Dr. Hannibal Lecter is one of the pre-eminent psychopaths in cinema. His small stature, combined with monumental depravity, presents him as a ghoulish spectacle that we cannot look away from. The fact that he is not just evil, but a legitimate intellectual, transforms each word he utters into a deadly trap.This quality is on full display in the last scene of The Silence of the Lambs (1991). It’s nothing but a small, brisk goodbye moment. And yet, the way Lecter speaks—casually insinuating his malicious intent, but dropping it like a playful wordplay—profoundly impacts our sensibilities.The line is memorable because it’s a rare mix of humor and danger, and it’s effortlessly simple.The Setup Behind the LineThe scene comes at the end of the movie. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is celebrating at her graduation party. Her spirits are high for having recently solved the first-ever criminal case (the serial killer, Buffalo Bill) of her career. So when she gets a call, she attends it, anticipating congratulations from someone. However, it turns out to be the darkest person in her life, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Lecter is at his usual composed self, spilling his articulate thoughts in a steady but piercing voice with its familiar, slight metallic, raspy quality. At first, he attempts to shove Clarice away from his trail. When she makes it clear that she doesn’t intend to stop following him, he moves on to do what he does best: tease a decent person with an unsavory idea:“I do wish...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today