Marketing to Curiosity

When music CDs first appeared on the consumer marketing scene ("What?!?" say the kids, "There was a time when CDs didn't exist?!?") I was probably not as impressed as true audiophiles. Sure, they sounded nice, but my favorite features were those of convenience. I could listen to the same song over and over without having to waste time rewinding or worry about wearing out the tape. There was only one side, and no needle to scratch the record.

DVDs. on the other hand, opened up a whole new world as far as I was concerned. The first DVD in my collection was Disney's Fantasia, and the clarity of the animation was amazing. VHS pictures just looked grainy, and VCRs were suddenly thunderously loud, winding tape from one sprocket to the other. Sound quality was as dramatically improved as the picture. And then there were all of the extra bits.

It's the extra bits that concern me today. Well, maybe not concern. Just got me thinking is all.

Being a child of the 80s, quite a few of my favorite movies are hitting their twentieth anniversary marks, which provides the studios the opportunity to dust them off and release new editions. It's the same movie I already own. I know it's the same movie. And yet, I succumb to the curiosity. I feel the need to find out what the few extra minutes in the Director's Cut really adds to the movie. I want to know what actors and directors have to say about the movie they have made. I want to see the outtakes and the parts that didn't make it for one reason or another.

Cats have nine lives. I end up with several copies of the same movie.