“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”
As the Bank Holiday weekend draws to a close, those of you searching for the perfect way to finish it off have an answer in the form of Anthony Hopkins’ greatest cinematic role.
You can catch The Silence of the Lambs tonight on Freeview tonight, over on 5Star.
The 1991 psychological horror was adopted from the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris.
Clarice Starling stars as an FBI trainee, who seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter (played by Hopkins) to apprehend another serial killer, known only as “Buffalo Bill”.
Although it was a sleeper hit in its day, it picked up Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards, eventually grossing $272.7 million worldwide against its $19 million budget. It is currently ranked #23 on IMDB.
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert, recognised the film as a “horror masterpiece” alongside classics such as Nosferatu, Psycho, and Halloween. Describing how: “One key to the film’s appeal is that audiences like Hannibal Lecter. That’s partly because he likes Starling, and we sense he would not hurt her. It’s also because he is helping her search for Buffalo Bill, and save the imprisoned girl.
“But it may also be because Hopkins, in a still, sly way, brings such wit and style to the character. He may be a cannibal, but as a dinner party guest he would give value for money (if he didn’t eat you). He does not bore, he likes to amuse, he has his standards, and he is the smartest person in the movie.”
The Silence of the Lambs is on 5Star at 11pm tonight (Monday 2 April)
