Which is the best version of Manhunter on DVD?
 

I recently found that my old copy of Manhunter had disappeared and i am looking to get a new one. Which is the best version that has been released so far?

The OOP AB 2-disc LE has the most extras and includes both cuts of the film with a cool file folder insert.

What KillerCannabis said.

The Anchor Bay 2-disc set does not contain the true theatrical cut. It contains a bizarre hybrid workprint that's missing footage from the theatrical cut and incorporates other footage from the TV edit (aka the "Director's Cut").

The true theatrical cut (the best version of the movie) has only been released on DVD overseas.

Here are some reviews I wrote a million years ago:

Theatrical Cut

Director's Cut

The picture quality of the director's cut on the 2-disc LE is horrible. The 1-disc Divimax version is a lot better.

MGM Home Entertainment is releasing a new widescreen version of Manhunter next week.

This may be a separate release of the disc that was included in the The Hannibal Lecter Collection (released 1/2007.) I found only one review of that set which discussed the image quality of Manhunter and it's pretty positive.

http://www.dvdauthority.com/reviews.asp?ReviewID=5008

Thanks for pointing that out. I almost thought about buying the 2-disc LE myself, but will go for this one at some point (it should easily be under $10 since the SRP is only $14.98).

I'm a big fan of Manhunter, so here's what I've done to make an "ultimate" DVD collection as nearly all of the various releases have had some exclusive extra of value or previously unavailable version of the film:

Packaging: Anchor Bay LE set
- "Folder" insert
Disc 1: Hybrid theatrical-TV (director's) cut from Anchor Bay
- Inside Manhunter featurette (short, but good interviews w/ Allen, Peterson, Cox and Noonan
- Look of Manhunter featurette w/Dante Spinotti
Disc 2: Remastered Director's Cut (Anchor Bay)
- Commentary by Mann
Disc 3: Theatrical Cut (haven't picked this one up yet, but if this release will be the same as the disc from the Lector box set, I'll be on it in a flash).

If I had to choose, I'd probably pick the "Remastered Director's Cut" as my preferred version, but the three cuts I've listed each have their own strengths and weaknesses. The insert in the Anchor Bay LE set is fantastic (love that "Tooth Fairy" doodle) with a great essay on the depictions of Hannibal Lecktor/Lector character in Mann's and Demme's films.

It's called "Red Dragon".

We clearly do not have nearly the same taste in movies.

Brett Ratner. :yack:

I have 3 copies of the movie. The R2 Japanese true theatrical cut with DTS. The R1 AB LE with the wierd workprint non-theatrical version and crappy quality director's cut. The R1 AB Divimax director's cut. That pretty much covers all the bases for me. I don't care to enter the Red Dragon vs Manhunter debate. I like them both, but Manhunter has been a favorite of mine since its initial release. The style was pretty innovative at the time but now does not pose anything to current audiences that they haven't seen before. I appreciate that Red Dragon is a more faithful translation of the book. My biggest gripe about Manhunter was the ending which I thought made Will Graham look kind of foolish.

I have all 3 of those copies as well. I always put in the R2 Japanese disc when I wanna watch the movie, but I keep the other versions around for the extras.

I also have Red Dragon on HD-DVD.

Kudos to RevKarl! Somehow I totally missed the news about a stand-alone re-release of MANHUNTER. I've had my eye on that box set for awhile, as I knew it was the only way to get the true theatrical cut of the movie (my preferred version), but I didn't need a third copy of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS!

I'll be looking for reviews next week to confirm that it is the theatrical version and then ordering right away!

So, what the heck is this new Manhunter release?

http://www.amazon.com/Manhunter-Joan...9525202&sr=1-6

A Region 1 release of the true cinema cut would be nice, but I am more than happy with my Japanese MGM anamorphic DTS.

Interesting to learn of the new standalone mgm release. Since this is (I'm assuming) the true theatrical widescreen cut they included in their Hannibal Lecter Collection from earlier this year, I guess now it comes to which is better between that JP R2 disc and this new mgm for the true cut. I'll have to see a couple reviews of the mgm before making a call.

Edit: Didn't notice before the JP R2 is an Mgm release...so I assume picture quality could more or less be identical on the new R1? So I guess it's a question of if the R1 has the dts...

Does anybody have a review of the R1, or know if it includes dts?

So the Lector collection has the true cinema cut of Manhunter? Huh, didn't know that.
How does it compare the Japanese MGM (audio/video)?

I picked up a copy of the new re-release and i am happy enough with it. It doesn't come with any extras...but the movie is good enough to justify the DVD on its own.

Could you confirm tha this new release is indeed the original theatrical cut? Best way to know is if it includes this dialogue:

"As a child, my heart bleeds for him. Someone took a little boy and turned him into a monster. But as an adult... as an adult, he's irredeemable. He butchers whole families to fulfill some sick fantasy. As an adult, I think someone should blow the sick fuck out of his socks"

Where's Josh Z when we need him?

The version that was released yesterday is in fact the true theatrical version. It contains the line you quoted above. I can't see much difference between my R2 French version and the R1 version, perhaps the R1 is a tad sharper, but negligible.

Wow, really? Well, finally. I'm surprised this hasn't been talked about more around here.

That's great news about the release this week.

Can we back up a bit and discuss this set, then?:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...EL._AA240_.jpg

Which version is in this? It has Manhunter, Silence, and Hannibal in thinpaks.

Based on reviews I've read, it's the anamorphic theatrical cut in the Lecter box as well. It was finally released as a standalone this week.

Thanks for the confirmation! I'll add this my Fall DD 20% off sale pile.

Son of a gun... so this thing has been sitting around for 8 months now in a $20 set and I didn't even know about it?

Jeez. As someone else said, with the amount of attention this movie gets online, you'd think people would have made a bigger deal out of it. Thanks for the confirmation... I'll add this to the holiday want list.


Anyone out there compare the audio/video with the Japanese DTS disc?