It had an additional DVD full of extras. So I watched the film again and enjoyed watching it. Then I watched the film again with the director’s commentary running. While I enjoyed some of what he said, I also felt that he revealed too much and now I will be conscious of his words when I see the film again.

Then I watched the extra DVD and felt that it added nothing to the experience. I think too much knowledge about the process detracts from the viewing experience for the general public. Now I am sure than many find this stuff fascinating.

But I don't want to read 200 pages on how a writer came to write a novel. I don't want to read a book on how a paining was developed, don't want to see a stage presentation on how a play was put on.

The good news is I no longer get upset if I buy the early edition of a DVD without all the extras. I'm sure they have a place in the scholarly learning about filmmaking but I don't care.

I recently read an article that supported and firmed up my thinking on this subject. The basic supposition is that most Director Cuts are masturbatory exercises at best. And the reasons the films were cut in the first place still stand up. The example was Apocalypse Now Redux. That the extra scenes actually made it a slower more boring film. The article went on to say that they were glad that the DVDs existed but to always include a way to view it as originally exhibited theatrically.

My last item is that a DVD should just play automatically and not go to the menu first. Most DVD players have a menu button for that purpose. I find that when I load up a DVD in my laptop, it is very hard to navigate the menu.

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3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity.

What I would really like to see is the making of Albums (CD's)
It would be like an extended version of the old Album Liner Notes.(remember those) It would be a real kick to read a making of a CD book while listening to the actual music. It is a variation on the whole musical listening experience. The book, This Wheels On Fire (which is excellent) and tells the story of The Band, would have been great if it had come with a CD of music clips, outtakes, bootleg studio and live performances as described by the author, Levon Helm, The Drummer.
The DVD :The Last Waltz has really excellent extra material, but then again this is a concert movie. I was at this concert in 76' (Thanksgiving Day) and really enjoyed Marty Scorsses's and Robbie Robertsons comments about how the whole movie and concert came together. There was a who's who of cinematographers operating the 35mm camewras.There is also a 12 minute jam session outtake, not on the original video release. Maybe as DVD's mature, the production value of the "extra" footage will evolve for the better, but then again, back in 1980 I thought MTV would evolve into something significant !!!!

As far as Director's Cuts are concerned, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I'd prefer that the DVDs give one a choice of which version to watch.

As for Apocalypse Now Redux, that version was very well received by the critics. The added scenes in this case actually did add much to the film, especially the sequence at the French estate, although a later added sequence with the Playboy bunnies contributed nothing of consequence. What I didn't like about Redux was that I found the remixed digital sound to actually be less effective than the original 70mm mag split surround mix. This is most apparent during the opening when the "The End" (Doors) is playing. In the 70mm mag version, the Doors music completely surrounded you and it sounded better than on the original stereo recording of the album. My wife and I saw the original at the Ziegfeld in New York. Just before the movie began, she said, "I don't know if it's worth coming into the city just to come to this theatre." The music started and she turned to me and said, "it's worth it!"

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