<PAGE>
PUTNAM CAPITAL MANAGER VARIABLE LIFE
HARTFORD LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
SUPPLEMENT DATED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 TO THE PROSPECTUS DATED MAY 1, 1998
FOR PUTNAM CAPITAL MANAGER VARIABLE LIFE
The following should be inserted in the third paragraph of the first page of the
prospectus between "Putnam OTC & Emerging Growth Sub-Account--Shares of Class IA
of Putnam VT OTC & Emerging Growth Fund of the Putnam Variable Trust" and
"Putnam U.S. Government and High Quality Bond Sub-Account--Shares of Class IA of
Putnam VT U.S. Government and High Quality Bond Fund of the Putnam Variable
Trust":
Putnam Research Sub-Account--Shares of Class IA of Putnam VT Research Fund of
the Putnam Variable Trust
The third sentence of the first paragraph of the section entitled "The Separate
Account and the Funds" should be deleted and replaced with the following
language:
The Policies currently offer 21 sub-accounts ("Sub-Accounts"), each investing
exclusively in a Fund.
The following should be inserted in the second paragraph of the section entitled
"THE SEPARATE ACCOUNT AND THE FUNDS" between "Putnam VT OTC & Emerging Growth
Fund" and "Putnam U.S. Government and High Quality Bond":
Putnam VT Research Fund
The table under the section titled "Annual Fund Operating Expenses" and all
accompanying footnotes should be deleted and replaced with the following:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(as a percentage of net assets)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANAGEMENT OTHER
FEES EXPENSES (ABSENT TOTAL FUND
(ABSENT ANY FEE ANY EXPENSE OPERATING
WAIVERS) REIMBURSEMENT) EXPENSES (1)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Putnam VT Asia Pacific Growth Fund 0.80% 0.27% 1.07%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Diversified Income Fund 0.69% 0.11% 0.80%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT The George Putnam Fund of Boston (2) 0.65% 0.36% 1.01%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Global Asset Allocation Fund 0.66% 0.11% 0.77%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Global Growth Fund 0.60% 0.15% 0.75%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Growth and Income Fund 0.47% 0.04% 0.51%
<PAGE>
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Health Sciences Fund (2) 0.70% 0.34% 1.04%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT High Yield Fund 0.66% 0.06% 0.72%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT International Growth Fund (2) 0.80% 0.47% 1.27%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT International Growth and Income Fund 0.80% 0.32% 1.12%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT International New Opportunities Fund (2) 1.20% 0.68% 1.88%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Investors Fund (2) 0.65% 0.33% 0.98%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Money Market Fund 0.45% 0.09% 0.54%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT New Opportunities Fund 0.58% 0.05% 0.63%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT New Value Fund 0.70% 0.15% 0.85%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT OTC & Emerging Growth Fund (2) 0.70% 0.34% 1.04%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Research Fund (2) 0.65% 0.48% 1.13%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT U.S. Government and High Quality Bond Fund 0.61% 0.08% 0.69%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Utilities Growth and Income Fund 0.67% 0.07% 0.74%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Vista Fund 0.65% 0.22% 0.87%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Putnam VT Voyager Fund 0.54% 0.05% 0.59%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
(1) "Management Fees" generally represent the fees paid to the investment
adviser or its affiliate for investment and administrative services provided.
"Other Expenses" are expenses (other than "Management Fees") which are deducted
from the fund including legal, accounting and custodian fees. For a complete
description of the nature of the services provided in consideration of the
operating expenses deducted, please see the Trust prospectus.
(2) The "Management Fees" and "Other Expenses" shown in the table above do not
reflect an expense limitation. After an expense limitation, "Management Fees,"
"Other Expenses," and "Total Fund Operating Expenses" would have been:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TOTAL FUND OPERATING
MANAGEMENT FEES OTHER EXPENSES EXPENSES
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Putnam VT The George Putnam Fund of 0.49% 0.36% 0.85%
Boston*
Putnam VT Health Sciences Fund* 0.56% 0.34% 0.90%
Putnam VT International Growth Fund 0.73% 0.47% 1.20%
Putnam VT International New 0.92% 0.68% 1.60%
Opportunities Fund
Putnam VT Investors Fund* 0.52% 0.33% 0.85%
Putnam VT OTC & Emerging Growth 0.56% 0.34% 0.90%
Fund*
Putnam VT Research Fund* 0.37% 0.48% 0.85%
</TABLE>
*Estimated "Management Fees," "Other Expenses" and "Total Fund Operating
Expenses."
<PAGE>
The following paragraph should be inserted within the section entitled "The
Separate Account", in the subsection entitled "Funds" between the paragraphs
entitled "Putnam VT OTC & Emerging Growth Fund" and "Putnam VT U.S. Government
and High Quality Bond Fund":
PUTNAM VT RESEARCH FUND Seeks capital appreciation by investing primarily in
common stocks recommended by Putnam Investment Management, Inc., ("Putnam
Management"), as having the greatest potential for capital appreciation.
The second sentence of the second paragraph of the section entitled
"Distribution of the Policies" should be deleted and replaced with the following
language:
Both HESCO and HSD are affiliates of Hartford. Hartford's parent company
indirectly owns 100% of HSD and HESCO.
HV-
33-83656