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Lauren McKay
Mr. Hackney
Rhetoric 101
October 22, 2014
Well, Clarice-have the lambs stopped reviewing?

With his other box-office blockbuster, Philadelphia, director Jonathan Demme started his
claim to fame when he released his first movie Silence of the Lambs in 1991. The film is based
off the bestseller book by Thomas Harris written in 1988 by the same name. In Silence of the
Lambs, Clarice Starling is a young and attractive FBI agent in training who is assigned the
grueling task of interviewing the infamous cannibal psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter. Her boss, Jack
Crawford, believes he holds the key to solving the current case of Buffalo Bill, a serial killer
who likes to skin his victims. As the layers of the plot unfold throughout the movie, Clarice gains
a better understanding of a killers mind and ultimately overcomes all psychological and physical
obstacles to catch the psychopath. Though Gene Siskel and John Hartl agree that the cast and
crew surpass the standards expected of the movie, they have differing views on how well the
subject matter was executed and the successfulness of it being a horror movie.
Both Gene Siskel and John Hartl believe that the individuals responsible for creating the
film and portraying the characters were quite successful. Despite the high expectations of the
director for such a well-known novel, Demme goes above and beyond by adding touches of
humor (Hartl). Throughout the entire movie, Demme incorporates ironic signs-used almost as
inside jokes- that foreshadow future events in the film. Likewise, Siskel stated Demme is one of
the most inventive directors. What the director did with the novel was much better than the fans

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of the book had hoped. Not only was the director above par with the film, but the cast was
superb. Hartl remarks Anthony Hopkins perfectly embodied the intimidating intellect of the
character in his performance. The subtle body movements and intimidating stare are some
qualities that could not be lost in the transition process, and they most certainly were not.
Moreover, the main character Clarice Starling-played by Jodie Foster- is dwarfed by the
monsters around her (Siskel). Siskel argues that this was a smart movie choice on Fosters part
by obtaining more of a heroic role than her past films. Overall, Siskel and Hartl are beyond
pleased with the selection of the cast and crew hired to create this highly regarded film.
Aside from the exceptional cast and crew, Siskel and Hartl disagree on how well the
subject matter of the film was carried out. Silence of the Lambs is somewhat known for its
incredibly dark and disturbing content, and it is because of this that Siskel argues that the gross
behavior and pulsating soundtrack push the movie to a point of silliness. The subject matter is
so heavy that if the factors going into the production of the film do not match that tone, the
overall impact is lost. Siskel even goes on to say [t]he conclusion of the film is nothing more
than a grisly version of every mad-slasher picture. By generalizing the film into such an
unimpressive category, the author belittles the movie and the impression it leaves on its viewers.
In contrast, Hartl suggests that it is the seriousness and intensity of the film that make it a must
see. The plot is followed well throughout the movie and it seamlessly (Hartl) blended with the
novel to create a finale which becomes increasingly black and desperate (Hartl). The differing
view on the execution of the plot by Hartl and Siskel then leads to the disagreement on whether
the movie can actually be considered frightening.
With differing views, Hartl and Siskel explain whether this film accurately fits the genre
of horror and successfully frightens the audience. Hartl remarks that the film is frightening on

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both visceral and intellectual levels. Meaning, the underlying story alone is disturbing enough
to scare any sane person, but the effects and visuals drag us into a vicarious conspiracy with a
murderer (Hartl) that is truly terrifying. The author even goes as far as stating the movie is at a
level of Hitchcocks Psycho (Hartl). To compare the film to a movie with as much weight
and popularity as that horror classic, Hartl establishes a standard for this film as being
exceptionally frightening. On the contrary, Siskel states [a]ny 10-second video image of Charles
Manson is more frightening than what goes on here. Charles Manson was a convicted murderer
of seven people, this comparison underscores the intensity the plot is supposed to give to the
viewers by not taking into account all the intricate layers to each detail of the film. Overall, the
Hartl believes this is a proud addition to the horror genre, however Siskel does not.
Above all, Gene Siskel and John Hartl appreciate the cast and crew for going above and
beyond to make the movie exceptional. The actors took on the characters in a masterful way that
contributed greatly to the overall success of the movie along with the ingenious directing of
Johnathan Demme. Although Siskel believes the subject matter was poorly executed in the film,
Hartl believes the plot as well demonstrated and the audience was able to feel the full weight of
the content being used in the movie. In addition, Siskel does not consider this film as being
worthy enough to call a horror movie due to a lacking fright factor, however Hartl puts this
film at a level as high as some of the most famous classic horror films.

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