Dr. Hannibal Lecter Good evening, Clarice.
Most-quoted character in The Silence of the Lambs (1991): in 33 of its 64 quotes
Most scenes with: Clarice Starling (15)
I've been in this room for eight years now, Clarice. I know they will never ever let me out while I'm alive. What I want is a view. I want a window where I can see a tree, or even water. I want to be in a federal institution, far away from Dr. Chilton.
More lines from Dr. Hannibal Lecter
15 quotes Dr. Hannibal Lecter Dr. Hannibal Lecter You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What's your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you ... all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars ... while you could only dream of getting out ... getting anywhere ... getting all the way to the FBI.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti. [hisses]
Note: ranked #21 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter There are three major centers for transsexual surgery – Johns Hopkins, University of Minnesota, and Columbus Medical Center.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter And don't lie, Clarice, or I'll know.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter Advancement, of course. Listen carefully. Look deep within yourself, Clarice Starling. Go seek out Miss Mofet, an old patient of mine. M-O-F-E-T. Go now, I don't think Miggs could manage again quite so soon, even though he is crazy. [shouting] Go now!
Dr. Hannibal Lecter Ready when you are, Sergeant Pembry.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter People will say we're in love.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter All good things to those who wait.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter Tell me, Clarice – have the lambs stopped screaming?
Dr. Hannibal Lecter You know what you look like with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter You fly back to school now, little Starling. Fly, fly, fly. Fly, fly, fly.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter Look for severe childhood disturbances associated with violence. Our Billy wasn't born a killer, Clarice. Oh no, he was made one through years of systematic abuse. Our Billy hates his own identity, you see. He always has, and he thinks that makes him a transsexual. But his pathology is a thousand times more savage and more terrifying. He wants to be reborn, you see. Our Billy wants to be reborn, Clarice. And he will be reborn.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter I'm having an old friend for dinner.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter Quid pro quo Clarice I tell you things you tell me things. Not about this case of course but about yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no Clarice
Scenes with Dr. Hannibal Lecter
17 scenes
Did you do those drawings, Doctor?
Dr. Lecter Ah. That is the Duomo seen from the Belvedere. You know Florence?
All that detail just from memory?
Dr. Lecter Memory, Agent Starling, is what I have instead of a view.
Dr. Lecter Why do you think he removes their skins, Agent Starling? Enthrall me with your acumen.
It excites him. Most serial killers keep some sort of trophies from their victims.
Dr. Lecter I didn't.
No. No, you ate yours.
Dr. Lecter First principles, Clarice. Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing, ask: What is it in itself? What is its nature? What does he do, this man you seek?
He kills women.
Dr. Lecter No, that is incidental. What is the first and principal thing he does, what needs does he serve by killing?
Anger, social resentment, sexual frustration ...
Dr. Lecter No, he covets. That's his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer, now.
No. We just ...
Dr. Lecter No. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don't you feel eyes moving over your body, Clarice? And don't your eyes seek out the things you want?
Dr. Lecter Now then, tell me. What did Miggs say to you? Multiple Miggs in the next cell. He hissed at you. What did he say?
He said, "I can smell your ****."
Dr. Lecter I see. I, myself, cannot. You use Evian skin cream, and sometimes you wear L'Air du Temps ... but not today.
Dr. Lecter Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center. Sounds charming.
That's only part of the island. There's a very, very nice beach. Terns nest there. There's beautiful ...
Dr. Lecter Terns? If I help you, Clarice, it will be "turns" for us too. Quid pro quo – I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though. About yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no?
Dr. Lecter [Pause]
Yes or no, Clarice? Poor little Catherine is waiting.
Go, doctor.
If you didn't kill him, then who did, sir?
Dr. Lecter Who can say? Best thing for him, really. His therapy was going nowhere.
Dr. Lecter You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What's your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you ... all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars ... while you could only dream of getting out ... getting anywhere ... getting all the way to the FBI.
You see a lot, doctor. But can you point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you – why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you're afraid to.
Dr. Lecter Jack Crawford is helping your career, isn't he? Apparently he likes you, and you like him too.
I never thought about it.
Dr. Lecter Do you think that Jack Crawford wants you sexually? True, he is much older, but do you think he visualizes scenarios, exchanges, **** you?
That doesn't interest me, Doctor, and frankly, it's ... it's the sort of thing that Miggs would say.
Dr. Lecter Not anymore.
Dr. Lecter Tell me, Senator, did you nurse Catherine yourself?
Senator Ruth Martin: What?
Dr. Lecter Did you breast-feed her?
Krendler: Now, wait a minute ...
Sen. Martin: Yes, I did.
Dr. Lecter Toughened your nipples, didn't it?
Krendler: You son of a bitch!
