FROM PAPER TO SCREEN
Written by Thomas Harris, the novel, The Silence of the Lambs was the 1988 sequel to his 1981 release, Red Dragon. Meticulous in his research; Harris felt he couldn't write it until he believed it. He spent a considerable amount of time at the FBI headquarters in Quantico, and modeled "Buffalo Bill" after three actual serial killers. Both Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs featured the brilliant psychiatrist turned canabalistic serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The story of The Silence of the Lambs follows a young, wet behind the ears, FBI trainee, Clairce Starling, who has been recruited by Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, to interview Lecter and recieve his opinion, on a questionnaire. In reality, Crawford is using Clarice, to get to Lecter for his assistance in capturing the serial killer, known as "Buffalo Bill." For Clarice, this a chance to prove herself worthy, and in Lecter's case, he may have just found his ticket out of the asylum.
After the release of the Red Dragon film Manhunter in 1986, Orion Pictures and Gene Hackman partnered together, to bring The Silence of the Lambs to life. Sadly, that partnership wouldn't last. Shortly after the scriptwriting began, Hackman bowed out of the project, and took his 50% financial investment with him. This left Orion to front the entire cost of the film and in search of a new director. Towards the end of 1989, Jonathan Demme signed on and production began of what would be one of the greatest films of all time and my absolute favorite.