Today it would have looked different: 30 years to the “silence of the sheep”

In February 1991, exactly 30 years ago, the creepy psychological thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” was released, an adaptation of Thomas Harris’ 1988 book. At the center of the film is Clarice Sterling (Judy Foster), an FBI agent who tries to capture a serial killer (Ted Levin) known as “Buffalo Bill” who wants to be a woman, abducting fat young women and peeling their skin. For the mission, she enlists the help of a psychiatrist imprisoned in a mental hospital – Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins gritted his teeth in the juicy role after Sean Connery refused to do it), the brilliant and sophisticated cannibal, to save the daughter of a kidnapped senator.

“The Silence of the Lambs” received rave reviews (among other things, it was compared to masterpieces of horror such as “Psycho”), became a blockbuster and won five Oscars. And not just figurines – he managed to win all five considered categories: Best Picture, Director (Jonathan Demi), Outstanding Actor (although Hopkins appears on screen for a total of 24 minutes), Actress (Poster) and Adapted Screenplay. Only two other films in the history of the Oscars have managed to make such an achievement – “It Happened One Night” by Frank Capra and “The Cuckoo’s Nest” by Milos Furman.

The great success of “The Silence of the Lambs” led to imitation films and parodies, and Hannibal’s mask costume became a hit, even in Israel. The hysteria surrounding the film brought to the fore the issue of serial killers, long before the real crime genre took over our TV screens. Demi, the sympathetic, liberal and humanist creator, was amazed by the noise surrounding “The Silence of the Lambs.” “It was definitely a big surprise for me,” Demi said, when we met at the Venice Film Festival in 2015, a year and a half before he died of cancer. “My films that preceded ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, for example ‘Something Wild’ and ‘Married to the Mafia’, caused a positive echo, but they were not hits, and I already thought I was a filmmaker unable to make a successful film. While we were filming ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ we knew “We have strong material, but we did not even dream that the film would have such an impact. I was shocked when I saw the numbers the film made in the first week. I love thrillers and am glad I had the opportunity to make a film that was recognized as a classic.”

But it was not just compliments and figurines that rained down on the “silence of the sheep.” The character of Buffalo Bill, for example, managed to upset and infuriate the LGBT community. Remember, he used to starve his victims to facilitate the separation of skin and flesh, then he would kill them and sew the pieces of skin into a female garment that would allow him to achieve the desired sex change. He was not allowed to do so. The community lamented why a transsexual character is portrayed in a negative light, and even more so as a serial killer. 2016 that “The Silence of the Sheep” is “demonizing trans people.”

But Demi is the last to be blamed for homophobia (two years after “The Silence of the Lambs” he made “Philadelphia,” one of the first films to deal with AIDS) or transphobia. What’s more, Buffalo Bill’s sexual orientation is not stated and Dr. Lecter explicitly states that he is not “really transgender.” “I know maybe we should have been more detailed about the background of Buffalo Bill and I’m not sure the presentation of the subject in the film was clear,” Demi said. In our meeting. “So why does Buffalo Bill actually want to be a woman? Because he was born into a child’s body and felt he had to be her. This is a character who is so full of self-hatred, also because of the assault from which he suffered as a child, so he wanted to get as far away as possible from what he was. It was not just a matter of changing sex. ”

Since life can sometimes be ironic, Demi found himself in his private life dealing with issues of gender change. In another interview I conducted with him in 2014, Demi revealed that his little daughter, then 20, is in the midst of a gender reassignment process and will become a man. “My wife and I encourage this upheaval, it’s normal and it’s natural and it has to happen. That’s why it’s important for me to cast representatives of the LGBT community for my films. In the films ‘Ricky and the Flash’ I shared trances, not necessarily in trance roles. In Hollywood there is not enough representation for the community and this needs to change. I want my films to reflect reality, the world and America as I see it and feel it. Movies with straight white men, are the movies I like the least. They bore me. ”

And if we delve into the character of Buffalo Bill, then it’s worth noting that he’s recently made headlines again: The high-rise house in Pennsylvania, which was used to shoot the scenes at the serial killer’s house, is now up for sale. “Most of the world has seen this house, but now there is an opportunity to purchase it,” read a statement issued by the real estate agency responsible for the sale. For $ 300,000 it could be yours. And you should know that in the basement you will not find the well where Buffalo Bill imprisoned His victims.

The “silence of the sheep” also provoked the rage and resentment of feminist circles. Betty Frieden, one of the most well-known feminist and women’s rights activists, attacked him. I think it’s really outrageous that ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ won five Oscars, “she frowned in an interview with Playboy magazine.” I’m not saying the film should not have been shown, nor do I deny it is an artistic achievement, but shocking women and peeling skin from women While alive, this is something I have found to be very offensive. In my opinion, this is an offensive thing and not the middle image of Playboy. ”

Demi disagrees with the feminist claims. “To me it’s a pure feminist film,” he insisted. “It’s really gloomy but it’s also a film about victory, it’s kind of a feminist victory story – you have a story here about a young woman rescuing another girl – the one Buffalo Bill kidnapped and imprisoned, and to do that she has to deal with all those men harassing her. “It’s very important to shoot a scene where Judy ends up killing Buffalo Bill, in such a way that viewers do not cheer for his killing and do not glorify violence. We always think of Dr. Lecter and he is the one who got all the exposure, but really that’s Clarice’s story.”

