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The Silence of the Hams

Original title: Il silenzio dei prosciutti
  • 1994
  • R
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
6.3K
YOUR RATING
The Silence of the Hams (1994)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:28
1 Video
37 Photos
Dark ComedyParodySlapstickComedyThriller

The federal agent Jo Dee Fostar is currently investigating a serial killer, helped by doctor Animal who is isolated in a maximum security jail.The federal agent Jo Dee Fostar is currently investigating a serial killer, helped by doctor Animal who is isolated in a maximum security jail.The federal agent Jo Dee Fostar is currently investigating a serial killer, helped by doctor Animal who is isolated in a maximum security jail.

  • Director
    • Ezio Greggio
  • Writer
    • Ezio Greggio
  • Stars
    • Ezio Greggio
    • Dom DeLuise
    • Billy Zane
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.7/10
    6.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ezio Greggio
    • Writer
      • Ezio Greggio
    • Stars
      • Ezio Greggio
      • Dom DeLuise
      • Billy Zane
    • 54User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Silence of the Hams
    Trailer 1:28
    The Silence of the Hams

    Photos36

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    + 31
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    Top cast58

    Edit
    Ezio Greggio
    Ezio Greggio
    • Antonio Motel
    Dom DeLuise
    Dom DeLuise
    • Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza
    Billy Zane
    Billy Zane
    • Jo Dee Fostar
    Joanna Pacula
    Joanna Pacula
    • Lily Wine
    Charlene Tilton
    Charlene Tilton
    • Jane Wine
    Martin Balsam
    Martin Balsam
    • Det. Martin Balsam
    Stuart Pankin
    Stuart Pankin
    • Insp. Pete Putrid
    John Astin
    John Astin
    • The Ranger
    Phyllis Diller
    Phyllis Diller
    • Old Secretary
    Bubba Smith
    Bubba Smith
    • Olaf
    Larry Storch
    Larry Storch
    • Sergeant
    Rip Taylor
    Rip Taylor
    • Mr. Laurel
    Shelley Winters
    Shelley Winters
    • Mrs. Motel - The Mother
    Nedra Volz
    Nedra Volz
    • Ranger's Wife
    Andre Rosey Brown
    Andre Rosey Brown
    • Motorcycle Cop
    • (as Rosey Brown)
    Henry Silva
    Henry Silva
    • Police Chief
    Marshall Bell
    Marshall Bell
    • Cross-Dressing Agent
    Lee Allan
    Lee Allan
    • Agent #1
    • Director
      • Ezio Greggio
    • Writer
      • Ezio Greggio
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews54

    4.76.3K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    $TEVE McD

    L.A.M.E

    An unbelievably lame attempt at a parody flick,with all the obligatory sight gags,except here they are completely lame-brained and usually have nothing much to do with anything,and most of the verbal gags are just plain desperate for laughs,like when a woman enters a room dressed completely in red and the narrator(putting on an extremely irratating french accent)calls her "the woman in blue".Hilarious.The rest of the jokes pretty much follow that form,simply changing key words in things and they are all completely stupid.Also,the usually fantastic Billy Zane is no comedy actor,and looks very uncomfortable here.A thoughrouly boring movie.Parody flicks are among the cleverest comedies ever made and if you want a good one,try Spy Hard,Naked Gun or Airplane but definatly not this!
    7doc_desire

    Funny at times, overall decent.

    This parody of several movies packs some amusing moments, such as Billy Zane flipping open his wallet to reveal a waffle and saying, "FBI have an appointment", and a humourous turn by Dom Deluise as a cannibal, which overall make this movie a decent turn worth a look. How long a look will depend on how much you enjoy slapstick comedy and one-liners. There are times it drags, and some of the jokes are corny, but overall the funny moments outweigh the not funny ones, so give this one a look if you're in the mood for a light laugh.
    4RodrigAndrisan

    Welcome to the Cemetery Motel!

    Ezio Greggio is trying hard to make us laugh. The film is full of gags but you can not have fun at all of them, many are downright infantile. I smiled at the scene with that huge coffin, that's all. Massive inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" and Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs", the film is lost somewhere in the "purgatory" of these two masterpieces. The result is a mediocre parody. Not even the presence of Martin Balsam, the original detective in "Psycho" doesn't save the film. Not even the beauty of Joanna Pacula. Neither the sexy forms of the little Charlene Tilton. Not even Mel Brooks in his short scene. Not even those 3 cameos of John Landis, Joe Dante and John Carpenter. Ezio Greggio is OK, he has a lot of imagination but, it's not funny. Dom DeLuise(very funny comic actor in other movies) and Billy Zane are both commonplace. You will need someone to tickle you in your sensitive areas, or to tickle yourself, to succeed to laugh...
    A.Y.M.-2

    Silence Of The Hams

    Silence Of The Hams was brilliant. You know, I hate it when people try to analyze the movie, and try to pick out all the politically incorrect phrases and actions. SHUT... UP !!! And some people are saying "Uhh, it's not as good as Loaded Weapon 1". SO... WHAT !!! Does that mean that I have to like it less now ? Umm... No. This movie had so many clever and stupid jokes in it. It parodied several hit movies and I think this movie deserves more credit than it's getting. I mean, come on, how many movies do you know have a migit with an extendable arm, and Pavaroti ? Hmm ? Rent this movie now. I give this movie a 10 !!!
    ecarle

    Martin Balsam Amazes

    I can't think of another movie in which an actor replayed his most famous role...for laughs. Millions of people over several decades saw Martin Balsam as the Detective who Gets Killed on the Stairs in "Psycho" (1960). And here he was, 34 years later, playing his every scene from the original as a gag.

    Unlike "Psycho" shower murder victim Janet Leigh, Balsam always refused to give interviews on his scenes in "Psycho," feeling it was given too much notice over his other films (he won the 1965 Oscar for "A Thousand Clowns.") I guess he was finally willing to revisit the detective -- for pay. Maybe it was revenge for Balsam to play the role in so bad a movie this time.

    Yeah, "Silence of the Hams" is terrible, but as a film artifact, I find Balsam's appearance amazing. His physical appearance, too. He's a fair sight more elderly and frail in "Silence of the Hams" than he was in "Psycho," but he takes his staircase fall ("Again??!!") yet again with grace and humor. Intriguing: this was made by its star, Italian comedian Ezio Greggio, and Martin Balsam died in Italy about a year later. Balsam had appeared in many other Italian-made films. Was this film made in Italy?

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    Related interests

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    Bill Pullman, John Candy, Joan Rivers, Daphne Zuniga, and Lorene Yarnell Jansson in Spaceballs (1987)
    Parody
    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Even though the title of the movie spoofs The Silence of the Lambs (1991), almost the entire movie is a spoof of the movie Psycho (1960). Both films were inspired by Ed Gein.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Animal: The killer's name is Antonio and he hates his mother.

      Joe: Why?

      Dr. Animal: Maybe 'cause she's a pain in the ass! Did you ever think about that?

    • Connections
      Featured in All Hail the Hams! Breaking the Silence on a Comedy Classic (2020)
    • Soundtracks
      PUSH/PULL
      Written and Produced by Chris Many and Geoff Levin

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 13, 1994 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El silencio de los borregos
    • Filming locations
      • Hall of Justice - 211 W. Temple Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Silvio Berlusconi Communications
      • Thirtieth Century Wolf
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 21m(81 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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