Purists Upset With Format of ‘Last of the Mohicans’ : The decision by FoxVideo to go with a widescreen format irritates some buyers because it’s not in the letterbox form.

You’d think that purists would be satisfied that “The Last of the Mohicans,” which came out Wednesday on video, is available in widescreen only--meaning that the picture is rectangularly shaped, with thick black borders above and below. This way, it’s closer to its presentation on theater screens.

Most movies are released on cassette in a pan-and-scan version, with the original rectangular picture cropped and distorted to fit the squarish TV screen.

The decision by FoxVideo to go with a widescreen format doesn’t, however, satisfy Gary Reber, editor and publisher of Murrieta, Calif.-based Widescreen Review. “Mohicans,” he said, is in a wide-screen format, but not the wide-screen format--meaning the so-called letterbox format.

Letterbox (a term Reber hates) completely preserves the width-to-heighth ratio of the theatrical release. The format for “Mohicans” is a compromise, somewhere between pan-and-scan and letterbox, with the black bars smaller--and consequently less annoying--than they are in letterbox.

“Most people are uninformed or unaware and don’t know what they’re missing in standard home-video versions,” Reber said.

“What they’ve done is a half pan-and-scan, which to me is still an obscene distortion of the original,” Reber said. “It’s important for people to know they’re still missing something and that this compromise isn’t the answer.”

Though Reber would like FoxVideo to release “Mohicans” in letterbox form, the company fears that doing so might unsettle too many renters. Some would complain about too much blank space. Others might think something is wrong with their set or the tape. But most of all, those with small screens might have trouble seeing the picture in letterbox format.

Reber and his fellow purists undoubtedly won’t bother renting the video version. They’ll wait until April 7, when it comes out on laser disc--in letterbox form.

Swimsuit Video: The Sports Illustrated swimsuit publicity blitz is on--for both the magazine and the video.

Linked to Sports Illustrated’s incredibly popular swimsuit issue is HBO’s video “Sports Illustrated 1993 Swimsuit Video,” which is just out, priced at $13.

This is the third edition of the “making of” video. Though HBO doesn’t release sales figures, industry insiders indicate the ones in 1989 and 1992 did very well.

Every year the magazine generates the same controversy. Feminists berate the magazine as sexist leering at half-naked women. Many men, though, claim it’s just an innocent appreciation of the feminine form and the latest swimsuit fashions.

“There’s nothing heavier in the video than there is in the magazine,” insists David Kosse, HBO’s director of retail marketing, gamely trying to make a case for the video being, well, almost wholesome.

What’s in the video this time?

“Again you see these models as they were preparing to do the swimsuit issue,” Kosse explained. “You see them walking around and talking about what it’s like to be in the swimsuit issue.”

You also see some near-nudity. For those who love leering, there’s plenty to leer at.

Then Kosse raised his most convincing point.

“It’s available in K mart and Target stores,” he said, referring to the family-oriented discount chains, known to avoid videos that are too sexy. “It doesn’t get much more All-American and mainstream than that.”

New Releases

“Wind” (Col TriStar, no set price). This drama, surrounding the running of the America’s Cup race, offers spectacular boating scenes that make the mundane story and the overacting (Cliff Robertson is chief offender) almost bearable. Jennifer Grey and Matthew Mondine co-star.

“Laura” (FoxVideo, $20). Arguably one of the top five movies of the 1940s, both an intriguing mystery and an odd love story, it centers on a detective (Dana Andrews) trying to solve what seems to be a murder. Gene Tierney co-stars. Clifton Webb, as an acerbic columnist, matches Burt Lancaster’s celebrated performance in a similar role in “Sweet Smell of Success.” For anyone who appreciates old movies, this is a must-see.

“South Central” (Warner, $92). Writer-director Steve Anderson’s drama about a former L.A. gang member (Glenn Plummer) trying to keep his son out of the gangs is sincere but routine. John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood” covers somewhat similar material with much more sensitivity and impact.

“Sunset Grill” (New Line, $90). An alcoholic private eye (Peter Weller) grapples with murder and a beautiful woman (Lori Singer) in this badly acted, poorly written, highly sexed tale, set mostly in seamy Los Angeles.

Upcoming on Video

“Mr. Baseball” and “Candyman” (Wednesday); “Mr. Saturday Night,” “Pure Country” and “Captain Ron” (March 24); “Pinocchio” (March 26); “Under Siege” (March 31); “Consenting Adults” and “Husbands and Wives” (April 7); “Passenger 57,” “The Public Eye,” “Sarafina!” and “The Mighty Ducks” (April 14); “Night and the City” (April 21); “Trespass”(May 5).