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Manhunter (Restored Director's Cut...
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Manhunter (Restored Director's Cut...
Title: Manhunter:
Restored Director’s Cut: Divimax Series
Region: One
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Stars: William Petersen, Kim Griest,
Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina, Stephen Lang, and Tom Noonan
Writer: Michael Mann
Based On The Book "Red
Dragon" By Thomas Harris
Director: Michael Mann
Feature length: 124 minutes
Extras: Audio Commentary By Writer and
Director Michael Mann, Deleted and Alternate Scenes Still Gallery, Production
Still Gallery, Posters and Advertising Art Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Original
Screenplay On DVD-ROM
Languages: English Dolby Stereo Sound
Subtitles: English Closed Captions
Packaging: Amaray Keep Case
Chapter Stops: 30
Sound: Dolby Stereo Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 1986/DVD
Release: 2003
Home Video Distributor: Anchor Bay
Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
I remember watching "Manhunter"
over and over again while working as an Usher at the local movie theater where
the film was playing back in 1986. Based on the Thomas Harris novel "Red
Dragon," Michael Mann's "Manhunter" features excellent acting,
amazing cinematography, and the first on screen portrayal of the character of
“Hannibal Lecter” by Brian Cox, who did not earn an Oscar for the role as
Anthony Hopkins did in "The Silence Of The Lambs," but in many
readers’ eyes Cox captured the character in a way that seemed closer to how
they imagined he would be in the book.
Now with “Red Dragon” remade last
year with Anthony Hopkins reprising his signature role from both “The Silence
Of The Lambs” and “Hannibal”, Anchor Bay has once again released Michael
Mann's "Manhunter" to DVD under the dual banner of being a “Restored
Director’s Cut” and the first release of Anchor Bay’s “Divimax
Series,” which is supposed to be a state of the art high definition film
transfer process overseen by Michael Mann. While the picture quality is
definitely better than the “Director’s Cut” that was released back in 2001
as part of a limited edition 2-disc set, the picture quality does not hold a
candle to the THX certified 2001 DVD release dubbed as the film’s
“Theatrical Cut” despite missing a scene that gives the viewer a greater
understanding into killer’s background and Graham’s combination of empathy
and disgust for him. This scene is not included in this “Restored Director’s
Cut” either and to add insult to injury, Mann discusses the scene as if it
were included in the feature length commentary track. Presented in a widescreen
(2.35:1) aspect ratio enhanced for 16 by 9 televisions, this transfer is washed
out in appearance and much darker in tone with considerably more grain than the
THX certified version. The Dolby Stereo Soundtrack also does not hold a candle
to the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack that appeared on the 2001 THX
Certified DVD release too. English Closed Captions for the hearing impaired are
also encoded on to the dual layered DVD.
Among the bonus features on this new
release includes a feature length audio commentary with Writer and Director
Michael Mann that at times sounds like it was mixed from two different recording
sessions judging by the tonality of his voice, which changes back and forth
throughout the commentary as if here were speaking in two different rooms with
different acoustics. With the various cuts that exist of “Manhunter” that
have appeared since the 1986 theatrical release, Mann states that this is his
preferred version of the film, but he is not entirely comfortable with saying
that this is his “Director’s Cut” so go figure. Mann does not even mention
the other films that have followed including the second theatrical adaptation of
Thomas Harris’ “Red Dragon.” However that did not really upset me because
while I’d be interested in hearing what he thought about the other films, I am
more interested in listening to what he has to say about “Manhunter” and in
that respect the commentary delivers with Mann talking about the casting of
Dennis Farina, William Peterson, Brian Cox, and Tom Noonan as well as his own
inspiration and research that went into preparing the screenplay and the musical
choices in the film and more. He even admits to the seductive temptation of
having more “Lecter” in the film than what appears, but rightfully Mann is
smart enough to know that less is more. Overall while I do not see this DVD as a
replacement to the 2001 edition, for the commentary alone I think it is worth
checking out if you’re a big fan of the film and Michael Mann.
Other extra features include a gallery
of production stills and another gallery of shots from deleted scenes, which for
whatever the reason are not included on this or any other Anchor Bay
Entertainment DVD release of the film. There is also a poster and advertising
gallery with extensive one-sheet, periodical, home video, laserdisc and DVD
cover art and more from all around the world as well as a web address for the
website that provided the materials. The theatrical trailer (2:06) wraps up the
set top features and the original screenplay is available to DVD-ROM users as a
PDF file. The interactive menus are easy to navigate.
I wish I could say better things about
this DVD, but I can’t. I hope future “Divimax Series” Anchor Bay
Entertainment DVD releases look better than this too. “Manhunter: Restored
Director’s Cut: Divimax Series” is available at retailers on and offline
now.
© Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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Manhunter (Restored Director's Cut...