Silence of the Lambs
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$115 – 128MM V $131MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
11.0 – 13.4%
Script Score
0.39
The Silence of the Lambs” is a 1991 movie directed by Jonathan Demme, based on Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel of the same name. The film revolves around a young FBI trainee, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film was a “sleeper” hit which is ironic considering that the narrative is a dark, contemporary reimagining of the ancient conflict between Ram and Ravan from the epic Ramayan.
1. The invisible plot structure of Silence of the Lambs
1A. The script of Silence of the Lambs borrows 91% of its events from 3 mythological tales
Buffalo Bill’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ravan in Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Buffalo Bill take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
Clarice’s quest is driven by the desire for social order. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ram in Hindu mythology. Both Ram & Clarice take help of allies to apprehend an abductor.
Dr Lecter’s quest is driven by the desire for self-reliance. The quest borrows events from Daedalus’ tale in Greek mythology. Daedalus desire to escape from King Minos’ prison after creating many inventions for him is shared by Dr Lecter who escapes after helping Clarice with clues to nab Buffalo Bill.
Crawley has an underdeveloped quest of Family whereas Chifton has no quest.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 33,538
Tales interweaved
Ravan, Ram & Daedalus
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Silence of the Lambs' plot structure: $115 – 128MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Silence of the Lambs
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The script uses 3 universal quests of Power, Order & Independence.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Buffalo Bill mirrors the quest of Power. Clarice mirrors the quests of Order whereas Dr. Lecter mirrors the quest of Independence.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Buffalo Bill borrows 18% events from the quest of Power. Clarice borrows 44% events from the quest of Order. Dr. Lecter borrows 29% events from the quest of Independence.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Silence of the Lambs’ quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Clarice & Buffalo Bill:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Silence of the Lambs
Silence of the Lambs’ plot structure reveals an extremely powerful quest of Clarice that is interwoven with both Dr Lecter and Hannibal. The other quests are shallow and/or under developed.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.39
Audience appeal
11.0 – 13.4%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Silence of the Lambs
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Buffalo Bill mirrors the universal quest for Power
Buffalo Bill’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Clarice mirrors the universal quest for Order
Clarice’s desire for Order stems from the need for organization to maintain social stability. The tale of Ram from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Order.
Quest 3: Dr. Lecter mirrors the universal quest for Independence
Dr. Lecter’s desire for Independence stems from the need for self-reliance & autonomy. The tale of Daedalus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Independence.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Silence of the Lambs’ plot structure has only one well developed quest.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Silence of the Lambs is a subset of Mythosis plot structure # 33,538. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Ravan, Ram & Daedalus.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 33,538.
Tags: Ravan, Ram, Accumulation, Order, Daedalus, Independence, Jonathan Demme, Ted Tally, Thomas Harris, Orion Pictures, 1991