The Silence of the Lambs

Charismatic evil or campy sadism, which one is more quotable? Is it bad that they're both hilarious in this Jodie Foster vessel? We're of course talking about Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill: Both criminally insane and pop culturally legendary. That Sir Anthony Hopkins got much more credit than Ted Levine is the real tragedy.


Perhaps that flicking sound with the lower lip and tongue is more difficult than tucking your sack back and slapping some rouge on.
 
It thus boils down to a comparison of the two.

1. Hannibal Lecter
2. Buffalo Bill

1. Hannibal Lecter


I'll try to thrill you with my acumen, here. Even the lamest movie dullard knows what to eat with fava beans and Chianti. Uttering "Hello, Clarice" is a dead giveaway for Hannibal the Cannibal. So please don't ever use them unless you're the featured speaker at the annual I Suck At References and Cock convention. If you can pull it off, work this into conversation: "Amputate a man's leg and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, Mom, when your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?"

Might be hard to do. Here's an easier one.

You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition's given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed: pure West Virginia. What is your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you... all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars... while you could only dream of getting out... getting anywhere... getting all the way to the FBI. 

Or you could just stare at someone like this.


Lastly, if you're trying to convince a coworker to become a cosexer; try this little quip - "I think it would be quite something to know you in private life."


If you take nothing away from these references, remember this face.




2. Buffalo Bill


If you take Buffalo Bill's dialogue and match it up with Lecter's, per capita, his is far more quotable. Oh wait, let's see why.


Quoting Hannibal Lector is the diet coke of movie references. For some cuba libre, try this.

If you're working at a day camp (bear with me here) and you're trying in vain to get the kids to do something, turn to your co-counselor with this little gem: "It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." The kid won't get it unless their parents are just that dumb and lazy. And this was the line that launched a thousand parodies, perhaps none better than this tasty treat from Greenskeepers - Lotion.

Speaking of parodies, to best address this scene we could look at other film and tv references to this scene. Starting with Mr. Jason Mewes in Clerks 2, who has no problems hanging out with his wang out.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, for Psyche the song Goodbye Horses is pretty good. So good that it makes the scene with the human lady skin suit rehearsal less creepy and more referenceable.

As horrendous as Chris Griffin is to a great cartoon, moments like this make me tolerate his existence in popular culture. Worst of all, his character perpetuates my brother thinking it's ok to reference a Chris Griffin quote at any point in life. However, here's hoping he'll reference this one.