New Silence of the Lambs adaptation changes the film’s biggest flaw
After 35 years The Silence of the Lambs remains one of the most recognisable, and most quotable, thrillers of all time. Whether you’ve seen the film, watched a Simpsons parody or heard a rogue rendition of “Quid pro quo, Clarice,” you’ll have seen the mark Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling have left on pop culture history. Yet, while the film forever sits in every top horror, thriller and Hollywood ranking, it is often pulled into conversations of LGBTQIA+ representation, particularly in its depictions of gender. Buffalo Bill, AKA Jame Gumb, the main antagonist of The Silence of the Lambs, has become the face of the ‘crossdressing serial killer’ trope. In the film, Hannibal Lecter asserts that the murderer is “not really transsexual”, but the storyline of creating a dead woman suit has marred on-screen representation of the transgender community, with even Gumb’s actor Ted Levine calling it “f**king wrong” in The Hollywood Reporter this year. With that in mind, the creators of the new Silence of the Lambs stage play had a decision on their …
