Wednesday, April 22, 2015

A to Z Challenge 2015: S - Silence of the Lambs

Another story that's actually a great novel and a great film!

Today's 2015 April A to Z Blogging Challenge story for the letter S:

Silence of the Lambs

Here is the novel summary, from Goodreads:

There's a killer on the loose who knows that beauty is only skin deep, and a trainee investigator who's trying to save her own hide. The only man that can help is locked in an asylum. But he's willing to put a brave face on - if it will help him escape.

Author: Thomas Harris

And from IMDB:

A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

Interesting to see the difference, eh?

Director: Jonathan Demme
Writers: Thomas Harris (novel), Ted Tally (screenplay)
Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney

This week was really difficult! Not because S is a hard letter to find a story for, but because it's so hard to pick one from so many great ones. Here are some of the stories I could have just as easily featured:

Star Wars, by George Lucas

Stick, by Andrew Smith

Shameless, a Showtime Production for TV

Serenity, by Joss Whedon

Spirited Away, bu Hayao Miyazaki

Better Call Saul, an AMC Production for TV

Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi

Sex & Violence, by Carrie Mesrobian

Servants of the Storm, by Delilah S. Dawson

That's it! Hope to see you tomorrow.

20 comments:

Anything and Everything Paranormal Blog said...

On of my favorite movies. Great choice for today.

Sundari Venkatraman said...

Have heard about this one. Sounds interesting from what I read here :)
My A-Z posts: http://sundarivenkatraman.blogspot.in

Unknown said...

You're right, so many great "S" movies, but you picked a great one.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

it puts the lotion on the skin...

Unknown said...

Oooooh, great list!

Robin said...

I know that I haven't dropped in for a while (busy busy times), but I saw your S post come up on my reel and HAD to put my two cents in on this one. (And that's probably all they're worth!)

So, back in the early 90s I worked in the publicity department at St. Martin's Press. One of our books, Silence of the Lambs, was being made into a movie. As the book gained a greater audience, the number of people wanting to call and speak to the author gained traction (you know, because we kept all the authors hogtied in a backroom to receive phone calls from the general public).

Actually, most accepted that they weren't in the building, but then they expected us to give out their HOME number. Yep, people are nuts. Anyway, one day I got the joy of a phone call from the General Public about this book/author. The guy claimed to be a police officer working on a case that was similar enough to the one in the book that he wanted to talk to the author. WELL, he sounded sincere and all, but the policy remained the same. All I could do was have him write the author a letter c/o St. Martin's Press. I've always wondered if he was loony tunes or really a police officer working a case.

The second thing was the MOVIE. I was offered the opportunity to see it before it came out in the theatre in a screening room. I'd never seen a movie in a screening room and had NO IDEA what to expect.

It was as small as my bedroom (at that time, which was pretty darn small). There were two rows of chairs and the first row was almost flush to the screen. The screen took up the entire big wall. It was like you were INSIDE that movie you were so close to it. That is one movie you DO NOT WANT TO BE INSIDE. That movie was terrifying.

When it was over, I could barely speak, much less walk. We walk outside and it's dark (to be expected) and raining (oh for the love of God... NOOOOOO!). I planned to do something I never did (pay for the cab ride home because the LAST PLACE I wanted to be was on the subway) but the rain makes getting a cab impossible. I stood outside trying for about a half hour before schlepping to the subway stop across the street. It was a long ride home (Queens) and a twenty minute walk through debatable area. Never was I so glad to be home.

I never did read the book. I could have. It would've been free. But the movie sealed the deal. No way. No how. And I didn't attend any more screenings, either. Ha!

Sarah Ahiers said...

Aww! Spirited Away!

But yes, Silence of the Lambs is great on almost every level.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Great film! Serenity would've also been an excellent choice.

S. L. Hennessy said...

Serenity is the best! But I have to say, Hannibal Lector is the scariest film character of all time.

Good luck with the A to Z Challenge!
A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/

Nadine_Feldman said...

I thought this was a remarkable movie. Anthony Hopkins was stunning as Hannibal Lecter. I don't normally read horror or see violent films, but this one was great in its restraint...it made the most shocking scene even more memorable.

pittypatpages.blogspot.com said...

I would have picked Serenity, too, but I also liked all of the Hannibal movies. The books were so good, too, as are all of his novels. Great choice for the A-Z challenge!

Arlee Bird said...

I guess I've seen all the films based on this Thomas Harris series. They were all good. Never read any of the books although I listened to the book on tape of Hannibal when I was on a lengthy drive. It was pretty good.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

It's Kelley! said...

OOOOH, this was such a creepy movie. I slept with the lights on for weeks afterwards.

Kelley’s Dog Blog - The A to Z of Dog Shows

MunirGhiasuddin said...

Thanks for explaining the movie so nicely. For people like me who did not grow up here, reviews like yours help a lot. Great "S" word.

Idea-ist said...

I would never sleep again if I saw the movie, but maybe I should give the book a try!

@Get Lost in Lit

Stephen Tremp said...

A true classic. I still haven't seen Call Saul but will catch up with Netflix.

pamlovesbooks said...

Did someone already say Sawshank Redemption?

J.L. Campbell said...

I've seen bits and pieces of Silence of the Lambs and probably Star Wars ... ages ago, of course.

Carrie-Anne said...

It's been awhile since I've seen the movie, though I'm not sure if I've seen it all the way through. It's pretty uncommon for me to have seen anything remotely recent.

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Silence of the Lambs is one of those stories where I can't tell if I love the book or the movie more. The book is great and detailed. The movie has Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

Both are just so good.

--
Tim Brannan, The Other Side Blog
2015 A to Z of Vampires
http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/