The Making of 'The Silence of the Lambs' Page #5

Synopsis: This brief throwback piece focused on interview snippets from Hopkins, Demme, Glenn, Foster, FBI agent John Douglas and another unnamed FBI agent.
Year:
1991
8 min
457 Views


Amputate a man's leg and

he can still feel it tickling.

Tell me, Mom, when your little girl

is on the slab, where will it tickle you?

Take this thing back to Baltimore.

Five foot ten, strongly built,

about 180 pounds.

Hair blond, eyes pale blue.

He'd be about 35 now. He said he lived

in Philadelphia but may have lied.

That's all I can remember, Mom, but if

I think of any more, I will let you know.

And, Senator, just one more thing.

Love your suit.

In a meeting this evening

with Senator Ruth Martin,

Dr Lecter agreed

to assist in the investigation

of trying to find the abductor, Buffalo Bill.

- How do you fit in?

- My insight into Lecter's mind

- made this breakthrough possible.

- Buffalo Bill's real name?

That is now a matter of record

with the proper authorities.

- My name is Dr Frederick Chilton.

- How do you spell that?

- Are you with Dr Chilton's group?

- Well, I just saw him outside, sir.

Access to Lecter is limited.

We've been getting death threats.

I understand, sir.

Log in and check your weapon.

I can't take all the credit.

Senator Martin, the Justice Department,

people at the FBI, folks

at the Baltimore state hospital.

And now for the hard part:

apprehending the suspect.

Excuse me, folks.

I'm gonna have to catch a flight.

Is it true what they're sayin'?

He's some kind of vampire?

They don't have a name for what he is.

You do know the rules, ma'am?

Yes, Lieutenant Boyle.

I've questioned him before.

Go ahead.

Good evening, Clarice.

I thought you might like

your drawings back, Doctor.

Just until you get your view.

How very thoughtful.

Or did Jack Crawford send you

for one last wheedle

before you're both booted off the case?

No, I came because I wanted to.

People will say we're in love.

Anthrax Island.

That was an especially

nice touch, Clarice.

- Yours?

- Yes.

Yeah.

That was good.

Pity about poor Catherine, though.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

Your anagrams are showing, Doctor.

Louis Friend?

Iron sulfide, also known as fool's gold.

Oh, Clarice, your problem is

you need to get more fun out of life.

You were telling me the truth back in

Baltimore, sir. Please continue now.

I've read the case files. Have you?

Everything you need to find him

is there in those pages.

- Then tell me how.

- First principles, Clarice. Simplicity.

Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each

particular thing, ask what is it in itself?

What is its nature?

What does he do, this man you seek?

- He kills women.

- No. That is incidental.

What is the first thing he does?

What needs does he serve by killing?

Anger.

Social acceptance.

- Sexual frustrations.

- No. He covets.

That is his nature.

And how do we begin to covet, Clarice?

Do we seek out things to covet?

Make an effort to answer now.

No. We just...

No, we begin by coveting

what we see every day.

Don't you feel eyes

moving over your body, Clarice?

And don't your eyes seek out

the things you want?

All right, yes. Now please tell me how...

No. It is your turn to tell me, Clarice.

You don't have any more

vacations to sell.

Why did you leave that ranch?

Doctor, we don't have

any more time for any of this now.

But we don't reckon time

the same way, do we?

- This is all the time you'll ever have.

- Later. Listen to me. We've only got five...

No. I will listen now.

After your father's murder,

you were orphaned.

You went to live with cousins on

a sheep and horse ranch in Montana.

And?

And one morning I just ran away.

Not "just", Clarice. What set you off?

- You started at what time?

- Early. Still dark.

Then something woke you, didn't it?

Was it a dream? What was it?

I heard a strange noise.

What was it?

It was screaming.

Some kind of screaming.

Like a child's voice.

What did you do?

I went downstairs.

Outside.

I crept up into the barn.

I was so scared to look inside,

but I had to.

What did you see, Clarice?

What did you see?

Lambs.

They were screaming.

They were slaughtering the spring lambs?

And they were screaming.

- And you ran away?

- No. First I tried to free them.

I opened the gate to their pen,

but they wouldn't run.

They just stood there, confused.

They wouldn't run.

But you could - and you did, didn't you?

Yes. I took one lamb

and I ran away as fast as I could.

- Where were you going, Clarice?

- I don't know. I didn't have any food,

any water and it was very cold, very cold.

I thought...

I thought if I could save just one, but...

He was so heavy.

So heavy.

I didn't get more than a few miles

when the sheriff's car picked me up.

The rancher was so angry, he sent me

to live at the orphanage in Bozeman.

I never saw the ranch again.

What became of your lamb, Clarice?

- He killed him.

- You still wake up sometimes, don't you?

Wake up in the dark

and hear the screaming of the lambs?

Yes.

And you think, if you save poor Catherine,

you could make them stop, don't you?

You think if Catherine lives,

you won't wake up in the dark ever again

to that awful screaming of the lambs.

I don't know.

I don't know.

Thank you, Clarice.

- Thank you.

- Tell me his name, Doctor.

Dr Chilton, I presume.

I think you know each other.

OK.

- Let's go.

- It's your turn, Doctor.

- Out.

- Tell me his name.

Sorry, ma'am. I've got orders. I have

to put you on a plane. Come on now.

Brave Clarice.

You will let me know when those lambs

stop screaming, won't you?

- Tell me his name, Doctor.

- Clarice.

Your case file.

Goodbye, Clarice.

- Ready when you are, doc.

- Just another minute, please.

Son of a b*tch demanded a second

dinner. Lamb chops, extra rare.

I wonder what he wants for breakfast.

Some damn thing from the zoo?

- Good evening, gentlemen.

- OK, doc. Grab some floor.

Same drill as before, please.

Ready when you are, Sergeant Pembry.

OK.

Hand me that, would ya?

Thanks.

Mind the drawings, please.

Thank you.

Watch it. He's cuffed me!

Jesus Christ!

Ready when you are, Sergeant Pembry.

What is this sh*t?

- Did somebody go up on five?

- No. Nobody went up.

Call Pembry. Ask him to tell...

CP. Shots fired on five.

Repeat:
shots fired on five.

Sergeant Tate.

- Holy sh*t.

- What the hell...?

Shut up. Bobby, get the vest.

- Right, sarge.

- Brady, Howard, cover...

Look!

- It's stopped.

- Seal off a ten-block radius.

Get me the SWAT team

and an ambulance double-quick.

We're goin' up.

Pembry!

Boyle!

Oh, God.

Go.

- Clear.

- Command post.

Two officers down.

- Lecter's gone, sarge.

- Prisoner is missing.

- Boyle's gun is gone, Sergeant.

- Repeat:
Lecter is missing and armed.

He's stripped the bed. Might be

makin' a rope. Check all windows.

Where the f*** is my ambulance?

He's alive. Sergeant Tate, he's alive.

Get a hold of him

and feel his hand. Talk to him.

- What do I say?

- It's Jim Pembry. Talk to him, dammit!

Lecter is missing and armed.

Pembry, can you hear me?

He took Boyle's gun. Pembry got off one

round. There's a chance Lecter was hit.

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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