphasizing the action of "sniffing". Did he smell something? Of course it smells! This is "the embarrassing truth about Miggs." It is polite and decent to see through. Even if I didn't smell it, this "Smell cunt" action itself was already a kind of sexual harassment. It is even more disturbing if Miggs is understood as another personality of the Doctor. Remember what Dr. Chilton said?
"A pretty, young woman to turn him on. I don't believe Lecter's seen a woman in eight years. And are you ever his taste! So to speak."
Turn on is not only for the doctor to speak, but also for sexual arousal. Although Dr. Chilton is annoying, his sentence is correct. It's just that the doctor is not so superficial. He may fall in love with Starling, but that is a deeper love, not a superficial exchange of sex by helping Starling's career rise.
Crawford, Starling's other mentor, is also problematic. At the second meeting, the doctor asked straightforwardly:
Do you think Jack Crawford wants you, sexually? True, he is much older, but do you think he visualizes scenarios, exchanges, fucking you?
Starling cleverly used "It's the sort of thing that Miggs would say." prevarication, but I believe what the doctor said is also correct.
Crawford's appearance was very interesting. He asked Starling to find him, but he was not in the office. Crawford quietly appeared at the door when Starling focused on the Buffalo Bill's information. He may have just appeared, or he may have been standing for a few minutes, quietly "appreciating" Starling. The subsequent dialogue between the two was also very interesting. Crawford leaned on the chair with his hands behind his head. This is not a posture that should appear in the office, especially should not be used to face subordinates. He is also a selection and evaluation attitude towards Starling:
"You grilled me pretty hard, as I recall, on the Bureau's civil rights record in the Hoover years. I gave you an A."
"A-minus, sir."
"You grilled me" but I give you an A-, the decision remains with me. Then Crawford changed his position and started talking about work
At the end, Starling joined the FBI smoothly. Crawford looked from a distance and shook hands to congratulate him. He obviously made a special trip to congratulate Starling. He had no interest in other people, or even Starling himself. Starling gave Crawford a shot of leaving in an overcoat when he received the last call from the ridiculous doctor. These details show that Crawford actually "wants you sexually" as Hannibal said. What's more interesting is that two doctors of entomology who helped Starling also appeared at the graduation ceremony. The three stood in a row, as if Starling was reviewing her admirers.
OMG, this is the environment in which Starling lives. Good luck to her.
But charm is not always disrespectful, Starling is very good at using her feminine charm, using, rather than abuse. She knows how to flirt with Dr. Chilton to get some convenience, but when Dr. Chilton obstructed her work, she immediately asked him to talk to the US attorney's office. This is an advantage that the doctor particularly appreciates, "You had been courteous and receptive to courtesy. You had established trust, with the embarrassing truth about Miggs." Sadly, these rudeness not only come from Dr. Miggs and Chilton, but also From all the people around her, can she really get rid of it? In the end it was her charm that saved her life. Buffalo Bill did not die of indecision, but of greed for Starling's feminine charm. He grabbed it in the dark, it wasn't a show off, but just fell in love with Starling's hair. This is an incomparable feature of women's leakage. Some people just like long hair, you know.
Starling's distress is that she is so smart and hard working, but everyone is staring at her beauty. This kind of distress (quick) worries (happiness) is really beyond the experience of ordinary people. Her clothing style has always been very neutral, including her handbag praised by the doctor is also a men's briefcase, only when she needs to show femininity, will wear skirts, stockings and high heels. The film is very restrained in this regard. There has never been a shot of Starling's lower body, only some panoramic shots have revealed this information. Hanni Johnson saw through this trait of her, so saying "Do you know what you look like, with your good bag and your cheap shoes?" was actually mocking her for being too deliberate and coquettish, which really deeply pierced her. After hurting Starling, the doctor is really cruel.
In the end, it was not her appearance that led Starling to capture Buffalo Bill, but the carefulness and empathy unique to women. Her curiosity about Buffalo Bill's inner desire led him to find the murderer. When she uncovered the logic of Buffalo Bill's murder, she happily reported to Crawford:
Starling: He's making himself a woman's suit, Mr. Crawford, out of real women. And he can sew, this guy, he's very skilled. He's a tailor, or a dressmaker……
Crawford: Starling...
Starling. That's why they're all so big, he has to keep them alive so he can starve them awhile, so he can……
Crawford: Starling...
Starling: loosen their skin...
Crawford: Starling, Starling, Starling! We know who he is, and where he is. We're on our way there right now.
A few short sentences were interrupted three times, which shows that Crawford doesn't care what kind of person Buffalo Bill is. His goal is to catch the murderer, but he guessed it wrong. Caring for and empathizing with people The true strength of Starling lies in the strength of women, and the ability that women are often overlooked or even regarded as weaknesses. The doctor appreciates her ability very much. In the doctor's eyes, she is the incarnation of the Virgin. The power of the Virgin lies in love rather than the power of male violence.
Other people’s confusion
The most fascinating thing in this movie is neither Starling nor Buffalo Bill, but the Doctor. The doctor only played 16 minutes in total, and this role is not full. No one knows what is hidden in his heart, but obviously this is a person with a story, and it is definitely not "A pure psychopath" as Dr. Chilton said. Like the character in the film, the doctor also has a lot of confusion. Remember how Starling angered Dr. in the first scene?
You see a lot, Doctor. But are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you are afraid to.
