The Griff, thanks for the info on the EFNY HDTV version, will check it out. The original Dolby Stereo mix should apparently be available on the Blu-ray according to someone who posted about it here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/309515/5-1-remix-soundtracks-on-films-first-released-on-older-media-in-stereo

"On a sidenote, I recently picked up ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK on Bluray, and was pleased to find out the 2.0 track was the original Dolby Stereo mix and not a simple downmix of the new 5.1 track. (Lazy downmixes are sadly not a rare thing, vs being a truely separate mix) The original mix retains the original sound effects and occasional directional dialog."

Both the Optimum (UK) and MGM (Fox) release includes an additional Dolby 2.0 track, hmm...