The Making of 'The Silence of the Lambs'

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WOODS NEAR QUANTICO, VA

Starling!

Starling!

Crawford wants to see you in his office.

Thank you, sir.

- Clarice.

- Hey.

You looking for Crawford? He should

be back in a minute. Wait in his office.

Starling.

- Clarice M. Good morning.

- Morning, Mr Crawford.

Sorry to pull you off the course

at such short notice.

Your instructors tell me you're doing well.

I hope so. They haven't

posted any grades yet.

A job's come up and I thought about you.

Not a job, really. More of

an interesting errand. Sit down.

Yes, sir.

I remember you from my seminar at UVA.

You grilled me pretty hard, as I recall,

on the Bureau's civil rights record

in the Hoover years. I gave you an A.

A-minus, sir.

Double major:
psych and criminology.

Graduated magna.

Summer internships

at the Reitzinger Clinic.

It says, when you graduate, you wanna

work for me in Behavioral Science.

Yes, very much, sir. Very much.

We're interviewing all serial killers now in

custody for a psycho-behavioral profile.

Could be a real help in unsolved cases.

Most of them have been

happy to talk to us.

- Do you spook easily, Starling?

- Not yet, sir.

See, the one we want most

refuses to cooperate.

I want you to go after him

again today in the asylum.

- Who's the subject?

- The psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter.

Hannibal the Cannibal.

I don't expect him to talk to you.

But I have to be able to say we tried.

So if he won't cooperate,

I want just straight reporting.

How does he look? How does

his cell look? Is he sketching, drawing?

If he is, what's he sketching?

Here's a dossier on Lecter.

A copy of our questionnaire

and a special ID for you.

Have your memo on my desk

by 0800 Wednesday.

OK.

Excuse me, sir, but why the urgency?

Lecter's been in prison for so many years.

Is there some connection

between him and Buffalo Bill maybe?

I wish there were.

Now, I want your full attention, Starling.

- Yes, sir.

- Be very careful with Hannibal Lecter.

Dr Chilton at the asylum will go over all

the physical procedures used with him.

Do not deviate from them

for any reason whatsoever.

And you're to tell him nothing personal.

Believe me, you don't want

Hannibal Lecter inside your head.

Just do your job,

but never forget what he is.

And what is that?

Oh, he's a monster. A pure psychopath.

So rare to capture one alive.

From a research point of view,

Lecter is our most prized asset.

We get a lot of detectives here, but

I can't ever remember one as attractive.

Will you be in Baltimore overnight?

Because this can be quite a fun town

if you have the right guide.

I'm sure this is a great town, Dr Chilton,

but my instructions are to talk to Dr Lecter

and report back this afternoon.

I see. Well, let's make this quick, then.

We've tried to study him, but he's much

too sophisticated for the standard tests.

Oh, my, does he hate us!

He thinks I'm his nemesis.

Crawford's very clever,

isn't he, using you?

- What do you mean, sir?

- A pretty, young woman to turn him on.

I don't believe Lecter's

seen a woman in eight years.

And are you ever his taste! So to speak.

I graduated from UVA, Doctor.

It's not a charm school.

Good. Then you should

be able to remember the rules.

Do not touch or approach the glass.

You pass him nothing but soft paper.

No pencils or pens.

No staples or paperclips in his paper.

Use the sliding food carrier. If he attempts

to pass you anything, do not accept it.

- Do you understand me?

- Yes, I understand, sir.

I'm going to show you

why we insist on such precautions.

On July 8, 1981, he complained of chest

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