How a Specific Scene in ‘Silence of the Lambs’ Was Structured to Reveal a Lot About Each Character

Michael Tucker of Lessons From a Screenplay takes a look at a scene from the iconic film Silence of the Lambs to show how it embodies a specific film technique that takes place over three parts. The scene takes place during Clarice Starlings‘s (Jodie Foster) third visit with Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Sir Anthony Hopkins) during which the FBI agent agrees to a quid pro quo agreement in order to get much-needed information about Buffalo Bill. During this exchange, the characters reveal a great deal about themselves to the other, which provides the necessary tension to drive the narrative forward.

The Silence of the Lambs is filled with compelling, tense scenes between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling. In this video, we look at the anatomy of a scene. How each follows a three-act structure and plays a larger role in the narrative.