Dr. Lecter Amputate a man's leg, and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, ma'am, when your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?
Sen. Martin: Take this thing back to Baltimore!
Dr. Lecter Five foot ten, strongly built, about a hundred and eighty pounds; hair blonde, eyes pale blue. He'd be about thirty-five now. He said he lived in Philadelphia, but may have lied. That's all I can remember, Mom, but if I think of any more, I will let you know. Oh, and Senator, just one more thing: love your suit.
Dr. Lecter [shouts]
No! [normal voice] I will listen now. After your father's murder, you were orphaned. You were ten years old. You went to live with cousins on a sheep and horse ranch in Montana. And ...?
Dr. Lecter Not "just", Clarice. What set you off? You started at what time?
Early, still dark.
Dr. Lecter Then something woke you, didn't it? Was it a dream? What was it?
I heard a strange noise.
Dr. Lecter What was it?
It was ... screaming. Some kind of screaming, like a child's voice.
Dr. Lecter What did you do?
I went downstairs, outside. I crept up into the barn. I was so scared to look inside, but I had to.
Dr. Lecter And what did you see, Clarice? What did you see?
Lambs. And they were screaming.
Dr. Lecter They were slaughtering the spring lambs?
And they were screaming.
Dr. Lecter And you ran away?
No. First I tried to free them. I ... I opened the gate to their pen, but they wouldn't run. They just stood there, confused. They wouldn't run.
Dr. Lecter But you could and you did, didn't you?
Yes. I took one lamb, and I ran away as fast as I could.
Dr. Lecter Where were you going, Clarice?
I don't know. I didn't have any food, any water, and it was very cold, very cold. I thought, I thought if I could save just one, but ... he was so heavy. So heavy. I didn't get more than a few miles when the sheriff's car picked me up. The rancher was so angry he sent me to live at the Lutheran orphanage in Bozeman. I never saw the ranch again.
Dr. Lecter What became of your lamb, Clarice?
They killed him.
Dr. Lecter You still wake up sometimes, don't you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs.
Yes.
Dr. Lecter And you think if you save poor Catherine, you could make them stop, don't you? You think if Catherine lives, you won't wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs.
I don't know. I don't know.
Dr. Lecter Thank you, Clarice. Thank you.
Tell me his name, Doctor.
Dr. Lecter ... Dr. Chilton, I presume. I think you know each other.
Okay. Let's go.
It's your turn, Doctor.
Out!
Tell me his name!
Boyle I'm sorry, ma'am. We've got orders. We have to put you on a plane. Come on, now.
Dr. Lecter [Chilton and the guards start leading Clarice out]
Brave Clarice. You will let me know when those lambs stop screaming, won't you?
Tell me his name, Doctor!
Dr. Lecter Clarice, your case file. Goodbye, Clarice.
Dr. Lecter [Last lines] [on telephone]
Well, Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?
Dr. Lecter?
Dr. Lecter Don't bother with a trace, I won't be on long enough.
Where are you?
Dr. Lecter I have no plans to call on you, Clarice. The world's much more interesting with you in it. So you take care now to extend me the same courtesy.
You know I can't make that promise.
Dr. Lecter I do wish we could chat longer, but ... [eyeing Dr. Chilton] I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye.
Dr. Lecter? ... Dr. Lecter? ... Dr. Lecter? ... Dr. Lecter? ...
Hannibal Lecter You're not real FBI, are you?
I'm still in training at the Academy.
Hannibal Lecter Jack Crawford sent a trainee to me?
Yes, I'm a student. I'm here to learn from you. Maybe you can decide for yourself whether or not I'm qualified enough to do that.
Hannibal Lecter Mmm. That is rather slippery of you, Agent Starling. Sit, please. Now then, tell me. What did Miggs say to you? Multiple Miggs in the next cell. He hissed at you. What did he say?
He said, "I can smell your ****."
Hannibal Lecter I see. I, myself, cannot. You use Evian skin cream, and sometimes you wear L'Air du Temps … but not today.
Did you do all those drawings, Doctor?
Hannibal Lecter Ah. That is the Duomo seen from the Belvedere. You know Florence?
All that detail just from memory, sir?
Hannibal Lecter Memory, Agent Starling, is what I have instead of a view.
Hannibal Lecter Quid pro quo. I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though, about yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no? Yes or no, Clarice? Poor little Catherine is waiting.
Go, Doctor.
Hannibal Lecter What is your worst memory of childhood?
The death of my father.
Hannibal Lecter Tell me about it and don't lie, or I'll know.
He was a town marshal, and... one night, he surprised two burglars coming out the back of a drugstore. They shot him.
Hannibal Lecter Was he killed outright?
