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Jonathan Demme’s production ofSilence of the Lambswas a lesson in media literacy for a slew of people, especially when it came to the character of Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill. Demme talked about how it was one of his biggest failures as a director for not making Demme’s characterization clear enough.
Jonathan Demme revealed in 2014 that he considered it one of his biggest failures, given the widespread criticism that the portrayal of the character received from LGBTQ activist groups. The character was lumped in with a lot of negative stereotypes that were associated with gay characters in films at the time.
Jonathan Demme thought that he didn’t do enough to set the record straight
Jonathan Demmespoke to The Daily Beast (as reported byThe Slate), to talk about the nature of the issues that he faced while depicting the character of Buffalo Bill, the serial killer inSilence of the Lambs. A lot of the press had targeted the fact that Jame Gumb was queer, and cast in the role of an antagonist, which had been a part of the troubling trend in Hollywood at the time. He said:
Jame Gumb isn’t gay. And this is my directorial failing in making The Silence of the Lambs—that I didn’t find ways to emphasize the fact that Gumb wasn’t gay. Juan Botas, who was one of the inspirations for Philadelphia, said, ‘you may’t imagine what it’s like to be a 12-year-old gay kid, and you go to the movies all the time and whenever you see a gay character, they’re either a ridiculous comic-relief caricature, or a demented killer.It’s very hard growing up gay and being exposed to all these stereotypes.’ That registered with me in a big way. It’s now become a part of the dialogue on stereotypical portrayals of gays in movies.
Becoming an integral part of the conversation even today, Buffalo Bill’s portrayal in the film has led to it becoming one of the go-to examples of queer characters portrayed and treated in films.
While Buffalo Bill’s portrayal was problematic, James Demme redeemed himself a little
Despite there being a lot of backlash against the creator for the making ofSilence of the Lambs, focusing on the portrayal of Buffalo Bill, the director might have still managed to redeem himself in some eyes by making the queer classic,Philadelphia. The film deals with the AIDS issue and homophobia, also being one of the first films to portray homosexual couples in a positive light,starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.
“The right story, the right talent, at the right time”: Real Reason Why ‘Silence of the Lambs’ Won an Oscar Is Linked to America’s Scariest Timeline
While it seems that the sins of the past might never go away for the director,Philadelphiahas still managed to hold a special place in the hearts of the people, not just for its then-novel compassionate portrayal of gay couples, but also for the issues that they faced in various public spheres.
Anuraag Chatterjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :1633
Anuraag Chatterjee, Web Content WriterWith a passion for writing fiction and non fiction content, Anuraag is a Media Science graduate with 2 year’s experience with Marketing and Content, with 3 published poetry anthologies. Anuraag holds a Bacherlor’s degree in Arts with a focus on Communication and Media Studies.
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Jonathan DemmeSilence Of The Lambs
