Scr Ted Tally (AA) (who wrote the previous year's White Palace) met author Thomas Harris socially, read the novel and thought "Not only is this really clever but the audience are going to love it". He decided to focus the story on Clarice Starling (see here).
Jonathan Demme says it's better to confuse the audience for a couple of minutes than bore them for ten seconds - clearly evident in scenes where we're misdirected in a Hitchcocky manner (the film's best moments). Demme also won Oscar and there's more evidence of his straight on shooting style with much of the film in close up and not much in the way of establishing shots: note the wonderful interchange between the two leads firstly perfectly through bars, then closer and closer until we're all in extreme close up:
Jodie apparently recently said about it "None of us were that good before and none of us were ever that good again". Of her own career this may sadly be true, though Demme went on to make the splendid Philadelphia and Hopkins subsequently received three Oscar nominations (one for Remains of the Day).
Demme is again in partnership with Craig McKay (editing; nominated) and Tak Fujimoto (camera) - Howard Shore's music is underwhelming. Has the distinction of being one of only three films to have won the top five Oscars (the others being It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), though in the UK it lost out to the now less well-known The Commitments.
I like the way Demme casts former mentor Roger Corman in his films.
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