It's about 'bloody' time ! - Pass the mint sauce. (Silence Of The Lambs (DVD))

Member Name: NikkiAFox

Product:	Silence Of The Lambs (DVD)
Date:	08/08/01 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great transfer, Busting with extras, Classic Movie

Disadvantages: None

We have been made to wait far too long for the release of 'Silence of the Lambs' on DVD, but if the wait has led to this MGM release then it was worth every second.

Released here in a 2 disc - Special Edition to mark both the 10th Anniversary of the film and the imminent release of 'Hannibal'.

The Story for those who have been in suspended animation for the last 10 years.

The FBI use fresh but ambitious new recruit, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to interview the brilliant psychiatrist and infamous serial killer, Hannibal Lecter (played superbly by Anthony Hopkins).
The FBI need the insights of 'Hannibal the Cannibal' in order to track a current serial killer responsible for the grizzly murders of several women.
Deep in bowels of the maximum security asylum where Lecter is held, the 'good' doctor begins to play a psychological 'cat and mouse' game with Starling. Swapping insights into her own psyche for cryptic clues to the killers identity.
Things reach boiling point, when the Senators daughter goes missing and it is feared she is to be killers next victim....

For anybody who has never seen the film, first of all why not?. This has got to be one of the best thrillers ever!

Since its release in 91 it has been copied too many times to mention, but not one of these films even comes close.
Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster bring this film to life, and their scenes together are simply mesmerising. Add to this Thomas Harris's brilliant story, adapted very faithfully to the screen and Jonathan Demme's direction. Result - you have a classic - well worthy of the 5 Oscars bestowed upon it.

This is where MGM come in - a film of the calibre deserves a DVD that does it justice.
MGM have not let us down, picture quality is excellent and Dolby 5.1 soundtrack for you lucky people.

The Second disc - Contains all the extras.

Inside the Labyrint
h - A brand new documentary made for the DVD release, that runs for over an hour. Brand new interviews from all those involved with film (with the exception of Jodie Foster and Scott Glenn) cover all aspects of the movie. Casting, Scripting, Demme's direction, Special effects and critical acclaim are all discussed with some great insights into the production of the film.

Original Featurette - running around the 20 minutes mark, this is a behind the scenes feature. Not quite as polished but some good studio footage on show.

Deleted Scenes - is what it says on the box, what came as a nice surprise is that there are 21 deleted scenes included here. The quality and length vary andpicture quality is a very 'pre-production'
Some great scenes on offer and some bits that I'm sure the producers of 'Hannibal' wished had been left in the final film.
Some of the listed scenes are montages of odd lines and brief sections excised from the films key moments (The meetings between Lecter and Starling.) - But if like me you have seen the film too many times to count its always good to see something new. A Great section.

A nice addition was a few outtakes from the movie that demonstrates a point made in the documentary, that although it is a dark film it was a lot of fun to make.

Other features included are: the original movie trailer, TV spots (how did they ever get anybody in to see the film when they used such a cheesy voiceover.) and a trailer for the forthcoming 'Hannibal'.

There is also a stills gallery, which is nicely indexed.

The strangest addition to the package is the Anthony Hopkins phone message, destined for use on many mobile and answerphones across the country. A nice touch and just for a bit of fun!

The discs are nicely packaged with some nice artwork and collectors booklet.
The discs have some nice animated menus, I do like the CGI rotation of lecter's cell
included on the main film disc.

What more can I say a superb film - given the respect it deserves on DVD!!

GO NOW !! and buy it

Just as an additional note, for those who were just too impatient for this release and splashed out the cash for the US Criterion Collection edition. (I include myself in this list.) I would still strongly recommend acquiring a copy of the new MGM release for all the reasons given above. The picture and sound quality are much better for one main reason.
When it comes to the additional features the 2 different versions actually compliment themselves quite well. The new MGM version doesn't feature any of the commentaries included here. (I know may be a downside for some people who buy the new version.)
The same is true for the storyboards.

Even though there are 21 deleted scenes on the MGM release, they still don't include all the scenes on the criterion disc. Of those that are the same, I much preferred the criterion method of displaying these scenes as part of a flowing scene, rather than a montage of excerpts (The storage facility scenes are prime example.)

The Criterion version also included the excerpts from FBI crime files and the accounts and quotes from actual serial killers, which are very interesting if not a little disturbing. These are not included on the MGM package.

Just a bit of additional information - hope it helps.

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