“Say, are you about a size 14?”
Buffalo Bill is played by Ted Levine. He took a line like “It puts the lotion on its skin” and made it chilling with his low, growly twang that isn’t trying to come off as creepy but does anyway. Another moment that’s among my favorites: He looking through some business cards. While he’s looking, a moth flies into the room and Starling realizes he’s The Guy. She tries to be subtle but Bill catches on that’s he’s caught. Finally she pulls her gun and Bill puts his hands in the air. The many business cards drop from his raised fingers.
There’s the amazing sound design. Look at the autopsy scene. The zipper on the bag. The sound of the camera taking pictures. The air that escapes when the seed pod is pulled out. (The scene also has the application of Noxzema to deal with the smell. It could have looked funny so easily, but it’s placed perfectly.) There’s Hannibal’s cell with that tray that slides back and forth like a thunderclap.
Hannibal… yeah. That guy. “You’re very frank, Clarice. I think it would be quite something to know you in private life.” The thing about Hannibal that’s captured in this movie and in none of the other films or books is the brilliance of Hannibal. Later on he became more cultured than super intelligent. His plots and plans here are beyond our understanding. He is easily smarter than most people on the planet (including the writers who created and adapted him). He’s reached an almost admirable level of zen about it, and he can do all this while remaining absolutely calm. The shot where he beats the cop with the club over and over. That’s Hannibal Lecter in his purest form. He’s a gentleman and a savage and there’s no difference between the two extremes.
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