Having heard it in it's entirety recently, I actually like the mono mix! It might even be what the Academy voters were listening to in 1978. And mono movies don't sound bad at all with the right equipment. I don't know about other home theater amps, but Yahama has a "five channel stereo" mode that can wrap a mono track around your head without any fake stereo effects.
And morgands1, let me add to the chorus of thanks for sharing that recording with us!