press release

For Immediate Release

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HANNIBAL

Spectacular Two-Disc Special Edition DVD Boasts More Than Four Hours Of Exclusive Extras And A Shocking Alternate Ending

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Winner Of Five Academy Awards, Including Best Picture,
This Definitive Special Edition DVD Features A Brand New High Definition Transfer And Much More

SANTA MONICA, CA (May 29, 2001) -- The spine-chilling Dr. Hannibal Lecter returns in the highly anticipated $165 million ($332 million worldwide) blockbuster Hannibal, arriving to Special Edition DVD and for rental on VHS on August 21 from MGM Home Entertainment. Garnering the #1 R-rated box office opening of all time and directed by Academy Award¨ nominee Ridley Scott, Hannibal boasts spellbinding performances by Academy Award¨ winner Anthony Hopkins and Academy Award¨ nominee Julianne Moore. "An audacious success," (US Weekly), Hannibal also features chilling performances by Ray Liotta and Giancarlo Giannini. The spectacular two-disc Special Edition DVD features more than four hours of extras and will be available for $29.98.

Only the third film of all time to win the top five Academy Awards including Best Picture, The Silence Of The Lambs also arrives on Special Edition DVD on August 21 with a brand new 16x9 high definition transfer. Directed by Academy Award¨ winner Jonathan Demme, The Silence Of The Lambs stars Hopkins and Jodie Foster in their Academy Award¨-winning performances as Dr. Hannibal Lecter and FBI agent Clarice Starling. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, The Silence Of The Lambs features a stellar supporting cast, including Ted Levine and Scott Glenn. This definitive version of The Silence of the Lambs DVD features deleted scenes and never-before-seen outtakes and will be offered for $24.98 on widescreen and fullscreen formats.

Hannibal DVD Features:

  • 16X9 transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Digital Surround Sound
  • An alternate ending with optional director's commentary
  • More than 35 minutes of deleted and extended scenes all with optional director commentary
  • A feature length audio commentary by director Ridley Scott
  • "Breaking The Silence: The Making of Hannibal," five unique making-of featurettes, including:
    - Development - an examination of Hannibal's rise to the big screen
    - Production - an exploration of key scenes from the film
    - Special make-up effects - a look behind the magic of special effects
    - Music - a rare look at the scoring of Hannibal by Academy Award¨-winner Hans Zimmer
    - Reaction - a behind-the-scenes look at the movie's premieres and audience reaction to this ground-breaking hit
  • "Anatomy of a Shoot-Out," an uncut five camera multi-angle breakdown of "The Fish Market" action scene
  • "Ridleygrams," a multi-angle featurette on the art of storyboarding including an exclusive interview with Ridley Scott
  • A multi-angle exploration of the opening title design with optional commentary
  • A gallery that includes never-before-seen materials including trailers, TV spots, rare production stills and posters

The Silence Of The Lambs DVD Features:

  • A brand new 16X9 high definition transfer and 5.1 stereo surround sound
  • Nearly 20 minutes of deleted scenes
  • "Inside the Labyrinth," a documentary featuring brand new interviews with Anthony Hopkins and production cast and crew, an archival interview with Jodie Foster, and behind-the-scenes photos
  • A never-before-seen outtakes reel
  • Original 1991 "Making-Of" featurette
  • A photo gallery containing 123 photos
  • Seven television commercials
  • A phone message by Hopkins
  • Theatrical trailers

Marketing Campaign

MGM Home Entertainment will support the release of Hannibal and The Silence Of The Lambs with an $8 million marketing campaign generating over one billion consumer impressions. The campaign will feature television spots on network primetime, late night, syndication, cable and spot TV with spots on "Law & Order," "Dark Angel," "The X-Files," "Saturday Night Live," among others. The campaign will also include national print advertising in publications such as Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, Rolling Stone, Maxim, FHM, Movieline and Stuff, online media buys and promotions, and radio buys and promotions in the top 30 markets. Additionally, Hannibal will be cross-trailered on The Silence Of The Lambs and other major MGM releases.

Hannibal Synopsis

The silence has been broken! Anthony Hopkins is "perverse perfection" (Rolling Stone) in his return as Dr. Hannibal Lecter - the role that won him an Oscar¨ for Best Actor - 1991. An "audacious" (US Weekly) and "thrilling" (Time) follow-up to The Silence Of The Lambs, Hannibal pits the cultivated killer against FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) in a high-stakes game that will test her strength, cunningÉand allegiances. Drenched in terror, suspense and shocking visual effects, Hannibal is "as compelling a film as you will ever see" (Joel Siegel, "Good Morning America").

The Silence Of The Lambs Synopsis

Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster deliver knockout Oscar¨-winning performances in this "shockingly powerful thriller" (New York Magazine). "Stunning" (Los Angeles Times) and "spellbinding" (The Hollywood Reporter), this terrifying masterpiece garnered five Academy Awards¨, including Best Director and Best Picture.

A psychopath nicknamed Buffalo Bill is kidnapping and murdering young women across the Midwest. Believing it takes one to know one, the FBI sends agent Clarice Starling (Foster) to interview a demented prisoner who may provide psychological insight and clues to the killer's actions. The prisoner is psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), a brilliant, murderous cannibal who will only help Starling if she will feed his morbid curiosity with details about her own complicated life. This twisted relationship not only forces Starling to confront her psychological demons, but brings her face-to-face with a demented, heinous killer, an incarnation of evil so powerful that she may not have the courage or strength to stop him.

MGM Home Entertainment controls the home video and DVD rights to the largest modern library of filmed entertainment in the world. The Company manages worldwide home video and DVD distribution rights to United Artists and current Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical releases, as well as titles from Orion, Goldwyn, and PolyGram libraries, totaling more than 4,000 films. For more information about MGM Home Entertainment, its products, and services, access MGM online at http://www.mgmhomevideo.com.

Hannibal

Prices: $29.98 (Special Edition DVD)
Street Date: 8/21/01
Pre-order Date: 7/10/01 (DVD)
Running Time: 131 minutes
Catalog Number: 1002321 (Special Edition DVD)
Rating: Rated R for strong gruesome violence, some nudity and language
Screen Format: 16X9 Widescreen (1.85:1) - DVD; VHS is pan and scan
Languages: English (DTS and 5.1), French and Spanish (5.1)
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish
Closed Captioned

The Silence Of The Lambs

Prices: $24.98 (Special Edition DVD)
Street Date: 8/21/01
Pre-order Date: 7/10/01
Running Time: 118 minutes
Catalog Number: 1002331 (Special Edition DVD - Widescreen), 1002335 (Special Edition DVD - Pan & Scan)
Rating: R
Screen Formats: 16X9 Widescreen (1.85:1)
Standard
Languages: English (5.1), French (Stereo); Spanish (Mono)
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
Closed Captioned

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