The iconic 90s serial killer thriller The Silence of the Lambs didn’t just improve sales for a nice Chianti, it gave cinema a fresh take on the creation of writer Thomas Harris after Michael Mann’s Manhunter.
Following an early career directing low-budget exploitation movies for the late great producer Roger Corman, by the 1990s, Jonathan Demme was known best for making quirky comedies (Something Wild, Married to the Mob) and music documentaries (Stop Making Sense) – that is, until he signed on to adapt Thomas Harris’ best-selling thriller The Silence of the Lambs. The resulting film – a sombre, enthralling nightmare vision of psychopathology – became a five-time Academy Award® winner and made cannibal mastermind Hannibal Lecter a household name.
FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster, The Accused) races against time to stop a serial killer, nicknamed “Buffalo Bill” (Ted Levine, Heat), before he kills again. To solve the case, she risks her own sanity by consulting with malevolent psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, Nixon). A master manipulator, the sinister Dr Lecter offers crucial information that may be key to unlocking the killer’s identity – but at a price. Clarice must open primal events from her past to Lecter’s menacing curiosity and confront the trauma that fuels her search for justice.
A deeply disturbing examination of human evil, The Silence of the Lambs changed the face of the serial killer genre and remains a highly influential, landmark classic of mystery, suspense and psychological horror.
The Silence of the Lambs 4K UHD Limited Edition will be released on August 26th, check out the full list of special features below;
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray™ presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Newly restored original lossless 2.0 stereo soundtrack
• Optional lossless 5.1 soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by critics Elizabeth Purchell & Caden Mark Gardner
• Audio commentary by critic Tim Lucas
• Through Her Eyes – brand new visual essay on the theme of transformation by critic Justine Peres Smith
• Healing Humanity – brand new visual essay exploring point of view and personalization by critic Willow Catelyn Maclay
• Breaking the Silence – archival picture-in-picture interviews and trivia track
• 2002 episode of the Bravo television series Page to Screen focusing on The Silence of the Lambs
• Scoring the Silence – 2004 archival interview with composer Howard Shore
• Jonathan Demme & Jodie Foster – three-part archival 2005 documentary by Laurent Bouzereau
• Understanding the Madness – 2008 archival featurette featuring various FBI alumni discussing the profiling of serial killers
• 1991 “Making Of” Featurette
• 22 deleted scenes
• 7 additional deleted scenes, sourced from a VHS workprint
• Outtakes
• Anthony Hopkins phone message
• Theatrical trailer
• Teaser trailer
• 11 TV spots
• Image gallery
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring two original choices of artwork
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Alexandra West, Josh Nelson, Sam Moore and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Double-sided fold-out poster, featuring two original choices of artwork
• Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards