"The Silence of the Lambs" 4K re-release?



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The late Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" is more or less regarded as a landmark, zeitgeist-changing film. Back in 1991 people were clamoring to find a more fully-fleshed and strong heroine than FBI agent Clarice Starling, truth was there weren't many in film history up to that point that carried the kind of existential, dreadfilled burden Clarice had to carry on her shoulders in the film. Suffice to say, Jodie Foster's performance changed the rule book ditto Anthony Hopkins' role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a menacing, horrifying figure that, shock, actually had the smarts to outplay his opponents. Yes, he was a cannibal but you kind of respected the way the guy would outwit every FBI agent that came his way

Tak Fujimoto was one of two cinematographers who shot Terrence Malick’s landmark 1973 film "Badlands,"  he was also Jonathan Demme’s in-house cinematographer, with their relationship starting way back in 1974 with "Caged Heat." Fujimoto still has no Oscar nominations, not even getting recognized for his astounding camera work in Demme’s 1991 film,  in which he employed striking old-fashioned visuals using on-set lighting and not relying on post-production effects. 

As for Demme, well, "Something Wild" will always be my favorite of his films, but "The Silence of the Lambs" is his masterpiece and the film that will forever earn him a mark in the cinematic time capsule. The peculiar re-release of the film, courtesy of BFI, in a newly restored 4K edition is kinda random, the film was released 26 years ago, but nevertheless, it seems like the restoration has brought in a few differences.

Jeffrey Welles, always the nitpicky thespian when it comes to color restoration, has this to say:

"I wasn’t aware that The Silence of the Lambs (which is now 26 and 3/4 years old, having opened on 1.30.91) needed a 4K restoration. On top of which this trailer makes the colors look a bit bleachy. They’re certainly darker and warmer on the Bluray that I own. Remember that Jack Crawford is based on real-life FBI criminal profiler John Douglas, the author of the book that provided the basis for David Fincher‘s Mindhunter. For whatever reason Jonathan Demme‘s film will re-open in England on 11.3.17. "