Unit 1 DQ5
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Dec 6, 2023
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Unit 1 DQ5. Why does the film utilize Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as its protagonist or hero?
Does the
film present gender here as an opportunity for viewers to see Hannibal Lecter as a savior character?
How would the film have differed in form and content if the FBI protagonist was male?
Show evidence
from the film to support your claims.
The film “The Silence of the Lambs” has been considered a feminist fable by some critics. The film’s
protagonist, Clarice Starling, is a trainee FBI agent who challenges traditional gender roles as she
struggles to assert equality and overcome sexism within a traditionally male-dominated profession. The
film presents gender as an opportunity for viewers to see Hannibal Lecter as a savior character.
If the FBI protagonist was male, the film would have differed in form and content. The film would have
lost its feminist perspective and the opportunity to challenge traditional gender roles. The film would
have also lost the opportunity to present Hannibal Lecter as a savior character.
One striking aspect of the film is the care taken by its director, Jonathan Demme, and its screenwriter,
Ted Tally, to establish Starling and her well-ordered world. The film shows Starling pounding through the
FBI’s woodland assault course at the start of the film. Demme goes on to stage several long scenes shot
at the actual FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, so that we can see Starling’s colleagues doing their
paperwork, practicing their shooting, and drinking their coffee. Most films about law-enforcement
agencies have maverick protagonists: agents who either break the rules (James Bond) or turn against
their nefarious handlers (Jason Bourne). The Silence of the Lambs, however, has a heroine who is a
model student, a stickler for regulations, and a believer in the Bureau’s mission.
In conclusion, the film utilizes Clarice Starling as its protagonist to challenge traditional gender roles and
present Hannibal Lecter as a savior character. If the FBI protagonist was male, the film would have lost its
feminist perspective and the opportunity to present Hannibal Lecter as a savior character. The film would
have also lost the opportunity to challenge traditional gender roles. The film shows evidence of this
through its portrayal of Starling’s well-ordered world and adherence to regulations.
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