Thursday, March 26, 2009

Silence of the Lambs analysis - part 16: Starling's psychoanalysis begins

CATEGORY: MOVIES











During their first meeting, Lecter calls Starling a "well-scrubbed hustling rube."


Clarice Starling must undergo a psychoanalysis with the psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the initiation of which is represented by Crawford sending her ('referring' her) to the doctor.

In Clarice's first interview of Lecter in Baltimore, she begins the process of gathering information from him, which hopefully will lead to the capture of serial killer Buffalo Bill. At one point, she passes Lecter some papers - a psychological test questionnaire for him to fill out. Lecter gives the test a quick, perfunctory look, then basically informs her that he cannot be tested - in fact, that he once ate the liver of a census taker who tried to test him. This suggests that Lecter 'takes control' of those who try to test him, which is important in this scene because it lets the audience know that at this exact moment, the 'tables are turned' and it will now be Lecter 'testing' (analyzing) Clarice.

Here in this scene, Lecter gives Starling a 'once-over' evaluation, wherein he makes derogatory remarks about her clothing and her rural background, letting her know he can readily detect that she is a "rube" (a country bumpkin). This is the first indication of what will be the goal of the analysis - helping Clarice become the sophisticated grown woman she desires to be - Lecter is making his negative statements in order to tap into Clarice's desire to become a mature woman.

[If you are only interested in viewing the explanation of the film's hidden plot, continue on to part 17 of the analysis. Otherwise, use the buttons below to navigate the analysis.]


      





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