"To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman."
The Silence of the Lambs - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
— Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Context:
Lecter delivers this line to Clarice during their first meeting after she tries to get him to fill out a psychological questionnaire. It's a verbal power play designed to shock and intimidate her, immediately establishing the terrifying nature of his character.
Meaning:
This is arguably the film's most iconic and chilling line. It's a testament to Lecter's casual brutality and his intellectual superiority. He's not just a killer; he's a gourmand of the grotesque. The line also contains a hidden medical joke, as the foods mentioned are all things that should be avoided when taking certain types of antidepressants, implying Lecter is not on his medication.
Well, Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?
— Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Context:
Lecter says this to Clarice over the phone at the end of the film, after he has escaped from custody. It's his final, unsettling word to her, a reminder of their intimate and twisted connection.
Meaning:
This haunting question gets to the very heart of Clarice's character and the film's central metaphor. Lecter is asking if her success in saving Catherine Martin has finally brought her peace from her childhood trauma. It's a question that lingers long after the credits roll, suggesting that the echoes of our past are not so easily silenced.
It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.
— Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb
Context:
Buffalo Bill says this to Catherine Martin, who is imprisoned in his well. He is forcing her to apply lotion to her skin to keep it soft for when he kills and skins her.
Meaning:
This line is a terrifying glimpse into the mind of Buffalo Bill. By referring to his victim as "it," he dehumanizes her, reducing her to an object in his macabre project. The sing-song, almost childish tone in which he delivers the line makes it even more disturbing.
Quid pro quo. I tell you things, you tell me things.
— Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Context:
Lecter proposes this arrangement to Clarice when she comes to him for help with the Buffalo Bill case. It's his way of controlling their interactions and feeding his own insatiable curiosity about her.
Meaning:
This Latin phrase, meaning "something for something," becomes the basis of Clarice and Lecter's twisted relationship. It establishes the rules of their psychological game: his invaluable insights into the criminal mind in exchange for her most painful and personal memories.