A young FBI cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Clarice Starling was chosen by the American Film Institution as the sixth-greatest film hero (out of fifty), the highest ranked female on the list. Hannibal Lecter was chosen as the number one greatest film villain (also out of fifty).
FBI instructor:
Starling! Starling! Crawford wants to see you in his office.
Clarice Starling:
Thank you, sir.
In the autopsy scene, when they are removing the death's head pupa from the corpse's mouth, the actress playing the corpse softly gasps when the forceps enter her mouth.
There is a 'Moth Wrangler/Make-Up' listed in the crew list.
For the TV network version, Miggs says to Clarice 'I can smell your scent' instead of 'I can smell your c*nt'. Lecter's reply "I myself cannot" is omitted.
English
$13,766,814 (USA) (15 February 1991)
$130,742,922 (USA)