What is the movie The Silence of the Lambs about?

In The Silence of the Lambs , FBI trainee Clarice Starling is tasked to interview the imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter to get his insight on current cases. The FBI believes Lecter will be more forthcoming with Starling than he had been with more experienced people. The FBI wants Lecter’s help in solving the case of Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who flays his victims. Lecter offers to help in the investigation in exchange for being transferred to a different facility. Buffalo Bill then kidnaps Catherine Martin, the daughter of a U.S. senator. Starling eventually finds Buffalo Bill, whose real name is Jame Gumb, and rescues Martin.

Who are the main characters in The Silence of the Lambs?

The main characters in The Silence of the Lambs are Clarice Starling , an FBI trainee, played by Jodie Foster, and Hannibal Lecter , a cannibalistic serial killer, played by Anthony Hopkins. Other significant characters include Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, portrayed by Scott Glenn; Dr. Chilton, played by Anthony Heald; Catherine Martin, the kidnapped daughter of a U.S. senator, played by Brooke Smith; and Buffalo Bill /Jame Gumb, the serial killer, played by Ted Levine.

Who directed The Silence of the Lambs, and when was it released?

The Silence of the Lambs , an American suspense film, was released in 1991. Jonathan Demme directed the movie, which was based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. The film stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee, and Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial killer. The Silence of the Lambs was only the third film to win the top five Oscars.

Why does FBI trainee Clarice Starling meet with Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the film?

In The Silence of the Lambs , FBI trainee Clarice Starling meets with the imprisoned serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter because Jack Crawford, head of the Behavioral Science Unit, believes Lecter will be more forthcoming with her than with experienced agents. Crawford hopes Lecter can provide insights into current cases, specifically that of "Buffalo Bill," a serial killer who flays his victims. Lecter agrees to help in exchange for a transfer to a different facility, and later, he offers Starling clues about Buffalo Bill's identity in return for personal revelations.

How do the film's suspenseful scenes help create a tense atmosphere?

In The Silence of the Lambs , director Jonathan Demme masterfully employs suspenseful scenes to build a tense atmosphere. The film creates unease through the interactions between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter, where Lecter's piercing intellect and veiled threats keep viewers on edge. The hunt for Buffalo Bill is laden with suspense, as the killer's gruesome acts and the ticking clock heighten the tension. Starling's pursuit of clues, often in dimly lit and unsettling environments, further intensifies the atmosphere, immersing the audience in a world of fear and uncertainty.

What awards did The Silence of the Lambs win, and why is it considered influential in the thriller genre?

The Silence of the Lambs won the five major Academy Awards (best picture, best director, best lead actor, best lead actress, and best screenplay [original or adapted]). Its tight direction, clever script, and Anthony Hopkins' indelible performance contributed to this achievement. The film is considered influential in the thriller genre, along with Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , because it was inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein.

The Silence of the Lambs

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Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs

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Awards And Honors:: Academy Award (1992)

On the Web:: AFI Catalog - The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (Nov. 12, 2026)

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The Silence of the Lambs

film by Demme [1991]

Written by

Patricia Bauer

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Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is the movie The Silence of the Lambs about?
In The Silence of the Lambs, FBI trainee Clarice Starling is tasked to interview the imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter to get his insight on current cases. The FBI believes Lecter will be more forthcoming with Starling than he had been with more experienced people.

The FBI wants Lecter’s help in solving the case of Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who flays his victims. Lecter offers to help in the investigation in exchange for being transferred to a different facility. Buffalo Bill then kidnaps Catherine Martin, the daughter of a U.S. senator. Starling eventually finds Buffalo Bill, whose real name is Jame Gumb, and rescues Martin.
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Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who are the main characters in The Silence of the Lambs?
The main characters in The Silence of the Lambs are Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee, played by Jodie Foster, and Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial killer, played by Anthony Hopkins.

Other significant characters include Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, portrayed by Scott Glenn; Dr. Chilton, played by Anthony Heald; Catherine Martin, the kidnapped daughter of a U.S. senator, played by Brooke Smith; and Buffalo Bill/Jame Gumb, the serial killer, played by Ted Levine.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Silence of the Lambs
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who directed The Silence of the Lambs, and when was it released?
The Silence of the Lambs, an American suspense film, was released in 1991. Jonathan Demme directed the movie, which was based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris.

