Ruined By Satire
8 01 2008Yesterday, among few other activities (vacation day) I watched Silence of the Lambs. This is the first time I had seen it, even though I consider myself a “Movie Geek”. There are a number of films on my want-to-see list that have shamefully slipped through the cracks. I still have Once Upon A Time In The West on my DVD shelf, unwatched.
When the Academy Award Winning picture was originally in theatres, I was 15 and was not yet in the habit of sneaking into movies I wasn’t supposed to see. The years passed, and throughout my twenties I rented it twice but didn’t get to watching it before my rental time was up and I had to return it to the store. More recently, I found it for $4.99 (+20% off sale) and picked it up. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was full-frame instead of widescreen, but I’m willing to live with that.
The DVD sat on my shelf through the autumn and through the holidays until yesterday when I finally took it out of the cellophane, tore the security sticker off in a dozen pieces, and finally sat down to commit two hours to watching one of the greatest films of the 20th century (or at least, the greatest villian).
It was ruined.
In the 16 years since the movie was released, this landmark film had so many quotable quotes, and so many landmark moments and filming techniques that they’ve been lampooned countless times in movies I’ve actually spent the time to watch. I’m watching Anthony Hopkins in his Oscar-winning performance, but I’m hearing the Toilet Paper Vandel from a South Park episode. I’m watching ‘Buffalo Bill’ dance in front of a video camera, but I’m seeing Jason Mewes in the parking lot at Mooby’s.
Now I truly understand why people who didn’t see a movie like Star Wars in the first twenty years found it impossible to see for the first time when re-released in theatres. Mind you, that doesn’t get them a repreive from my condemnation of not seeing earlier.
But for ruining a film that earned the right to be on the very, very short list of “Big Five” Oscar Winners, I have only myself to blame.
By some horrible coincidence, the very episode of South Park I mentioned in my blog aired after The Colbert Report the same day I wrote this entry.
Not sure what it means, but it can’t be Karma. If Karma existed, I’d be allowed to punch Steve Jobs in the nose.
What I never really understood about the movie was how we get to hear Clarice’s thoughts at the very beginning of the movie but then never again. It always struck me as an unintentional blip in the narrative style.