No, he was very strong, he lasted more than a month. My mother died when I was very young, so... my father had become the whole world to me, and, when he left me, I had nothing. I was ten years old.
Hannibal Lecter You're very frank, Clarice. I think it would be quite something to know you in private life.
Quid pro quo, Doctor.
Hannibal Lecter So tell me about Miss West Virginia. Was she a large girl?
Yes.
Hannibal Lecter Big through the hips? Roomy?
They all were.
Hannibal Lecter What else?
She had an object deliberately inserted into her throat. Now, that hasn't been made public yet. We don't know what it means.
Hannibal Lecter Was it a butterfly?
Yes. A moth. Just like the one we found in Benjamin Raspail's head an hour ago. Why does he place them there, Doctor?
Hannibal Lecter The significance of the moth is change. Caterpillar into chrysalis, or pupa, and from thence into beauty. Our Billy wants to change, too.
Hannibal Lecter [about "Buffalo Bill"]
What a naughty boy he is! Do you know why he's called 'Buffalo Bill'? Please tell me - the newspapers won't say.
Well, it started as a bad joke in Kansas City homicide. They said, 'This one likes to skin his humps.'
Hannibal Lecter Why do you think he removes their skins, Agent Starling? Enthrall me with your acumen.
It excites him. Most serial killers keep some sort of trophies from their victims.
Hannibal Lecter I didn't.
No. No, you ate yours.
If your profile helps us capture Buffalo Bill in time to save Catherine Martin, the Senator promises you a transfer to the VA Hospital at Oneida Park, New York with a view of the woods nearby. Maximum security still applies, of course. You'd have reasonable access to books. Best of all, though, one week of the year, you'd get to leave the hospital and go here - [She produces a map] Plum Island, every day of that week, you may walk on the beach. You may swim in the ocean for up to one hour. Under SWAT team surveillance, of course. And there you have it... If Catherine Martin dies, you get nothing.
Hannibal Lecter Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center. Sounds charming.
That's only part of the island. There's a very, very nice beach. Terns nest there. There's beautiful …
Hannibal Lecter Terns? If I help you, Clarice, it will be "turns" for us too. Quid pro quo – I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though. About yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no? [pause] Yes or no, Clarice? Poor little Catherine is waiting.
Go, doctor.
Hannibal Lecter Billy is not a real trans-sexual, but he thinks he is. He tries to be. He's tried to be a lot of things, I expect.
And you said that I was very close to the way we would catch him. What did you mean, doctor?
Hannibal Lecter There are three major centers for trans-sexual surgery: Johns Hopkins, the University of Minnesota, and Columbus Medical Center. I wouldn't be surprised if Billy had applied for sex reassignment at one or all of them, and been rejected.
On what basis would they reject him?
Hannibal Lecter Look for severe childhood disturbances associated with violence. Our Billy wasn't born a criminal, Clarice. He was made one through years of systematic abuse. Billy hates his own identity, you see, and he thinks that makes him a trans-sexual. But his pathology is a thousand times more savage and more terrifying.
Senator Martin Dr. Lecter, I brought an affidavit guaranteeing your new rights. You want to read it before I sign?
Hannibal Lecter I won't waste your time or Catherine's time bargaining for petty privileges. Clarice Starling and that awful Jack Crawford have wasted far too much time already. I only pray they haven't doomed the poor girl. Let me help you now, and I will trust you when it is all over.
Senator Martin You have my word. Paul? [her aide is poised to take notes]
Hannibal Lecter Buffalo Bill's real name is Louis Friend. I met him just once, he was referred to me in April or May 1980 by my patient Benjamin Raspail. They were lovers, you see. But Raspail had become very frightened. Apparently, Louis had murdered a transient and done things with her skin.
Senator aide
We need his address and a physical description.
Hannibal Lecter Tell me, Senator, did you nurse Catherine yourself?
Senator Martin What?
Hannibal Lecter Did you breastfeed her?
Krendler Now, wait a minute …
Senator Martin Yes, I did.
Hannibal Lecter Toughened your nipples, didn't it?
Krendler Oh, you son of a bitch!
Hannibal Lecter Amputate a man's leg, and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, ma'am, when your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?
Senator Martin [disgusted]
Take this thing back to Baltimore!
Hannibal Lecter [She turns and starts to leave, but stops as Lector continues]
Five foot ten, strongly built, about 180 pounds; hair blonde, eyes pale blue. He'd be about 35 now. He said he lived in Philadelphia, but may have lied. That's all I can remember, ma'am, but if I think of any more, I will let you know. Oh, and Senator, just one more thing: love your suit.
Other characters in The Silence of the Lambs
More Anthony Hopkins characters
Hannibal Lecter
Narrator
William Parrish
Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Charles Morse
Abraham Van Helsing
Don Diego
Ted Crawford