"To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman."
The Silence of the Lambs - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
In one of Hannibal Lecter's drawings in his cell, he depicts the Duomo in Florence as seen from the Belvedere.
This is a clever piece of foreshadowing. At the end of the film, after his escape, Lecter is in a location that resembles the drawing. More importantly, Buffalo Bill's first victim was named Frederica Bimmel, from Belvedere, Ohio. Lecter was giving Clarice a significant clue that she initially missed.
In Jack Crawford's office, there is a newspaper clipping on the wall with the headline 'BILL SKINS FIFTH.'
At first glance, this appears to be about Buffalo Bill. However, upon closer inspection, the article is actually about Hannibal Lecter's past crimes, detailing his medical background and the murder of a museum curator.
When Hannibal Lecter tells Clarice he ate a census taker's liver with 'fava beans and a nice Chianti.'
This line contains a hidden medical joke. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), a class of antidepressants, have dangerous, potentially fatal, interactions with tyramine-rich foods like liver, fava beans, and red wine. Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist, is essentially telling Clarice he is not taking his medication.
During the scene where Lecter is in his temporary cell in Memphis, a copy of 'Bon Appétit' magazine can be seen on his table.
This is a dark and humorous nod to Lecter's cannibalistic tastes, subtly placed in the scene as he enjoys a meal of lamb chops.