Chemistry in Cinema Part V

City Lights, Moonlightning and The Secret in their Eyes have been so far my picks for best chemistry on screen. Today it's time a fourth one and what a classic it is: the tale of Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice M. Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, one of only three movies who swept the big five categories at the Oscars.

Onf of the greatest films of all time, also has one of the best chemistry of all time

Granted that Anthony Hopkins appears for less than 20 minutes, the majority of that time is split between two frames: when he's with someone else, and when he's with Clarice Starling. Their relationship is quite complex and profound, despite the few encounters that they have and the short amount of time they share together. All in all, there are evident emotions taking place between the two of them and that's why I would like to explore them.

At first Clarice (brilliantly portrayed by Jodie Foster), looks at Dr. Lecter like a respectable, dangerous human being, but she also sees in him a superior entity. It takes only a few minutes for young Clarice to feel butterflies in her stomach out of sheer admiration for the man whom she's seeking help from. It all happens too fast because Dr. Lecter shakes her ground so bad, that he seizes control of the relationship and over her. This is a person that knows Clarice even better than herself and this is something that Clarice has never experienced before, not even at any level of her college education or her training at the FBI. Clarice is fragile, innocent, but not dumb by any means or easily impressed. She never discusses or shows any sign of personal emotion regarding love for someone, but if there is something quite clear is that the feelings she developed for Dr. Lecter worked to make her a better professional and a better person. The same applies for Hannibal.

There is no doubt Dr. Lecter lives a very boring life. Trapped in a cell with breathing holes and no visitors, no contact whatsoever and perhaps the last time he saw a female individual was when he voted for Ronald Reagan's presidential election. Would his reaction been the same had another female agent would have shown up at his cell instead of Clarice? It is possible, but the way the movie shows him, I deem it as unlikely. The first impression that Clarice makes on him shakes his ground too, just as good as he shakes hers. He smells her, he analyzes her clothing, and he becomes fascinated by her simplistic beauty. For Hannibal, being able to see Clarice for even one second is the highlight of his week. He brings out the best out of her and she does the same to him, even though the psychiatrist persona looks rude and not sympathetic.

Then we have their chemistry. The movie has exactly four instances in which Hannibal and Clarice are on screen together.

#1. When they first meet: this is a very formal introduction, where Dr. Lecter initially despises Clarice and tries to fold the bluff the FBI protege sent to study him. Then something happens when Dr. Lecter's cell neighbor does something disrespectful to young Clarice, and this then is the turning point that humanizes Hannibal and his feelings for her.

"Come closer.... CLOSER"

#2. Their second encounter: a major accomplishment for any individual to be granted a second meeting with Hannibal. One does wonder, has young Clarice broken through his tough shield and finally get to a personal level with him? Probably. If Dr Lecter accepted to help her it's because he feels correspondence for the first time in many years.

Dr. Lecter

#3. Clarice sends the Senator's proposal: a very interesting scene that has quite profound meaning. Clarice brings an offer that would transfer Dr. Lecter to a more suitable institution, which can be interpreted as an instrument of temptation that can be even traced back to biblical significance. She uses her feminine charm to get something she wants and he uses her charm to get something he wants.

The face of reflection

#4. Their last meeting: a memorable moment in the movie and a classic scene that transcends into cinema history. When Dr. Lecter rubs his finger against Clarice, you actually see for the first time the one and only sign of the connection the two of them share. Nobody notices this, but this is the unique time in which Dr. Lecter and Clarice have physical contact. It is enough to make an ever lasting impression on both of them.

"Goodbye Clarice...."

The Bonus: I'm not quite sure and I've never been able to completely figure out how Hannibal found the phone number for the FBI's ballroom, but perhaps this is an every day thing for a man of his intelligence, even counting in the time difference. The brief call is a perfect closure for a relationship that could have never been. I for one believe Dr. Lecter had a tough time hanging up the phone just as Clarice did, but the difference is that he didn't actually have a choice. It was either his survival or put in jeopardy his hard obtained freedom.

"Dr Lecter.... Dr Lecter... Dr Lecter...."
He's gone forever and that's how it should have been. Shame on that sequel.

Silence of the Lambs is mainly a crime/drama/mystery movie and it rightfully deserved any award it was nominated for and won. It is a realistic movie in the sense of two people who meet, get to know each other, end up liking each other and briefly, just briefly, fall in love. Like I said earlier, it is not meant to last, but it wasn't intended to. And that's the way how things are in life sometimes.

PS. As a side note, there is a lot of talk of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins brilliant performances; I also think Ted Levine was nothing short of genius in his portrayal of Buffalo Bill, and is one of the most underrated acting jobs of all time.

"Was she a very big fat person?"
That line is hilarious

Chemistry in Cinema Part IV

So far I have Moonlightning and The Secret of Their Eyes as two of my best onscreen chemistry I have seen in cinema. I'm still trying to decide on how many blogs I'll do; one thing is for sure, I don't want to force a number, meaning that it won't be the usual "Top 10" or "Top 5"... countdown. Whether if it's six, seven, five or eight, as long as I write about the ones I feel deserve the distinction and you like them, I'll be happy about it. Today it's time to name the next one: The Tramp and The Flower Girl from City Lights.

