The Silence of the Lambs - Arrow Video 4K UHD Limited Edition [UK Import]

There are just some movies you shouldn’t watch when you’re home alone sick with the flu. In my KLSC 4K review of The Silence of the Lambs I didn’t detail my thoughts and feelings or experience with the film because David Krauss and Peter Bracke before him had already written about it so eloquently. I’ll repost those reviews in a moment because their comments largely mirror my own feelings, but I felt compelled to discuss how fascinated I have been by this film for three-quarters of my life. 

I first heard about The Silence of the Lambs after my parents saw it for a date night movie. I knew something was up because when they got home they both looked like they’d been through some shit, there was just something about their vacant looks that they saw one hell of a movie and they weren't willing to talk about it. In quick order they bought the paperback and tore through it and then as soon as it came to VHS they bought it. It was the only R-rated film in our vast collection of tapes I couldn’t watch. So like any ten or eleven-year-old, I was fascinated by this piece of forbidden cinematic fruit. I had to know what the deal was with the lady with the moth over her face. I had to know who was that creepy grinning guy on the back of the box was! But I was never able to see it. Getting to watch that tape became my great white whale.

As disease would have it, my day finally came. Whenever I got sick and had to stay home from school, I was often left home alone. So one day when I got the flu and was sick as a dog with a fever, I figured that was the perfect time to pop on the forbidden tape. For how badly that experience messed me up, I wish I could say that I regretted that decision but I don’t regret it at all! It was certainly a hell of a thing to watch when you’re not even in your teens with a high fever, but it was one of those early transformative cinematic experiences. I had never seen something that visceral before. Something that gritty and real and terrifying because it was all so believable. I had never seen a movie that was so horrifyingly intimate. Demme’s brilliant use of close-ups brought me right into the lives of these characters, some of whom I'd rather not be that close with! When I was looking at Lecter, he was looking right back at me and it was damned unsettling.

I may have been sick as a dog but that viewing created an obsession. Over the next few years I devoured the novels, saw all the films, and dutifully watched each episode of the show. But it was The Silence of the Lambs that blew that barn door wide open. I’ve seen it countless times in the last three decades and it still grabs hold of my liver and never lets go. 

For a little more studious and eloquent take, here is David Krauss’ comments from his Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review:

To date, how many horror movies have ever won the Best Picture Oscar? Just one. The Silence of the Lambs earned that distinction not because of its grisly subject matter, which includes murder, dismemberment, and cannibalism, but because of its brilliant direction, searing performances, and substantive script. Always riveting and endlessly fascinating no matter how many times you see it, Jonathan Demme’s adaptation of Thomas Harris’ acclaimed novel is a true work of cinematic art and that rare motion picture that combines expert storytelling with superior craftsmanship in every category. It may be scary and disturbing, but its dazzling style, layered narrative, and complex underlying themes temper the horror and transform a straightforward detective yarn about a frantic hunt for a serial killer into a richly textured journey into the dark recesses of the human psyche.

The tale of Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a rising ”star” at the FBI Academy who’s tapped by senior agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) to pick the diabolical brain of notorious murderer Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in a desperate attempt to catch fellow serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) before he strikes again, is well known. Yet the thrilling plot gains additional power and relevance when viewed today, thanks to the current spotlight on sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse and an increased awareness of transgender issues. Clarice’s struggles to infiltrate the male-dominated FBI culture, win the respect of her peers, finesse unwanted advances, and match wits with a master manipulator who preys upon her deep-seeded insecurities like a hungry vulture resonate more strongly in light of recent events, and as a result, her ultimate triumph earns even more ardent admiration. Similarly, Buffalo Bill was labeled a freak 25 years ago, but today we possess a greater understanding of his gender identification problems, which adds more texture to his tortured character.

Yet whether you view The Silence of the Lambs as a searing drama with social and psychological overtones or merely an edge-of-the-seat popcorn thriller, its standing as a timeless classic cannot be questioned. It's one of only three films in all of Hollywood history to win the top five honors at the Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay (It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are the other two) - and it remains just as riveting, brutal, and fascinating as it was when many of us first experienced it a generation ago. For Foster, Hopkins, Demme, and writer Ted Tally, The Silence of the Lambs would mark the pinnacle of their respective careers, and their indelible work - as well as that of their gifted colleagues - will surely dazzle anyone who loves movies for many years to come.

And then for another more complete review of The Silence of the Lambs check out our 2009 Blu-ray Review by our old friend Peter Bracke

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Arrow Video is the latest studio to revisit Hannibal Lecter’s cell for a new single-disc 4K UHD of The Silence of the Lambs. Arrow’s Limited Edition release features the film pressed on a BD-100 disc and housed in a black case with six art cards. The insert art is reversible to reveal the Red/Blue Lecter/Starling moth-mouth alternate poster that to be honest I never really found all that appealing. The set also comes with a double-sided replica poster and a 40-page booklet featuring essays and info about the restoration of the film. The whole package is housed in Arrow’s usual hard stock slipcase, but instead of a flimsy easily rippable J-card, there is a paper slipcover over the slipcase - which I gotta say I like a lot and hope it’s a trend that sticks around.

Thanks to Arrow, we have another reason to sit back and take another look at The Silence of the Lambs in 4K. For a quick refresher, about three years ago, Kino Lorber Studio Classics dropped their 4K Dolby Vision disc of Demme’s masterpiece and by and large it was almost a terrific disc. The caveat is that the opening minutes of the film were slightly in the wrong color space. Depending on your setup, this could be incredibly obvious, distracting, and quite unsightly, or one of those effects that you could see it was slightly different, but not severe. I fell in the latter camp with my main review rig, but rewatching the film in my Samsung/Samsung office setup, that color shift, namely reds, was much more obvious, and it only lasted through that first meeting with Lecter; roughly the first 20 minutes. 

