OSCAR LETTERS

Had the stars of “The Silence of the Lambs” been two people we’d never heard of, the movie would have been dismissed as a smarmy quasi-slasher flick. Instead, it steals the Oscar from four movies of very different types, all of which were very superior.

But what is more offensive than the award is Jonathan Demme’s proclamation of “Lambs” as a moral movie. This is Hollywood-speak at its most artful. For those who loved “Lambs,” there is sure to be a sequel and, better still, a Jeffrey Dahmer story or two in the works. They will probably be ready about the time of the election. I can feel the moral uplift already.

JOE SELDNER

Thousand Oaks