City lights was the first movie that found Charlie Chaplin under the pressure of having to release a movie with sound in a time where silent films were dying, yet Charlie was able to get a way with it and keep it silent, so you have to have an open mind if you are going to watch it, especially if it's your first silent film.

City lights is a love story about Chaplin's signature character The Tramp, who falls in love with a blind girl who sells flowers. Through a series of odd occurrences -that are subplot of the movie- she begins picturing him as someone he's not: rich, elegant, classy, and the circumstances that drive every scene keep reinforcing that in her world.  It deals with many of the subjects that surround complicated relationships, such as hope, dreams and expectations, obstacles and how to overcome them, sacrifice, acceptance and rejection, and of course the feeling of wanting the better for the person you love.

The Tramp and The Flower Girl

Like another movie I'm thinking of including in my list -but I won't spoil yet-, The Tramp and The Flower Girl do not share much screen time together because the movie is mainly about The Tramp's adventures, and I may be crossing the line here when I say that I get the sensation the movie has a very egocentric nature around him; but... every time he's in the same frame with the Flower Girl, his character diminishes and they actually get to equal level. And it's not particular importance or relevance in the film, but how they both seem to talk the same language and share the same feelings, which is what chemistry is all about.

The Tramp boxing for love

The characters are as solid as you can imagine. The Tramp is... well, The Tramp. He is loyal to his routine and to his habits that made him so lovable by audiences. It is Virgina Cherrill who steals every scene she's in. Virginia Cherrill is The Flower Girl by definition. She is very effective in transmitting the emotional charge her persona, as well as the dreams and thoughts that surround her. It's amazing how with her talent, she retired from acting after a couple of years; it's even more amazing that she and Charlie Chaplin did not get along, and that Charlie even fired her at one point during production.

The Flower Girl... her ground has been shaken

I don't want to spoil much of City lights, but I will say that the ending is one of the best I have seen in my life, regardless of the genre. There are countless threads in many boards and public forums trying to come up with an answer of what the ending means and moreover, what happens next. I think that knowing Chaplin and understanding his genius when filming, he probably wanted to transmit that precise feeling that we get once the end hits the screen, and that starts all this debate around the future of both characters.

Chemistry in cinema - Part III: The Secret in Their Eyes

I came across The secret in their eyes a couple of years ago after a recommendation from a friend with similar taste in movies than mine. It is crime/drama movie from Argentina that covers a lot of subjects, including the main plot being an unresolved crime, injustice, corruption, friendship, platonic love, and finally love. For those who are Oscars fan, it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign movie in 2010.

It stars Ricardo Darin as Benjamin Esposito, a retired counsel who decides to write a novel based on an unsolved murder of a young woman that took place when he was in the force about 20 years earlier, right around the same time a new boss was assigned to run his department, Irene Hastings (played by Soledad Villasmil). As Benjamin starts investigating and doing research to document his novel, he runs across a lot of people who worked with him during the case back then and of course his former boss, who is now a married woman mother of two, while he on the other hand is single and alone.

Benjamin and Irene in the present time of the movie.

As you can expect from a movie I am considering as one of the best chemistry seen onscreen, right from the start you know that there is something between Benjamin and Irene. They may have not been together or even tried to be since they knew each other, but you can tell they are fond for each other. The movie flashbacks to a young Irene starting to work as boss of the bureau, after attending to college abroad Argentina soil -Harvard-, and taking over a department filled with "blue collar" workers, who for one or another reason couldn't afford to get a higher education, including Benjamin, and now have to answer to the noble Irene, who comes in a bit as a snob from a rich family. She dresses nice and expensive and her manners suggest that there is no way in life she could fall in love with someone like Benjamin, and she doesn't -at least not in the common cliche Hollywood way-, but pretty slowly they start to develop chemistry between them. At one point Irene and Benjamin work together in an interrogation of a subject and it in this moment when I think they begin to have feelings for each other.

The kiss they do not share.

The dialogues of the characters are well written and not cheesy at any time. They are based on the premise of a man and a woman who fight very hard maintain a professional relationship. They know things may get complicated if they let their personal relationship grow, and this is despite from coming from different worlds and have completely different backgrounds. She is an attractive beautiful woman, he is barely an average looking guy; she is rich, he is not; she went to Harvard, he didn't; she is a noble, he is a worker. In a key scene of the movie, Benjamin and Irene have zeroed in a suspect of the murder, a low level enforcement employee who has a patron in a corrupt District Attorney. The couple decides to confront the D.A. who in turn apart from reminding them they have no evidence against his protege, confronts Benjamin and makes him realize that his passion towards the resolution of the case is geared by the even stronger passion he has for Irene; however the fact that "he is Benjamin Esposito (implying a poor nobody random guy) and she is Irene Hastings (implying a wealthy noble woman of stature)." I am not going to spoil the next scene right after it, but I will say it has a lot of impact on both characters and the audiences as well.

The scene I will not spoil. It's up to you to watch.

The movie goes on under the plot of the murderer, and eventually it finds a place where to put Benjamin and Irene together, only that they don't get a chance to be with each other and instead end up separated until the present time where the movie takes place with Benjamin researching his novel and Irene wondering of what would have happened had they chosen to be together.

The ending is comforting for audiences because it doesn't feel forced at any time. It transmits a feeling that has been surrounding the entire movie atmosphere and that is also a main ingredient in the lives of every human being: hope. It also has one of the best end line I have heard in any movie: "Shut the door."