The Silence Of The Lambs Mise-En-Scene Analysis Essay

The Silence of the Lambs is a film about Hannibal Lector, a crazed psychiatrist who is serving life in prison for murder and cannibalism. The FBI believes that Lector may have information about a murderer who is killing young women and skinning them. The FBI sends a young investigative student, Clarice Starling, to talk to Lector. Being a psychiatrist, Lector is able to question Clarice just as she questions him. In the end, Lector escapes only to pursue an old acquaintance and Clarice solves her case. Mise-en-scene is a technique used to influence the audience’s mood and perception about what is really going on in the film. It is the way everything is set up to stage scenes during a film. Mise-en-scene can be used within the characters, lighting, and props in a film. When Starling goes to visit Lector, the film shows her walking down a somewhat dark, eerie hallway passing prisoners’ cells until she finally reaches the end of the dimly lit hall where Lector’s cell is located. The lighting or lack thereof, helps to raise the tension of the viewers. Starling seems to keep her composure, but the feeling of intimidation and nervousness is in the air. Once Clarice reaches Lector’s cell, she finds he is housed in a neatly organized room surrounded by something similar to plexi-glass with holes for communication and possibly ventilation. Lector is unable to reach through the bars like the other inmates indicating that he may be more dangerous. Starling finds him positioned in the middle of the room as if he was waiting for her. His …show more content…
I have watched The Silence of the Lambs numerous times, but have never noticed how important so many key elements are in actually telling the story and maintaining the viewer’s attention. After learning about mise-en-scene, I will be able to watch a movie and know to look for certain key elements and use those to determine what the director is actually trying to convey to the