MovieChat Forums > The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Discussion > Jodie Foster mis-reading a line

Jodie Foster mis-reading a line

posted 8 years ago by SnoozeAlarm
12 replies | jump to latest

Starling's resume of Buffalo Bill:

What he does with them takes privacy.
He's in his thirties or forties. He's got real physical strength, combined with an older man's self-control.
He's cautious, precise...
And he's never impulsive. He'll never stop.

The way Foster says this, she says the two sentences

And he's never impulsive.

And

He'll never stop.

without any pause or change of inflection at all, almost as if they were the same sentence. Certainly sounds like she reads the second sentence as related to the first, possibly the consequence of the first.

But really the two sentences have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

The first sentence goes with the previous sentences, expressing the opinion that Buffalo Bill is not reckless, but rather controlled and careful.

The second sentence is a new thought entirely, that has nothing to do with caution, that he's going to keep on committing the crimes.

There should have been a pause and a change in intonation for that sentence.

If a private venture fails it's closed down. If a government venture fails it's expanded. M Friedman

[–] LemonTastic 8 years ago

I never realised there was an issue with the way she says it.

I always thought it was a realisation of what Buffalo Bill really is.

How dangerous she is. I also thought it was supposed to be intense as she is describing him

[–] SheldonCooper_Bazinga 8 years ago

Funny that you brought that up ... I noticed the exact same thing. Not consciously, necessarily, but I felt that there was something strange about that line and now that you mentioned it, you may be right.

[–] fiatlux-1 8 years ago

I didn't see anything wrong with the way she spoke those lines.
I got the sense that the character herself was surprised by her own realization, that it startled her to realize this about Buffalo Bill....that he isn't careless and he will not stop his killing.

I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

[–] Marmadukebagelhole 8 years ago

But really the two sentences have absolutely nothing to do with each other

He's never impulsive meaning he has a clear objective that he wants to achieve. Taking unnecessary risks, voluntarily or not, is not his MO and therefore diminishes the FBI's chances of catching him in the act or getting a lead on him that way. Impulsive killers are caught relatively quickly that way.

She's weighing up the task they have and the stakes involved. Those two lines definitely are connected.

Glasgow's FOREMOST authority Italics = irony. Infer the opposite please.

[–] SnoozeAlarm 8 years ago

I feel that the bulk of your post actually strengthens my case.

If a private venture fails it's closed down. If a government venture fails it's expanded. M Friedman

[–] Marmadukebagelhole 8 years ago

How could it when it provides the context for those two lines not being non-sequitur in the way they are delivered?

First line : We won't get lucky with a sloppy crime scene that leads us to him after the next murder

Second line : There will be more murders until we catch him.

She's stacking up the clauses without giving undue prominence.

I think that you need to also consider that Starling is vocalising her train of thought. She's not giving a speech.

Not that there isn't a scenario where you could be right. Petersen had similar scenes in Manhunter which do have the sort of rhythym feel like he's talking to someone in else (which could be himself, or the killer, or the part of himself that he feels is connected to the killer).

Glasgow's FOREMOST authority Italics = irony. Infer the opposite please.

[–] keyser_soze_smokes 8 years ago

Those two lines definitely are connected.

Of course! But have you had any luck with connected brain cells at IMDB lately?

Millennials.

This board sounds like a bunch of political correctness advocates (aka idiots) and Jodie Foster bashing (the irony...the irony!*).

(\___/)This is Bunny! Put him on your
(='.'=)signature to help him gain
(")_(")world domination

[–] setanta- 8 years ago

[But really the two sentences have absolutely nothing to do with each other.]

They do though; the connection is 'never'. What are the two things that the killer will 'never' do? He'll never be impulsive and he'll never stop.

So we could rewrite the dialogue as one sentence, "And he'll never be impulsive or stop."

It reads better when you break it into two sentences but it's really one thought.

(Let's give Ms. Foster a little credit, she did go to Yale- she can diagram a sentence.)

[–] G_Runciter 8 years ago

yep, that line did sound weird to me too

[–] leader-7 8 years ago

Not a misread at all. She was speaking while thinking, and forming her ideas as she explained things to him. thus, the hesitation in her speech, and the delay.

###

[–] SnoozeAlarm 8 years ago

>>> Not a misread at all. The was speaking while thinking, and forming her ideas as she explained things to him. thus, the hesitation in her speech, and the delay.

You have not followed my post correctly. My point is that there *should* have been a pause.

BTW, I'd like to point out that I've seen this movie many times, and it was only on like the 20th or 30th time that I made this observation!

Scariest words in English: We’re from the federal government and we’re here to help. R. Reagan

[–] tadiwam 8 years ago

I just watched the movie. And you're right. She said the sentences too quickly.