In terms of quality picture and sound...which of these three should I get for my collection? any suggestions. thanks

1.

2.

or

3. I believe this one is full-screen only-being release on 08/24/04

#1

I have #2 but I think #1 is supposed to be the best.

#1. Be like me

Lose the pastels

It's better like shampoo

Actually bareva, what you want is both #1 & #2. The Limited Edition has the Theatrical Version as disc 1 and the Director's Cut as disc 2. The TV was also released separately as an individual release. This is what it looks like:





But the DC included in the Limited Edition set had a pretty crappy transfer and failed to get the THX certification like the TV. So Anchor Bay went back and remastered it and released it as "The Restored Director's Cut" as part of its DiviMax series (#2 on your list). So if you're a true completist like me, you'll want to pick up the Limited Edition and replace disc 2 with the Restored Director's Cut, or else you'll need to buy both of the individual releases. If you only want one, it's a toss up between the DC and the TV - they're both really good - DC has some nice added scenes and TV has better overall pacing. There's really no excuse for that fullscreen version though.

That was my thought as well. I hated Manhunter, pure 80's cheese IMO, like a bad episode of Miami Vice.

But to get on topic, #1 is the best in reviews I've read (had a friend that wanted it for a b-day, read up to get her the best version).

If you want the theatrical cut, don't buy #1. The cut on that is *not* the theatrical cut, it's a bizarre amalgam (see the IMDb for details). They're releasing the theatrical cut later this year, but it will be in fullscreen (you're right). I believe there's a widescreen in Region 3 (Japan, specifically).

If you want picture quality, #2 beats the director's cut on #1 (which was from a tape or something), and has a great commentary track by Mann.

I agree, though, that the proper theatrical cut is slightly better than the director's cut, but there's not much difference between them.

#2 is by far the best. It's the version approved by director Michael Mann. BTW, Manhunter is anything but cheese.

If you're region-free, MGM's Region 2 Japanese DVD has the original theatrical cut with what looks like the Divimax transfer and a DTS track to boot. The only extra is the theatrical trailer, but it does have English subtitles which is more than I can say for any of the Anchor Bay releases. It's the DVD I always grab off the shelf when I wanna watch Manhunter.

The directors cut on 1# is from a video copy, Manns own personal one.

This was the same version shown at a Michael Mann weekend that was held at the National Theatre in London back in '95 just after Heat came out.

I remember Mann saying at the time this was the only version of the directors cut available, but I have only got 1# and have not sen any of the other versions.

I respectfully disagree on the cheese factor of Manhunter. True, its production design is a reflection of the year it was made, and may be hard to stomach for some, but the film itself is magnificently well crafted, and William Petersen's performance as Will Graham is worlds better than (usually brilliant but not this time) Ed Norton's phoned-in portrayal of the conflicted detective.

For me, it's more the score that brings it down. I think the movie is really good, but the score is *so* '80's that I can't quite love it as much as I want to.

There are a lot of significant differences between these DVD releases. Here are my reviews of the "Restored Director's Cut" and the Japanese R2 release (which is the only presentation of the true theatrical cut):

http://www.dvdfile.com/software/revi...hunter_dc.html

http://www.dvdfile.com/software/revi...manhunter.html

thanks, again. I've decided to get me the theatrical version. According to a reviewer on dvdfile-said "I think that on balance the best version of the movie remains the real original theatrical cut, which is as yet not available on DVD in the United States." -- True??

None! Those are all for people who collect DVDs. Not for fans.

All the Anchor Bay USA cuts are not the correct version that was released at cinemas. You can get the best version in the USA by importing it from Japan, Italy and France. It's released by MGM.

It was also available in the UK but it's now OOP. The recent versions in the UK are the rubbish USA versions.

The Anchor Bay version (Divimax (what a joke!)) with the inserted scenes (espcially the extened ending) are a complete joke. What a mess.

Never let a director return to a project once it is 'finished'.

I assume since MGM now own the rights in the USA they will be releasing what they have released in several countries ie the theatrical cut, and not some botched re-edited nonsense.

Manhunter site

Maybe, but the disc they're releasing is pan&scan only. Most likely they're just recycling the old VHS master.

How is MGM about releasing dualsiders with WS and FS on them these days? Are the odds good that Manhunter might get that treatment?

Bad news. I guess they don't want to invest in a title that's already flooded on the DVD market.

For those wanting the 'real' version and who don't fancy spending lots in Japan, it's on sale at www.amazon.fr for around $12.

You can use your Amazon.com sign in details of course and the checkout is exactly the same. No knowledge of French required.

It's an excellent disc (my favourite version and transfer).

You know how there are a lot of Korean R3 releases that are actually code free? Would there by any chance happen to be a good release of Manhunter in such form?

I really hate Micheal Manns experiments at reediting. They are just as bad as Lucas revisionism in terms of destroying an already quality work of art.

I can understand if their were some problems with the film,like good important scenes being deleted against his will by the studio. But Mann seems to go further than that and completely reedits various scenes differently(which have no new footage added!) & completely ruins the flow!

It is no surprise that the new 'directors cut' of Ali says "revised sequences and added scenes"...looks like something I will avoid given Manns penchent for confusing illogical pointless editing choices in these 'revisions'.



I hope he does'nt dare attempt to 'revise' HEAT!

Mann did prepare a longer cut of Heat for NBC to air as a two-part miniseries a few years back, but the network changed their minds at the last minute and re-cut the film themselves to run in a single 3-hour slot. They entirely disregarded the extra hour of footage the Mann had given them, and instead cut an additional 45 minutes or so out of the theatrical cut. Mann was furious about this, and demanded they remove his name from the film. The version that aired was credited to Alan Smithee.

That longer cut has never found its way into distribution.

For those whom didnt know--best price I could have found so far---at best buy for $5.99 here's the link if you're interested http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....6&type=product

***

That's not Manhunter. It's parts of the real Manhunter except it's had VHS quality additions and the editing (sound and vision) has been messed around with.

If it was 99c you'd be spending too much.

I was at Best Buy today and picked up the Divimax DC in the 5.99 ailse. I also saw that they had the AB 1-disc TC in the same section. After realizing I had seen all the bonus bits from the TC when I rented the DC some time back, I decided to go with the DC. I guess I'll see for myself if this edition is as bad as the DC from the LE was.

I, too, wince at directorial revisionism, but it's come to be expected from Mann. If I'm not mistaken, you can't even get the theatrical cut of Last of the Mohicans, can you?

CDE,

CS