A Lecter Appetizer

Anthony Hopkins won the 1991 best actor Oscar for his performance as the charming, brilliant and totally insane cannibal Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” This Friday, Hopkins returns as the nefarious man-eater in the sequel, “Hannibal.”

But “Silence” was not the first film to feature Lecter. Five years earlier, Scottish actor Brian Cox gave a riveting performance as the good doctor in Michael Mann’s underrated thriller, “Manhunter,” which was based on Thomas Harris’ novel “Red Dragon.”

Anchor Bay Entertainment has just released a limited-edition two-disc set of “Manhunter” ($40) that features the theatrical and director’s cuts.

The first disc includes a handsome wide-screen transfer of the theatrical version, plus two new featurettes: one with cinematographer Dante Spinotti, who talks about the unique look of the film, and the other focusing on interviews with the cast: Cox, William Petersen, Joan Allen and Tom Noonan.

Notably missing are any interviews with Mann, let alone a director’s commentary. And what is really strange is that in one of the mini-documentaries, Lecter’s name is spelled Lecktor.

The second disc features the director’s cut, which adds about three minutes of footage. However, the transfer is very blurry and muddy and is not up to the quality of the theatrical version.

Anchor Bay is also releasing the theatrical version on video ($10) in full frame. The director’s cut is also available on video in wide-screen ($15).

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Noted British cinematographer and director Jack Cardiff was recently announced as a recipient this year of an honorary Oscar. One of his greatest achievements as a cinematographer, “Black Narcissus,” (1947) has just made its DVD debut on Criterion ($30). Cardiff won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his gorgeous, evocative and sensuous Technicolor cinematography for this unusual British import, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Deborah Kerr, David Farrar and Flora Robson are among the stars of this drama about five Protestant missionary nuns who attempt to establish a school in the Himalayas.

The DVD features a sumptuous new digital transfer that was made with the participation of Cardiff, and audio commentary, recorded in 1988 for the laser disc version, with the late Powell and Martin Scorsese.

Cardiff is profiled in an interesting new video documentary, “Painting With Light,” directed by Craig McCall. Rounding out the disc are behind-the-scenes production stills and the trailer.

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In conjunction with Black History Month, Columbia TriStar is offering a two-disc special-edition DVD of the 1989 historical drama “Glory.”

Edward Zwick directed this poignant story of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the all-black unit that bravely served during the Civil War. It stars Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, in his Oscar-winning turn as a defiant slave.

Included on the first disc is a lovely wide-screen transfer of the film, for which veteran cinematographer Freddie Francis won the Oscar; commentary from Zwick; and a special picture-in-picture commentary track that features Zwick, Broderick and Freeman appearing on screen as they watch the film.

Zwick mentions that the film was shot on a very low budget--most of the actors took a pay cut to be in it--and the only reason they could afford the expansive battle scenes is because more than 1,000 Civil War re-enactors volunteered to be in the film for no pay.

The second disc includes theatrical trailers, cast and crew bios, an average behind-the-scenes documentary, an intriguing documentary narrated by Freeman about the history of the 54th Regiment and a new, inspiring documentary, “The Voices of Glory,” which features African American actors reading letters written by members of the regiment.

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Two Oscar-winning vintage flicks, “The Lost Weekend” and “Harvey,” are making their digital bows (Universal, $30 each).

Billy Wilder directed the 1945 “Lost Weekend,” which won Oscars for including best film, director and actor (Ray Milland). Based on Charles Jackson’s novel, the drama focuses on an alcoholic writer who hits the depths of despair during one weekend. The DVD includes a nice transfer of the film, plus production notes, trailer and bios.

“Harvey,” from 1950, is the delightful adaptation of Mary Chase’s Broadway hit comedy about a whimsical man whose best friend is an invisible rabbit. James Stewart received an Oscar nomination as the charming Elwood P. Dowd, and Josephine Hutchinson won best supporting actress for her hilarious turn as Elwood’s long-suffering sister.

The digital version includes a lovely transfer of the film, plus an introduction recorded by Stewart in 1990 for the video edition, the trailer, production notes and cast and crew bios.

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Criterion has also released another British import on DVD that is quite a bit different than the lush and literate “Black Narcissus.” “Fiend Without a Face,” from 1958, is a bizzaro horror flick about an aging scientist whose thoughts materialize into an army of invisible brain-shaped monsters who murder people by sucking out their brains and spinal cords.

The digital edition includes a new wide-screen transfer, a conversation with executive producer Richard Gordon and genre film writer Tom Weaver, an illustrated essay on British sci-fi horror films by Bruce Eder, photographs, trailers from vintage Gordon-produced chillers and a very funny sequence on how “Fiend Without a Face” was promoted in the United States.

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Acorn Media is offering the second set of episodes of the ‘70s British TV series “The Pallisers” ($80 on DVD and VHS). The four-volume set features nine parts of the 26-episode series based on Anthony Trollope’s novels about a powerful aristocratic dynasty during Queen Victoria’s reign. Susan Hampshire and Philip Latham star. To order, call (800) 474-2277.