Foster also repulsed the feminist onslaught. “I always say my favorite director is Jonathan Demi,” Foster said when I interviewed her at the Cannes Film Festival, 2016. “Jonathan was the only one who understood ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ and could say it’s a movie about a woman and that Clarice is his protagonist. “It’s terrifying and hard to watch in some ways, but does not suffer from excessive violence, mainly because it comes from a different perspective – it is alongside the voice of this brave woman. I do not think the film is a plot to oppress women.”

Hannibal Lecter’s character first appeared in Harris’ 1981 book, The Red Dragon, which received a cinematic adaptation five years later – “Human Hunter,” in which Brian Cox played the gastronomy-loving cannibal. In the book “The Silence of the Lambs” the character of Clarice was born. After the success of the movie “The Silence of the Lambs,” Hollywood begged Foster to return to the role, but Foster was determined not to recycle. “I never did the pledge. Maybe because I make movies that no one wants their sequel to,” Foster said. “Of course ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ was the only film they wanted to have a sequel to, and I chose not to make it.”

A decade after “The Silence of the Lambs,” the pledge “Hannibal” came to the screens. Demi was debating whether to make this film as well, but in light of the fear that the pledge would have difficulty meeting its predecessor, he gave up the pleasure. Ridley Scott was placed in the directing position. Foster was supposed to have already signed the contract, but withdrew from the idea. All the Hollywood stars, from Angelina Jolie Helen Hunt to Cate Blanchett and Hillary Swank fought for the right to replace Foster, until Julian Moore won the role. Hopkins is the one who recommended Moore, after working together on “Picasso’s Loves.” The 2001 film made impressive numbers, but did not become ritualistic and garnered awards such as “The Silence of the Lambs.” Hopkins returned a year later to do Hannibal in the film “Red Dragon,” directed by Brett Ratner. In 2007, “The Source of Evil” was a particularly bad and failed film about Hannibal’s childhood in Europe – a miserable attempt to explain why Hannibal became one.

The failure of “Source of Evil” did not deter the creators of the TV series “Hannibal”, which hit screens in April 2013, on NBC, and it relies on the book “Red Dragon” and is a prequel, describing what Dr. Lecter did, before becoming the infamous Hannibal. An episode in the series, named after the customer element from French cuisine, as befits a hero – a connoisseur and a quality cooking enthusiast, who enjoys offering delicacies to those around him, without them knowing they were made from human flesh. And next to it “fine Chianti wine.”

Brian Fuller, creator of the series, planned to incorporate the character of agent Clarice Sterling in the fifth season of the series, but the series went down after three seasons. But those who missed the brilliant and brave agent are invited to wait patiently: in parallel with the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of “The Silence of the Lambs”, the “Clarice” series arrives on the American screen (CBS on February 11). The series is responsible for Alex Kurtzman (“Transformers,” “The Mummy”) and Jennifer Lumet, the daughter of legendary director Sydney Lumet and who wrote “Rachel Gets Married,” Demi’s film. After Foster and Moore, who previously played Sterling, this time they went for a lesser-known actress – Australian Rebecca Breeds, who starred in the timeless soap opera “Far Far Away” and “The Original,” a spin-off of “The Vampire Diaries.” Because of rights issues, the creators of “Clarice” are prevented from presenting the character of Hannibal, or even referring to her. “It was actually quite liberating because we have no interest in writing about Hannibal – not because we did not like the previous films and the series about him, but because it was done so well by a lot of people, that it did not feel fresh for us,” claims Kurtzman.

The plot of “Clarice” is set in 1993 – Agent Sterling is trying to recover from the “Silence of the Sheep” events – these still haunt her in her thoughts and she is even asked to go for treatment. Throughout the series, Sterling sets out to chase after serial killers and ambush for predators, while trying to run amidst the intrigue of politics in Washington, D.C. It is worth noting that Catherine, the girl that Clarice rescued in the film also appears, as does Catherine’s mother. The creators of “Clarice” testify that they are happy to bring back Sterling, who has not been seen since Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal”. “After more than 20 years of silence, we are excited to give voice to one of America’s great heroines,” Kurtzman and Lumet say. “Clarice’s courage and complexity have always lit the way, even when her personal story remains in the dark. This is the story we need today: her struggle, her mental strength, her victory. Clarice is a woman who held many secrets. We want to know the light and the dark and the mind and heart of this woman.” .

And if in the poster of “Silence of the Lambs” Clarice appeared with her mouth blocked by a dead skull flutter moth (Buffalo Bill used to tuck the moth into the victims’ throats), then in the poster of “Clarice” she appears without a butterfly, as if her protagonist is allowed to speak now. “The current image represents the time we are in now,” Brides believes. “It’s not that the moth is not there. The traumas of women still exist and we deal with them in the series, but we women are no longer silenced.”