The film stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee, and Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial killer. The Silence of the Lambs was only the third film to win the top five Oscars.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Silence of the Lambs
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why does FBI trainee Clarice Starling meet with Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the film?
In The Silence of the Lambs, FBI trainee Clarice Starling meets with the imprisoned serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter because Jack Crawford, head of the Behavioral Science Unit, believes Lecter will be more forthcoming with her than with experienced agents. Crawford hopes Lecter can provide insights into current cases, specifically that of "Buffalo Bill," a serial killer who flays his victims. Lecter agrees to help in exchange for a transfer to a different facility, and later, he offers Starling clues about Buffalo Bill's identity in return for personal revelations.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Silence of the Lambs
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do the film's suspenseful scenes help create a tense atmosphere?
In The Silence of the Lambs, director Jonathan Demme masterfully employs suspenseful scenes to build a tense atmosphere. The film creates unease through the interactions between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter, where Lecter's piercing intellect and veiled threats keep viewers on edge.

The hunt for Buffalo Bill is laden with suspense, as the killer's gruesome acts and the ticking clock heighten the tension. Starling's pursuit of clues, often in dimly lit and unsettling environments, further intensifies the atmosphere, immersing the audience in a world of fear and uncertainty.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Silence of the Lambs
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What awards did The Silence of the Lambs win, and why is it considered influential in the thriller genre?
The Silence of the Lambs won the five major Academy Awards (best picture, best director, best lead actor, best lead actress, and best screenplay [original or adapted]). Its tight direction, clever script, and Anthony Hopkins' indelible performance contributed to this achievement. The film is considered influential in the thriller genre, along with Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, because it was inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Ed Gein: Top Questions
2. The Silence of the Lambs
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Silence of the Lambs, American suspense film, released in 1991, that was the first psychological thriller since Rebecca (1940) to win the Academy Award for best picture. The film’s tight direction and clever script, together with an indelible performance by Anthony Hopkins as a cannibalistic serial killer, resulted in a sweep of the five major Oscars (best picture, best director, best lead actor, best lead actress, and best screenplay [original or adapted]).

(Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.)

As The Silence of the Lambs opens, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) is summoned to the office of Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn), the head of the Behavioral Science Unit. He wants her to interview the imprisoned serial killer Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter (Hopkins) to seek information to help with current cases; Crawford believes that Lecter will be more forthcoming with Starling than he had been with more experienced interlocutors. When Starling arrives at the Baltimore State Hospital, Dr. Chilton (Anthony Heald) warns her of rules to keep her safe when speaking with the resourceful and dangerous Lecter. The case that the FBI wants Lecter’s help in solving is that of “Buffalo Bill,” a serial killer who flays his victims. Lecter offers to help the investigation in return for being transferred to a different facility. In the meantime, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) kidnaps Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith), the daughter of a U.S. senator.

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Lecter then agrees to give Starling clues to Buffalo Bill’s identity in exchange for personal revelations from her. Chilton, however, seeks to get information from Lecter on his own. Lecter tells Chilton that he will reveal Buffalo Bill’s identity but only if he may travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to speak personally to Senator Martin (Diane Baker). In Memphis, Lecter tells Senator Martin that the killer’s name is really Louis Friend. Starling deduces that that is a lie and visits Lecter where he is being held in Memphis. Lecter gives her the case file that he had received from her earlier before Chilton has Starling removed. Soon thereafter Lecter kills several guards and escapes. Starling tells Crawford that she is in Ohio following a lead that she gleaned from Lecter, but Crawford tells her that they have found that the killer, whose real name is Jame Gumb, is in Illinois and that he and other agents are headed there to arrest him. Starling nevertheless continues to follow her lead, and she finds Gumb and Catherine Martin in Ohio. She manages to kill Gumb and rescue Martin.

The Silence of the Lambs was based on the best-selling 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. That novel was the second (of four) to centre on Hannibal Lecter. The first, Red Dragon (1981), was filmed as Manhunter in 1986. Gene Hackman was originally slated to direct The Silence of the Lambs, but he dropped out, and Jonathan Demme agreed to helm the movie only after having read the novel. Hopkins reprised his role in Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002), based on Harris’s novels; neither achieved much success. The Silence of the Lambs was only the third film (after It Happened One Night [1934] and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest [1975]) to win the top five Oscars.

Production notes and credits

Studios: Orion Pictures and Strong Heart/Demme Production
Director: Jonathan Demme
Writers: Ted Tally (screenplay) and Thomas Harris (novel)
Music: Howard Shore

Cast

Jodie Foster (Clarice Starling)
Scott Glenn (Jack Crawford)
Anthony Heald (Dr. Chilton)
Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lecter)
Brooke Smith (Catherine Martin)
Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill/Jame Gumb)

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)

Picture*
Lead actor* (Anthony Hopkins)
Lead actress* (Jodie Foster)
Directing*
Editing
Sound
Writing*

Patricia Bauer

The Silence of the Lambs

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Production notes and credits

Cast

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)