MYST POST #5: Silence of the Llambs

Why haven't I reviewed this movie sooner?! It has everything I like to see in a film: Mystery, Suspense, Horror, and countless artsy shots and scenes. It's also a film that doesn't really follow any cliches or over used gags in horror films. Actually, i'm not entirely sure if this film counts as a horror film, but nonetheless, it is a film that you surely should see at least once in your life. Before I even dive into this review I just want to let you know that I'm not really going to give much of the plot away to you because I believe it's one of those films that would only get ruined if read rather than watched. 

A common camera angle used throughout the film consists of the high angle shot. It is used specifically to symbolize the emotional feelings throughout numerous scenes. For example, the scene where Buffalo Bill looks down upon one of his recent captives is shot with a low angle when focused on Bill, and a high angle on the captive. This symbolizes the emotional struggle the captive is going through as she screams and yells at Bill. The great thing about this type of shot is that it also gives the perspective to the audience that she is deep down in the well.     

There are also numerous brief shots throughout the film that suggest cannibalism when it comes to the killer in the end. It should be no surprise that the whole film surrounds cannibalism anyway, I mean, Hannibal bites off a part of a guy's face during his escape scene! However, a better example of this symbolism can be traced towards the end of the movie where the main character shines a flashlight briefly past a table. In that second, we see numerous doll body parts laying around, even a stuffed alligator with even more doll parts stuffed inside its mouth. Because I like B-movies so much, I'd also like to point out that Roger Corman does in fact have a cameo in this film as a government official.