Top 5 – Horror Films (4/5)
Some horror movies have their script being the thing that makes it really frightening, but there are other times where it is an actor who can put that feel of fear into your head (similar to Kathy Bates in Misery). Another thing that shows how great a performance can be is when a certain character is only on screen for under 1/5 of the running time, and can stay with you for the entire film.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
If you hadn’t guessed by this point, the actor/character who I was talking about in my introduction was the Oscar winning role of Hannibal Lecter, as played by Anthony Hopkins. Every scene that Hopkins is in has you on the edge of your seat being drawn in to his performance, and being completely afraid of him throughout. Hopkins will most likely be remembered for his performance as his performance as this madman.
Before I continue, here’s the trailer:
As you can see from the trailer, the movie spends a lot of time revolving around Hannibal Lecter, but, he is only on screen for about 20 minutes! Despite this, his performance and character is one of the creepiest performances in film. For example, here’s one of many creepy moments in the film (and, in turn, one of the most famous lines in this movie).
In short, there’s no surprise that Hopkins won the Oscar for Best Actor.
Moving on from Anthony Hopkins to Jodie Foster, who won the Best Actress Oscar that year, while she doesn’t leave as much of an imprint on the movie as Hopkins does, she was very much essential to the film. Foster, who plays FBI student Clarice Starling. She’s a complex character, who Foster does a very good job at portraying. She leads the film very well.
The other character of note is serial killer Bufallo Bill, played by Ted Levine. Levine does a good job at portraying this character, and he plays the creepiness and craziness well. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to be anywhere near as much as Hopkins was, simply because he didn’t have as much to work with. Nevertheless, not a single terrible performance in the cast!
Onto the direction, Jonathan Demme does a great job at directing, working with cinematographer Tak Fujimoto well to make the film look as good as it does. Whether it’s the longer shots at the beginning following Starling through an obstacle course, or the faster cuts between Starling and Lecter during their many scenes together (which end up being some of the creepiest scenes in film), the camera work is great throughout.
Keep on watching!
R.S.
Have any ideas to what will be #1? Tell me your guesses or opinions!
