Highly regarded ‘Letters’

Beginning with “Mystic River” four years ago, Clint Eastwood has been on a critical roll. That 2003 film earned Academy Awards for stars Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, then Eastwood became the oldest filmmaker -- he was 74 at the time -- to win the best director Oscar for 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby.”

And last year saw the release of his spare, gut-wrenching war films, “Flags of Our Fathers,” which looks at what happened to the three survivors of the famed photo of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima, and the Japanese-language “Letters From Iwo Jima,” an examination of the Japanese side of the conflict on the Pacific Island.

Though “Flags” was a commercial disappointment, “Letters” received many critics groups’ accolades, as well as the Golden Globe for best foreign-language film. It was also honored with four Oscar nominations, including best picture and director, winning the Academy Award for best achievement in sound editing.

“Letters From Iwo Jima” (Warner, $35) makes its DVD debut today in a special two-disc set, while “Flags of Our Fathers” (Paramount, $35), which was released on DVD earlier this year with no extras, returns in a two-disc set. Though Eastwood has yet to do a DVD audio commentary, he’s very much present in the well-crafted, illuminating “behind-the-scenes” extras on “Letters” and “Flags.”

Also new

Peter O’Toole received his eighth Oscar nomination for best actor in the melancholy drama “Venus” (Miramax, $30), as an elderly actor with prostate cancer who falls in love with the free-spirited daughter (Jodie Whittaker) of his friend’s (Leslie Phillips) niece.

“The Third Man” (Criterion, $40): Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli and Trevor Howard headline this classic 1949 film noir set in post-World War II Vienna. Penned by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed, it features provocative performances, an unusual zither music score and Robert Krasker’s off-kilter atmospheric shots of nighttime Vienna.

This new two-disc set includes a new, restored high-definition digital transfer of the British version of the film; two thought-provoking commentary tracks -- one with director Steven Soderbergh and writer Tony Gilroy and the second with film historian Dana Polan -- a fascinating 2005 documentary, “Shadowing ‘The Third Man,’ ”; a 1968 episode from BBC’s “Omnibus” series featuring a rare interview with Greene; and an unusual 2000 Australian documentary “Who Was the Third Man?”

“Scarface” (Universal, $15): Howard Hawks’ seminal 1932 gangster film is far superior to the 1983 remake. It chronicles the rise and fall of Al Capone-esque gangster Tony Camonte (a gritty Paul Muni).

“No Man of Her Own” (Universal, $14): This standard 1932 melodrama is noteworthy because it marks the only on-screen teaming of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who were married from 1939 until her death in a plane crash in 1942.

“Straight Time” (Warner, $20): An unjustly neglected gem from 1978 starring Dustin Hoffman in an uncompromising turn as a seasoned criminal who is released from prison after six years, only to fall into a downward spiral sparked by his insensitive parole officer (M. Emmet Walsh). Extras include a better-than-average vintage featurette and illuminating commentary from director Ulu Grosbard and Hoffman, who spent nearly two years researching his part.

“Prince of the City” (Warner, $20): Sidney Lumet’s masterful epic drama never found an audience when it was released in 1981. Treat Williams stars as a young New York detective who goes undercover for federal investigators to put an end to police corruption.

susan.king@latimes.com