long version

A fun thing with DVD films is that they may be longer. Many DVD editions contain material that was cut from the theatre version, be it self-censorship or cutting long-winded material.

I can stand over three and a half hours of Two Towers when I can pause for a pizza, another glass of wine or a bathroom visit.

At least three ways of including this extra material seem widespread:

• In Gladiator, the extra scenes are available on an extra disc, and have to be viewed outside of the running of the film.
• In The Lord of the Rings series, the extra scenes are included, while the theatre version is not available.
• The most flexible alternative is to let the viewer choose between long and short verison, as is the case in Die Hard.

What I find interesting is that when I have seen more material from the storyworld, it becomes integrated in my memory of the movie. When I recall Gladiator, I also recall Claudius' visit to the field hospital after the battle, a scene included in the bonus material on disc 2. It is a flashback to a position in story located outside of the main discourse.