The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 4K UHD Review

5 stars

A glorious restoration of a timeless and disturbing classic.

The Silence of the Lambs is an American psychological horror thriller horror. It is directed by Jonathan Demme (Rachel Getting Married, Philadelphia) and has a screenplay written by Ted Tally (Red Dragon, All the Pretty Horses), adapted from the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris (Hannibal Rising, Black Sunday).

Originally released in 1991, it has enjoyed a 4K restoration and is presented in the UK on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray from 26th August 2024, courtesy of Arrow Video. It is available exclusively from the Arrow Store and can be purchased here.

“I want your full attention Starling…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…”

Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster – The Beaver, Carnage) is a young and promising F.B.I. cadet with an interest in behavioural science. She is called into the office by her superior Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn – Castle Rock, Backdraft) who tells her that they are currently profiling the serial killers they have in custody in order to help in unsolved cases.

The one they want the most is not cooperating, the psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins – The Father, Thor: Ragnarok), also known as ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’. The unenviable task of interviewing this highly intelligent and manipulative killer falls to Clarice, as she is dispatched to the asylum, notebook in hand.

As she suspects, there is an ulterior motive to this interview, Crawford is trying to use her and Lecter to get information on a current ongoing investigation into a still active serial killer known as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine – Shutter Island, Heat). Lecter is quick to realise this too, but he can’t help but get involved with a case this interesting. It seems he will be a great help, but is it wise for the F.B.I. to play cat and mouse with a monster who is always ten steps ahead of them?

“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.”

The Silence of the Lambs is and will always remain one of the greatest psychological thrillers ever made, with outstanding performances from all concerned. Anthony Hopkins is genuinely terrifying in the role of Lecter, Jodie Foster is great as a naive F.B.I. cadet and Ted Levine is way too good at playing the villain.

Filled with gruesome surprises and disturbing revelations, as well as being almost unbearably tense in places, this film is an absolute classic.

This is an excellent restoration, the clarity of picture making what was already a masterpiece even scarier than before and it sounds great too. With fantastic looking packaging and loaded with special features, this release is a must own for fans of the film.

“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.”

The Silence of the Lambs is available now on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Limited Edition Blu-ray.

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