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Inspired by @panoptigoth, I'm going to go see The Silence of the Lambs (1991) on the big screen at the BFI #memoryiswhatIhaveinsteadofaview
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Something I've never previously appreciated is how feminist The Silence of the Lambs is for a Hollywood thriller.
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Men's eyes are on Clarice all the way through the film: men are hitting on her, staring at her, judging her, even through to the finale.
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In her darkest moment at the end, one man's gaze is on her in a completely one-sided exchange - she can't see him. But she still fights back
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The whole film is driven by this man victimising women in an attempt to symbolically take their place. Clarice has to save those lambs.
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She has to bear the male gaze upon her all the way through the damn film just so she can save women from this male threat.
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In our current context, it's interesting to look at Gumb's particularly toxic maleness with the Americana and Nazi symbology in his den.
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Fighting this male threat while all the males around her perpetuate toxic male behaviour grinds her down. You can see it. But she carries on
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The sequel - Hannibal (2001) - makes the mistake that audiences make: it sides with Dr. Lecter and his superficial charm.
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A charming male psychopath is, unfortunately, a more bankable investment for a studio than a strong female protagonist.
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I absolutely loved The Silence of the Lambs as a teenager. When my Nanna died, I used the money she left me to buy a Hannibal films boxset.
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As a teen, I preferred Hannibal (2001). It's depiction of a gothic Florence (my favourite city) is great but I drifted away from the film.
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In a way that I never did with The Silence of the Lambs. It's an incredible thriller: the template for hundreds of thrillers after it.