Film poster analysis: 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)

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‘Silence of the Lambs’ (1991) was directed by Jonathan Demme and stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins and Scott Glen. The movie is about a young FBI cadet who must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. ’Silence of the Lambs’ is a very intense and thrilling film with a very chilling performance from Anthony Hopkins who plays the fictional character ‘Hannibal Lector’. This film poster displays a very bold image of the main protagonist in the movie (Clarice Starling) with a somewhat demonic looking insect in front of her mouth.  The poster shows a contrast between light and dark; the woman’s face is pale white, and the around her appears to be fading to black darkness. This use of colour suggests the presence of good and evil in the film (her being good, and the surrounding environment around her being evil). The light and dark and the symbolism of good and evil are clear indicators that this film is a thriller. The title of the film, parts of the butterfly and the girl’s eyes are in red. This suggests that the film will include blood, death and danger. This is again another common thriller signifier as the colour red is often used in thriller movies. Through the posters careful use of colour this immediately lets the audience know what is in the film, and also helps to create a mysterious, sinister atmosphere which is also common in thriller films. The facial expression of the woman appears innocent and relates to the word ‘lamb’ in the title. Lambs have connotations with God and purity which may tell the audience that this movie may contain a deeper meaning and ask the question ‘Why is God failing to act against the terrible occurrences in the movie’. The title ‘Silence of the Lambs’ is interpreted into visual form in the poster as the main protagonist is representing  the lamb and the Insect over the girl’s mouth silencing her/preventing her from talking. The insect being in dark colours and also in red, suggests it is the symbol for the evil in the movie. Furthermore, there is a skull at the back of the insect which adds to the connotation of it being evil and being associated with death. This helps contribute to the mysterious and sinister atmosphere of the poster. Unlike many thriller films, the characters present in the film posters are primarily men however; they have used a woman not only as the main protagonist in the movie but have also used her face as the main image for the film poster. This shows how this film has challenged the classic thriller conventions through their use of a female protagonist instead of male.