MovieChat Forums > The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Discussion > Why do you think Lector changes his mind...

Why do you think Lector changes his mind and decides to help Clarice?...

posted 10 years ago by jamesrallan
22 replies | jump to latest

Seen this film lots of times and is in my top 5 of all time so there is not nit picking or owt from me!

The scene where he attacks her and takes piss out of her cheap shoes etc...after he tells her to fly fly away. Then Migs....does what he does and he calls her back.

Do you think it is just because of Migs, or is it something else? Did he realise he liked her and wanted her to come back and he would help her?

Just welcome other peoples opinions on this part

[–] Airjordan2288 10 years ago

He decided to help her full on when senator Martins daughter was kidnapped Saying he would only talk to her personally. This meant the government would take him out of Chiltons fun house and somewhere else where he could figure out a plan to escape. And he also did form some weird bond w starling as well

[–] manram24 10 years ago

Though I don't get why he didn't tell Clarice Buffalo Bill's name after she was forced to leave.

Y'know, I could eat a peach for hours

[–] mdruckenmiller 9 years ago

He knew she was brilliant enough to figure it out, just too young to realize her own worth. He TAUGHT her how to see, how to understand, and on top of that he refused to corrupt her. That's why Clarice Starling saved Catherine Martin, not how Hannibal Lecter saved Catherine Martin.

Hannibal gave her self confidence by not telling her Bill's name.

[–] PreachCaleb 10 years ago

He tells her he despises discourtesy.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] rmoriarty97 9 years ago

He doesn't want to help her per se, he just wants to keep the games going. Remember this is a very intelligent man who gets no human contact, we are all social creatures to some degree. Quid pro quo, Clarice, quid pro quo.

[–] highpriestess32 9 years ago

I think it was a combination of what Migs did and the fact that, in spite of her boss telling her not to divulge any personal information, she did just that. He appeared to find fascination in her innocence. He regarded her with curiosity.

He could have just given her more descriptive answers but he wanted her to work things out for herself. It was like teacher and student but of course eventually he fell in love with her.

"Has anyone seen my wife?" - Columbo

[–] leybadana 9 years ago

b/c he admires her fearlessness and courage

"Come here, my piggy. I've got some gingerbread for you. -Freddy Krueger

[–] al666940-3 9 years ago

Because:
- he realizes she can be manipulated (in the next book, Hannibal, he gets her to run off with him)
- he hasn't seen a woman in years, and since Clarice ain't exactly ugly, no wonder he wouldn't mind having her around more.

Not that complicated.

[–] hollyannbartel-112-273887 9 years ago

Shut up Satan.

[–] SnoozeAlarm 9 years ago

Because:
- he realizes she can be manipulated (in the next book, Hannibal, he gets her to run off with him)
- he hasn't seen a woman in years, and since Clarice ain't exactly ugly, no wonder he wouldn't mind having her around more.

Not that complicated.

You're so smug and yet you completely missed the point of the question. If it were as uncomplicated as you think, Lecter would not have waited until after Miggs flicks cum on her to give her the clue.

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

[–] mdruckenmiller 9 years ago

I think Hannibal's attraction to Clarice is far more apparent in the novels than in the film. For example, he was planning to send Clarice a 'valentine' even as he dismissed her, but it made incredible sense why he liked her in the novels. Her reaction to being hit by Miggs was stone cold; no screaming, barely any flinching, she walking away while trying to search for something to wipe herself off. Hannibal showed far more reaction to this discourtesy than Clarice did.

I think they decided to give Clarice a more natural reaction to being hit in the face with semen by a prisoner to keep her more sympathetic. They erased a lot of her darker qualities. However it doesn't make sense why Hannibal would react to this after being incredibly rude to her to make her nearly cry. It's the only flaw in movie, really.

[–] chris_slipknot2004 9 years ago

One of the great things about this movie and the book is you can never be sure of Hannibal's motives. Maybe it was just Migs but i like to think he would have called her back anyway, Migs was just a good excuse.
In the book(s) and maybe the film(s) (not seen them in a while) its stated that the only thing he fears is boredom so it may have just been fun for him in the beginning then it turned to something else.
I think (and its only my opinion) Hannibal realizes that she is driven to be the person she is because of the death of her father. Hannibal is driven buy the death of his sister, essentially they are both broken in a similar way but chose very different ways/paths to deal with it. She wants to help humanity by saving people from what happened to her but he wants to punish humanity and make them suffer as he did. So in a twisted way (that at the same time wont spoil his fun) he wants to help her. Because if he can help her face her demons and "fix" her maybe one day he can be fixed as-well.

[–] hollyannbartel-112-273887 9 years ago

Best answer. Ever. I've never looked at it that way. You sir, have blown my mind. You should change your screen name to 'King Of Logic'.

[–] Cborg2505 9 years ago

Crawford knew their was a connection between lector and buffalo bill, hence lector knew Crawford would be sending someone to inquire. Remember, Crawford told Clarice to be aware and take notes of everything lector was doing, including how he kept his cell and anything he was working on including paintings. If you remember, clarice asked lector what he was painting, lector said, " the duomo seen from the belvedere". "Belvedere" Ohio is where buffalo bill lived and where he was eventually caught. Lector in his own way was telling the FBI how to catch buffalo bill in his first meeting with clarice. Lector enjoyed playing games, he told clarice " you need to get more joy outta life". His way of getting joy is to play mind games and showing off his superior intellect. Brilliant film, probably my fave of all time.