Best Oscar Winners--No. 2


Earlier in March I discussed a series of 10 posts on the best winners for Best Picture since 1970. Each Saturday for the next two weeks I'll be counting down my favorites and discussing the rationale. As always, if you have thoughts, or other favorites, please feel free to comment and share.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, and Ted Levine
Director: Jonathan Demme
About: Earlier in this countdown I talked about "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest," and how it was one of only three films in American history to sweep the five big awards. "The Silence of the Lambs" is another. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, this film is actually a sequel of sorts. In 1986 Michael Mann debuted "Manhunter," which was an adaptation of Harris' novel "Red Dragon." Though that film had similar characters, Jack Crawford and Hannibal Lecter, it had a totally different cast. "The Silence of the Lambs" saw Hopkins take the role of Lecter, a role he made his own, made iconic and continued in several subsequent films. Glenn took over the role of Crawford, too, and did a nice job in this film. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Foster, Best Actor for Hopkins, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally and Best Director for Demme, in addition to Best Picture. It has always been one of my favorite films, and is usually on the list for the scariest and most iconic villains. That's a credit to Hopkins, but what makes it work is the equally strong performance from Foster as agent Clarice Starling. This is also a film that defied conventional thinking. It was released in January, and yet won Best Picture more than a year later. That, too, is impressive. And those are just a few of the reasons I put it so high on this list.
Rating:  R for strong violent content and language.

Top 10 Countdown:
10. The French Connection (1971)
9. Gladiator (2000)
8. One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (1975)
7. Spotlight (2015)
6. Forrest Gump (1994)
5. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
4. Schindler's List (1993)
3. No Country for Old Men (2007)

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