Dolby Digital 5.1 (English)

I am sure that many consumers have noticed the disturbing trend taking place in DVD land with regard to the same movie being released in multiple versions. This practice, commonly referred to in the industry as “multiple bites at the apple”, is a cheap way for studios to persuade consumers to buy movies that they already own over and over again, since each new release offers some sort of extra upgrade from the previous versions. Even those of us in the DVD community sometimes get burned on this type of thing, as ther... is not always a way to tell if we should purchase a product when it is new, or wait for a few years, in the hopes that a better version will come along. Adding to the frustration is the fact that on some occasions, versions are so different that consumers actually want to own multiple versions of a film. This is the case with the Lord of the Rings films, as the extended editions are quite different from their theatrical counterparts. Arguably, the upcoming Kill Bill releases will merit this kind of double purchasing as well.

Das Boot is also one of those films that has fallen victim to the practice of multiple releases. Originally, the film was released in a standard American theatrical version. It became such a hit with movie buffs, however, that an extended Director’s Cut was issued as well. Following this release, a separate Superbit edition of the Director’s Cut hit the shelves. All versions sold well, and the legend of Wolfgang Peterson’s epic film about a German submarine crew during World War II continued to grow. As more and more people saw this film, word started to circulate about the existence of a massive five-hour version of the film. Being a town that never misses a chance to make a buck, Hollywood listened to the ramblings, and in 2004, the complete epic was finally released on DVD.