February's Blu-ray of The Month: The Silence of the Lambs (1991, Criterion Collection)

"In this chilling adaptation of the best-selling novel by Thomas Harris, the astonishingly versatile director Jonathan Demme crafted a taut psychological thriller about an American obsession: serial murder. As Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee who enlists the help of the infamous Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter to gain insight into the mind of another killer, Jodie Foster subverts classic gender dynamics and gives one of the most memorable performances of her career. As her foil, Anthony Hopkins is the archetypal antihero—cultured, quick-witted, and savagely murderous—delivering a harrowing portrait of humanity gone terribly wrong. A gripping police procedural and a disquieting immersion into a twisted psyche, The Silence of the Lambs swept the Academy Awards® (best picture, director, screenplay, actress, actor) and remains a cultural touchstone."

Simply put, The Silence of the Lambs is one of the best movies ever made. It's script is sharp and flawless; it's a gorgeous film to behold on the cinematography front; Jonathan Demme directed it to perfection; and its top-notch cast gives top notch performances all around.

Oh yeah, and Anthony Hopkins made Hannibal Lecter a household name with his brilliant performance. A performance that willl undoubtedly stand the test of time as one of the best ever given.

The Criterion Collection has remastered Silence of the Lambs in 4K, giving fans what looks to be the definitive audio/video version of the film that it, and they, deserve. If for some insane reason you've never seem this gem, or simply need an upgrade from an inferior version, then this is a disc that you need to own.

This is a easy of a Day One purchase as Blu-ray gets, and even though we already own the movie on VHS, DVD (2 versions), and Blu-ray (2 versions), it's going into our collection the second it's released.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New 4K digital restoration, approved by director of photography Tak Fujimoto, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary from 1994 featuring director Jonathan Demme, actors Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, screenwriter Ted Tally, and former FBI agent John Douglas
• New interview with critic Maitland McDonagh
• Thirty-eight minutes of deleted scenes
• Four documentaries featuring hours of interviews with cast and crew
• Behind-the-scenes featurette
• Storyboards
• Trailer
• PLUS: A book featuring an introduction by Foster, an essay by critic Amy Taubin, pieces from 2000 and 2013 by author Thomas Harris on the origins of the character Hannibal Lecter, and a 1991 interview with Demme

The Silence of the Lambs (Criterion) hots shelves on February 13th.