The production team of the 1990s classic thriller film "The Silence of the Lambs," which swept the five major categories including the Academy Award for best picture, expressed regret over its portrayal of the transgender community.
According to the Daily Mail's report on the 15th (local time), the film, which was released on Feb. 14, 1991, is still regarded as a masterpiece 35 years later. However, as criticism arose that some recent scenes and character settings do not fit modern sensibilities, the actors and production team issued a statement.
Ted Levine, the actor who played the serial killer "Buffalo Bill" in the film, recently said in an interview, "Some elements of the film do not hold up by today's standards," and added, "I have learned more about transgender issues, and some of those lines were unfortunate expressions."
Buffalo Bill is depicted as a character who wears women's clothes and tries to make a "woman suit" from the victims' skin. In the film, Hannibal Lecter has a line describing him as "not a real transgender," but that very characterization has been criticized for reinforcing distorted images of transgender and sexual minority people.
Producer Edward Saxon also said, "We were faithful to the original and had no malice," while adding, "There are aspects we missed in that we did not fully recognize how harmful stereotypes can be."
At the 1992 Academy Awards, the film swept major categories including best picture, best director, best actor, best actress and best adapted screenplay. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins each claimed best actor trophies, creating iconic scenes that will remain in film history.
But some fans have pushed back against the apology, calling it "excessive criticism that ignores historical context." On social media, opinions ranged from claims that "Buffalo Bill is portrayed as a pathological character, not transgender" to views that "there is a mood of turning a masterpiece into a problematic work."
Levine said, "I did not play that character as a gay man or a transgender person. I thought he was a damaged heterosexual man," adding, "But if the result hurt someone, that was wrong."
Now, 35 years later, a debate continues over how to view classic works amid changing times.
[Photo] stills and poster of "The Silence of the Lambs"
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