How is Suspense Achieved in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’?
The Silence of the Lambs took the Academy Awards by storm in 1992, winning all five major categories, direction, screenplay, acting and Best Motion Picture; beating the odds in more ways than one. Dark psychological thrillers rarely win Best Picture (the last occasion was back in 1940, Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’). The film had been released early in 1991, a date thought to be beyond the traditionally short memories of most Academy members. Why this happened is not hard to explain on a more detailed inspection. The film embodies the ultimate in its genre. The dark imagery and intense mind play once seen makes it very hard to forget. In fact it wasn’t just Academy voters that were affected by the film, it became a major worldwide success, grossing over $270 million, spawned an even more financially successful sequel, and even inspired a prequel, making a major star of Anthony Hopkins and turned his alter ego ‘Hannibal Lecter’ into a cultural icon. The key element of the film is its ability to keep us in suspense throughout its two hours running time. The film effectively grabs and holds our attention within the first fifteen minutes during three key sequences in which all four main protagonists are introduced.
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lecter Clarices, Ted Levine, Anthony Hopkins, Pain Love-it, Hitchcocks Rebecca, Hannibal Lecter, Howard Shores, Glen Clarice, Dr Chiltern, Hell Demme, hannibal lecter, buffalo bill, view shot, serial killer, lecter clarices, view shot clarices, film established, course clarice, portentous music, shot clarices, meeting lecter,
Approximate Word count = 1482
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
 |
