The Silence of the Lambs 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Silence of the Lambs 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 22, 2024

Well, its a presidential election year in the United States of America as this review is being written, so of course Hannibal Lecter is in the news. Wait. . .what? Without getting into specifics, and with tongue obviously planted firmly in cheek, those on the younger side who may have heard certain comments referencing the "late, great" doctor and who are somehow unaware of who exactly he was, look no further than this film which admittedly may not have introduced the character to cinema audiences (that "privilege" goes to Michael Mann's equally visceral Manhunter, even if the surname was spelled a bit differently), but which captured some kind of weird cultural zeitgeist moment in a way that the Mann film never did, elevating Hannibal Lecter (played of course by Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins) to the Villains' Hall (or Solitary Confinement Cell) of Fame. The Silence of the Lambs has had several prior releases on both 1080 and 4K UHD discs, but as usual Arrow has upped the ante for interested consumers by providing both resolutions (in separate standalone releases) with a glut of on disc supplements and non disc swag.

Readers of this site have a number of previous reviews to read if they need a plot recap (is anyone still unaware of the general outlines of the film?), as well as assessments of the technical merits and supplements of those releases. Two good places to start are as follows:

The Silence of the Lambs Blu-ray review

The Silence of the Lambs 4K Blu-ray review

The Silence of the Lambs 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's The Silence of the Lambs standalone 1080 release. Per Arrow's standard operating procedure, there is no 1080 disc included with this 4K UHD release, and so the 2K video score above has intentionally been left blank.

The Silence of the Lambs is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow includes the same insert booklet for its separate 1080 and 4K UHD releases, which offers the following information on the restoration:

The Silence of the Lambs is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with the original stereo 2.0 and 5.1 audio mixes.

The film was restored by MGM and is presented in SDR, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned and restored in 4K resolution at EFilm.

Grading review and approval was completed by Director of Photography Tak Fujimoto.

Audio restoration of the original stereo mix was completed by Bad Princess Productions.

All materials have been made available by MGM via Park Circus.

This 4K version of Silence of the Lambs offers some noticeable improvements in fine detail over Arrow's already excellent 1080 rendering, but the biggest difference some may immediately notice, at least with regard to the evidently controversial Kino Lorber 4K release (which I don't have), is the color timing. Fans were evidently distraught at some of the color space choices on the Kino Lorber version, and while I don't have that one to look at, I did do a side by side comparison with Criterion's most recent 1080 release, and found the palette to be at least largely similar if not outright identical. Interestingly, "despite" HDR / Dolby Vision, I frankly didn't notice a huge difference in shadow detail between this version and Arrow's 1080 version, but there are some interesting nuances in tones and especially highlights. Also rather interestingly (at least to me), and judging solely by screenshots (which is inherently a risky strategy), both Arrow's 4K and 1080 versions can offer some noticeable differences at times to Kino Lorber's versions, as evidenced by the first screenshot of my The Silence of the Lambs Blu-ray review of Arrow's 1080 release, and the site's review of Kino Lorber's 4K version (which also includes screenshots from the 1080 disc in that package). It's pretty easy to see that the Arrow version is a little less florid and orange- ish if you do a side by side comparison of screenshots, and grain is arguably a bit thicker looking than on the Kino Lorber version. On the other hand, there are other moments that I'd argue are (again) largely similar if not outright identical, as in the third screenshot of my 1080 review and the fifth screenshot in the review of the Kino Lorber release. The 4K version looks slightly cooler to me at times than Arrow's 1080 version, with a very minor skewing toward brown tones on occasion. Grain can be quite heavy at times, but encounters no real resolution issues. As I'm fond of saying "different reviews means different opinions" (and scores), so my slightly lower score for this 4K version should not be taken as meaning it's in any way less competent than the Kino Lorber version reviewed by Svet, and in fact my hunch is many fans will find this version preferable at least vis a vis the color timing, and quite possibly beyond.

The Silence of the Lambs 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Another potential stumbling block with the Kino Lorber release has been remedied with Arrow's version, which includes the original stereo mix in DTS- HD Master Audio 2.0 (the Kino Lorber disc evidently offered only a folddown of the 5.1 version), along with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 option. The surround track offers substantially stronger low end, as might be expected, but surround activity can kind of ebb and flow depending on environment. A lot of the ambient environmental effects in interior locations can be subtle at times, but are still discernably immersive. Howard Shore's score sounds nicely full bodied on both tracks, but probably has a bit more spacious presentation in the surround track. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Silence of the Lambs 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the archival supplements are HD in name only, and are obvious upscales.

• Commentary by Elizabeth Purchell and Caden Mark Gardner


• Commentary by Tim Lucas


• Through Her Eyes (HD; 8:19) is a new visual essay by Justine Peres Smith addressing transformation.


• Healing Humanity (HD; 16:16) is a new visual essay by Willow Catelyn Maclay focusing on what she calls point of view and personalization.


• Breaking the Silence (HD; 1:58:37) is an archival piece featuring picture in picture interviews and trivia accompanying the actual feature.


• Page to Screen (HD; 41:17) offers episodes of the Bravo television series which were devoted to the film.


• Scoring the Silence (HD; 16:00) is a 2004 interview with composer Howard Shore.


• Jonathan Demme and Jodie Foster (HD; 51:40) is a three part documentary from 2005 by Laurent Bouzereau.


• Understanding the Madness (HD; 19:32) is a 2008 piece featuring FBI agents.


• 1991 "Making Of" Featurette (HD; 8:07)


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 20:31)


• Additional Deleted Scenes (HD; 7:12) are sourced from a VHS workprint and also feature alternate takes.


• Outtakes (HD; 1:45)


• Anthony Hopkins Phone Message (00:35)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:51)


• Teaser Trailer (HD; 1:05)


• TV Spots (HD; 5:55)


• Image Gallery (HD)

This is another pretty extravagantly packaged release from Arrow. A slipbox (which is enclosed in an O ring) holds the keepcase, which offers a reversible sleeve, along with a really nicely appointed insert booklet featuring a number of excellent essays. A double sided fold out poster is also in the slipbox. The keepcase holds six doulbe sided postcard sized lobby card reproduction artcards.

The Silence of the Lambs 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chances are most ardent video collectors have at least one prior release of Silence of the Lambs on their shelves. That said, this Arrow release offers secure and arguably improved technical merits (and/or options), and as tends to be the case with Arrow's releases, the supplemental package is outstanding. Handsome packaging and non disc swag may only increase the allure of this particular release. Highly recommended.