What a beautiful counterattack! I hit the doctor's sore spot. The doctor can help Starling solve his happy knot. Who can help the doctor? When Anthony Hopkins took the role, he once asked the director Hannibal if he was a good person or a bad person. The director replied that he was a good person, just trapped in a crazy soul. This little gossip supplements the creator's understanding of the characters from the side. Of course, it is best to look for evidence in the film itself to interpret the film. Later, "Young Hannibal" explained the doctor's cannibalistic motivation, but it was obviously unsatisfactory. Such a charismatic character would be too boring without leaving a bit of mystery.
Lippman, the first victim of Buffalo Bill, was also dissatisfied with his body. She is a fat man, and the film uses the word big girl, which is quite politically correct. A poster of the sexy actress Madonna is hung in her room. The secret box is a music box of a ballerina, which implies that she also has a lot of dissatisfaction with her body. In fact, whether Doctor, Starling, Buffalo Bill, Lippman or you and me, who is satisfied with his body? It's just that makeup and fitness are socially accepted forms, and the acceptance of plastic surgery and tattoos is less. To the extent of Buffalo Bill, it is just a mental illness.
The shepherd and the sheep-the subject of sacrifice
The title "The Silent Lamb" tells you, this is a film about religion. The intention of the lamb appears hundreds of times in the Bible, and the most famous is that Jesus is the Lamb of God. The lamb in the film also has multiple meanings. The most superficial meaning is the childhood shadow in Starling's story, the lamb she wants to save, but this is too superficial and boring. At a deeper level, it can be understood that Starling is the lamb itself, she walked into the evil world beautifully and helplessly. This world is not only the male world of the FBI, but also the evil world of Doctor and Buffalo Bill. How can she survive in such a world? Who will save her? The doctor did not protect her, but taught her how to be a shepherd rather than a prey. To some extent, Martin is the incarnation of Starling. Martin did not wait to die after falling into the clutches of Buffalo Bill. She keenly discovered the weakness of Buffalo Bill and kidnapped his puppy to buy herself time. The scene where Starling saves her is quite intriguing, and she used this tone when she begged Starling not to leave:
No! Don't you leave me here, you fuckin' bitch!
Don't you leave me here! This guy's fuckin' crazy! Please!
Very interesting dialogue, the combination of Fucking, Bitch and please. But when Starling left, Martin's screaming stopped instead. Shouldn't it be stronger? This conversation can be completely understood as the contradictory conversation in Starling's heart. It is her process of overcoming fear and conquering herself. Saving Martin is also saving herself.
After Buffalo Bill was killed, Martin walked out of the magic cave with the puppy in his arms. The puppy's hair was curled up and looked like a lamb, which corresponded to Starling holding the lamb. Martin and Starling are the same, although they are strong and powerful, but they have not lost the instinct of women's love.
A further understanding is Starling's salvation complex. The world is a sheep, Starling is the savior, this burden is too heavy for her, "It's too heavy" and the world also includes the doctor and the Buffalo Bill who are as perverted, this is an attitude. Doctors Crawford and Chilton are either using the doctor or treating him directly as a monster. In order to understand Bill Buffalo’s behavior, Starling even ignored Crawford’s advice: "you're to tell him nothing personal. Believe me, you don't want Hannibal Lecter inside your head." Bravely made a deal with a devil like Doctor. , And the senator whose daughter was kidnapped was unwilling to make this transaction. It can be said that in order to protect the innocent people, I really sacrificed myself. This is also the point that moved the doctor as the devil to tears. The value of this business! As a result, she became the Virgin Mary in the doctor's heart. The power of the Virgin lies in love, not violence.
The intention of the shepherd and the lamb has also appeared many times in the film. The window sill in Lipman's home is decorated with wooden dolls of the cross, Jesus and the lamb. For Nibal’s last meal in prison, he ordered extra rare lamb chops. This is a traditional Easter food. Of course, he didn’t plan to actually eat this meal. It was a celebration of his coming back out of the river and echoed the Starling lamb. s story.
Some interesting details
There are a few interesting details in the film that did not give clear answers, but they are really interesting. I list them for reference.
1. The intention of the American flag. State-owned enterprises appeared in the film 4 times, the first time was the flag covering the car in the doctor’s warehouse; the second time was to decorate the dead police body with red, white and blue cloth strips after escape; the third time was the wall of the Buffalo Bill sewing machine The flag on the screen; finally, the small flag on the window sill after Bill was shot. There seem to be some passages in the film that allude to power, but they don't specify it.
2. Nazi symbols. Nazi symbols appeared in two places in Buffalo Bill's basement. One is the sheets of Buffalo Bill. What is interesting is that these two Nazi symbols are orange-red. They may not be Nazis, but symbols in Indian totems, which may correspond to the custom of scalping Indian warriors. The other is the strange poster "Open your eyes American" in Buffalo Bill's house, which may correspond to the American flag. In popular culture, Nazi symbols do not necessarily represent the Nazis, but rather symbolize anti-government and anti-society, or racism. Probably not many popular culture audiences can understand National Socialism.
3. The senator looks like an old version of Starling, with a similar hairstyle. She wants to save her daughter but is unwilling to pay any price. She is unwilling to play Quid pro quo with the doctor. Is this the arrogance of power? Does she have motherhood? Her arrogance reflected the great sacrifice of Starling.
4. Why is it called "Silence of the lambs" and why not "Scream of the lambs"?
5. "Gothenburg Variations" and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. I wanted to write it separately, but this should be the theme of the second episode of "Hannibal". The doctor likes classical music, because the standard of classical art is absolute, the standard of classical painting is awesome, the height of classical building is awesome, the rhythm of classical music is awesome, all of which have absolute standards. The doctor's love of classical art also strengthened his omnipotent image, like Count Dracula, and the police in the play directly asked: "Is he a vampire?" Very interesting.
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