Picture 64: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
- Joseph Gallaher
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
1991 gives us the only horror film to ever win Best Picture. Based on Thomas Harris’ 1988 novel, The Silence of the Lambs became only the third film in history to win the so-called big 5 awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. For quiz knowledge purposes the other two were… It Happened One Night (1934) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). However, as those two films prove, sweeping the Oscars doesn’t guarantee top billing on this blog. Let’s see what Jody Foster and Anthony Hopkins have in store.
Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a young and green FBI agent. Given that it’s Hollywood, she gets allocated the most disturbing and challenging case in Baltimore. She is tasked by her boss Agent Crawford (Scott Glenn) with hunting the monstrous serial killer Buffalo Bill. Unsure where to start, she asks for advice from psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Hannibal has comfortably failed his DBS check so fortunately can only speak to Clarice through a glass barrier. With Hannibal’s guidance, Clarice goes on a terrifying journey towards Buffalo Bill.
In truth, this is a spectacular piece of cinema. The film is as gripping as it is haunting. It explores the traumatic darkness that fuels humanity’s edge cases. Uncomfortably, it also reminds us that we share a common humanity and vulnerability with the worst of us. Jody Foster and Anthony Hopkins are phenomenal leads, hard to replicate anywhere else in cinematic history. The sequels missed them terribly.
The Silence of the Lambs is a traumatising experience that you simply can’t take your eyes off. It leads the 9/10 cohort to land in 7th place.
Rating: 9/10
Oscar Best Picture Rankings:
1. The Godfather (1972)
2. Casablanca (1943)
3. The Apartment (1960)
4. Rebecca (1940)
5. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
6. The Sound of Music (1965)
7. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
8. Ordinary People (1980)
9. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
10. Gandhi (1982)
11. The Deer Hunter (1978)
12. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
13. Ben-Hur (1959)
14. The Last Emperor (1987)
15. Lost Weekend (1945)
16. Platoon (1986)
17. Gone With the Wind (1939)
18. Rocky (1976)
19. Annie Hall (1977)
20. Amadeus (1984)
21. All About Eve (1950)
22. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
23. Hamlet (1948)
24. How Green Was My Valley (1941)
25. Out of Africa (1985)
26. West Side Story (1961)
27. Mrs. Miniver (1942)
28. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
29. Wings (1928)
30. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
31. You can’t take it with you (1938)
32. Patton (1970)
33. Terms of Endearment (1983)
34. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
35. On the Waterfront (1954)
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
37. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
38. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
39. Rain Man (1988)
40. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
41. Dances with Wolves (1990)
42. Marty (1955)
43. Oliver! (1968)
44. Cimarron (1931)
45. Grand Hotel (1932)
46. The French Connection (1971)
47. An American in Paris (1951)
48. From Here to Eternity (1953)
49. It Happened One Night (1934)
50. My Fair Lady (1964)
51. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
52. Cavalcade (1933)
53. The Sting (1973)
54. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
55. Going My Way (1944)
56. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
57. Chariots of Fire (1981)
58. All the King’s Men (1949)
59. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
60. Gigi (1958)
61. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
62. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
63. The Broadway Melody (1929)
64. Tom Jones (1963)
Previous or current ranking leaders are in bold.
With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:
Dr Sophie Bloomfield – Fashion Correspondent
Dr Caspar Briault – Head of Cynicism
Dr Conrad Charlton
Dr Sophie Clarke
Dr Kate Diomede
Dr Fionnuala Durrant
Dr Josh Fisher
Dr Joseph Gallaher – CEO and Founder
Dr Joseph Hamilton
Dr Adam Holland – Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Dr Sid Mohan - Divisional Lead for the 1980s
Dr Hannah Morrison
Dr Meera Radia
Comments