The Making of 'The Silence of the Lambs' Page #2

---

That is the Duomo

seen from the Belvedere.

- Do you know Florence?

- All that detail just from memory, sir?

Memory, Agent Starling,

is what I have instead of a view.

Well, perhaps you'd care to lend us

your view on this questionnaire, sir.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

You were doing fine. You had been

courteous and receptive to courtesy.

You had established trust, with

the embarrassing truth about Miggs.

And now this ham-handed segue

into your questionnaire.

- It won't do.

- I'm only asking you to look at this.

Either you will or you won't.

Yeah. Jack Crawford

must be very busy indeed

if he's recruiting help

from the student body.

Busy hunting that new one: Buffalo Bill.

What a naughty boy he is.

Do you know why he's called Buffalo Bill?

Please tell me.

The newspapers won't say.

It started as a bad joke

in Kansas City Homicide.

They said

"This one likes to skin his humps."

Why do you think he removes

their skins, Agent Starling?

Thrill me with your acumen.

It ex cites him. Most serial killers keep

some sort of trophies from their victims.

- I didn't.

- No. No, you ate yours.

You send that through now.

Oh, Agent Starling, you think you can

dissect me with this blunt little tool?

No. I thought that your knowledge...

You're so ambitious, aren't you?

Do you know what you look like, with

your good bag and your cheap shoes?

You look like a rube.

A well-scrubbed, hustling rube,

with a little taste.

Good nutrition's given you length of bone,

but you're not more than one generation

from poor white trash, are you?

And that accent you've tried so

desperately to shed: pure West Virginia.

What is your father, dear? Is he

a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp?

How quickly the boys found you.

All those tedious, sticky fumblings

in the back seats of cars,

while you could only dream of

getting out, getting anywhere,

getting all the way to the FBI.

You see a lot, Doctor.

But are you strong enough to point

that high-powered perception at yourself?

What about it? Why don't you look at

yourself and write down what you see?

Or maybe you're afraid to.

A census taker once tried to test me.

I ate his liver with some fava beans

and a nice Chianti.

You fly back to school now, little Starling.

Fly, fly, fly.

I bit my wrist so I can die.

Look at the blood!

- Got ya!

- Miggs, you stupid f***!

- I'm gonna kill him!

- Agent Starling! Come back!

Agent Starling! Agent Starling!

I would not have had that happen to you.

- Discourtesy is unspeakably ugly.

- Then do this test.

No, but I'll give you a chance

for what you love most.

- And what is that?

- Advancement. Listen carefully.

Look deep within yourself,

Rate this script:3.0 / 1 vote