The good news for this Arrow Video edition, the erroneous color change has been corrected. Skin tones are a little more natural and human in those opening moments, the deep red light in the hospital’s basement is back to its true dark red with the appropriate subtle shadow shades. Doing my disc flippies, once that first meeting with Lecter is over, the Arrow and KLSC discs are virtually identical, the Arrow is still slightly warmer, a little healthier, but differences are less obvious as the film goes along. When I was setting up a comparison video, the differences in the final upload to YouTube were barely perceptible (thus they didn't get published). Director of Photography Tak Fujimoto oversaw the HDR10 and the Dolby Vision grading so even if you’re not equipped for Dolby Vision you should still see the benefits. 

The same MGM-prepped restoration again serves as the basis for this transfer. Details are sharp and crisp with an appropriate veneer of cinematic film grain. Grain might even appear a little tighter in some dark sequences. Colors have never really leaped off the screen with this film; it’s a damned drab-looking film, but blues, reds, and yellows are right on point, and black levels are a lovely deep inky shade with some creepy ominous shadows for Bill’s basement. Checking bit-rates, the two are also neck and neck, nearly identical. Arrow’s encode keeps the average well into the high 80s and 90mbps without severe crashes or dips. 

Long story short, yes, this transfer is indeed the better of the two, there is no denying that. Is it enough to warrant a double dip though? That’s a personal question you’ll ultimately have to answer yourself. Personally, I would absolutely say this is worth grabbing - especially if you haven't previously bought it in 4K and for the price - even as an Import - it's a no-brainer.

On the audio side, we hear the return of the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, which is still pretty good, but we now have what is labeled as a “restored” DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. While the stereo mix on the KLSC disc was pretty good and sounded almost correct, it was in fact a fold-down from the 5.1. It’s not immediately obvious for the simple conversation moments but the busier the scene it’s noticeable that some key sound effects are either missing or so muted they barely register at all. So, similar to the video transfer, if you love a good 2.0 track (and this is a very good one) this set now offers that. With that in mind looking at the Criterion 2.0 option, these are not quite identical. The Criterion 2.0 is a little heavier on the low end, with a little more bass rumble, whereas the Arrow 2.0 has a little more spread between the channels, letting the workload even out. Now I don’t know which is “correct” or true to the theatrical experience, I’ve sadly never seen an archival print projected so I can’t speak to that on a personal level. Regardless of which you prefer, the Criterion or the Arrow 2.0, they’re both better than the KLSC 2.0 mix. So that’s worth celebrating.

Both the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks on this disc are great on their own merits, clean dialog, etc., but I have to say I do prefer this 2.0 over the 5.1. It just sounds tighter and more confined amplifying the creepy intimacy of the visuals. The 5.1 works well enough, it’s a solid track, but it often sounds too thinly spread.

On the bonus features front we get a pretty damn fantastic collection of archival and new materials to devour for our feature film dessert. Now, only things from past Criterion and KLSC discs don't pass over, but there are a couple of new exclusives Arrow picks up. First is a great new audio commentary featuring Elizabeth Purchell and Caden Mark Gardner - it’s a lively and interesting discussion without it sounding like fan fawning nor is it analytically dry and dull. They approach the film from a unique and personal perspective that’s worthy of your time. Sadly the Jonathan Demme Jodie Foster and cast commentary remains a Criterion exclusive - unsurprising since they hold tight onto their assets, but it would have been nice to have it here too. The two new visual essays, one from Justine Peres Smith and the other from Willow Catelyn Maclay, are welcome additions as well. Now on a slightly weird note, the deleted scenes selection runs about 15 minutes shorter than the Criterion or KLSC sets. I’d say none of the deleted scenes were vital, they were wise cuts since they always felt extraneous or padded out the pace, but something to keep in mind. Regardless, if you have that Criterion Collection disc, you’ll need to hold onto it for that excellent audio commentary.  

• Audio Commentary featuring Elizabeth Purchell & Caden Mark Gardner
• Audio Commentary featuring Tim Lucas
• Through Her Eyes - Visual Essay from Justine Peres Smith (HD 8:19)
• Healing Humanity - Visual Essay from Willow Catelyn Maclay (HD 16:16)
• Breaking the Silence (HD 1:58:37)
• Page to Screen (SD 41:17)
• Scoring the Silence (SD 16:00)
• Jonathan Demme & Jodie Foster (SD 51:40)
• The Beginning 
• Making The Silence of the Lambs
• Breaking the Silence  
• Understanding the Madness (SD 19:32)
• 1991 Making of Featurette (SD 8:07)
• Deleted Scenes (SD 20:31 Total)
• Additional Deleted Scenes (SD 7:12)
• Outtakes (SD 1:45)
• Anthony Hopkins Phone Message (00:35)
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Teaser Trailer
• TV Spots
• Image Gallery

The Silence of the Lambs remains a fascinating dip into the Psychological Thriller Horror genre. With impeccable writing, terrific direction, beautiful cinematography, with a cast of amazing performances, it earned those Oscar wins (and deserved a few more). After plenty of home video releases over the years, Arrow Video may bring us what could well be the definitive release - at least for now, the 35th Anniversary isn't long off. This 4K disc corrected the color space issue of the opening minutes of the KLSC 4K release and at the same time delivered an excellent restored DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio track. While we may not get every itty-bitty bonus feature of other discs, Arrow stuffs this one to the gullet with an excellent new commentary and new visual essays to make it distinct. With the corrections to the A/V and other enhancements, hats off to Arrow for this one - Highly Recommended