OpenRift412

I gave the mono track a listen, and honestly, I agree with Barbarian that the mono mix is definitely the best mix, and probably the definitive mix. Not only does it have all these extra sonic details that aren’t present in any other mix (at least afaik), but also the dialogue is SO much clearer, which was always something I’ve had a problem with since I was a little kid. Pretty much every other mix has a clarity issue, theatrical, VHS (haven’t listened to the laserdisc mix myself yet), any of the special editions, etc.

This also seems to be the case in other movies like The Terminator, where the mono mix is just better on a lot of fronts.

Lucas the Barbarian said:

I also think the 70mm mix is the best version sonically. In terms of content, though, I think the mono mix would be the definitive version - it’s the mix that had the most effort put into it since most theaters at the time were only equipped for mono, and that would be the mix most people would hear (kind of like how the Beatles put the most effort into the mono mixes of their albums for the same reason). Ben Burtt himself even considered it the definitive mix until SW came out on home video and the “inferior” stereo mix became the standard version…

Now that last part about Burtt considering it the definitive mix is particularly interesting. I always forget what the main differences between the mono and stereo versions usually are. I know the siren aboard the Tantive IV in the beginning is different, but that’s about it.

So I’m curious, which variation of the 1977 audio mix would you guys consider to be the definitive version? I’d imagine it would either be the 70mm six-track mix or the 35mm stereo mix. What do you guys think?

mumbles_ said:

There’s a 4K version of Zombie coming in May. https://www.kultcinema.ca/zombie-1979-4k-ultrahd-blu-ray/

I heard about that. I’m interested to see what that will look like.

Are there any preservations of The Evil Dead theatrical cut in HD? I know there were some digital alterations made to the film in the DVD and Blu-ray releases, and I’ve seen that there are some DVD quality preservations on here, but nothing in HD that I’ve seen.

Dek Rollins said:

OpenRift412 said:

ThrowMeTheWhip said:

OpenRift412 said:

Charles Threepio said:

As far as I can remember, this original theatrical mix is different than the one most of us are used to around the point where Dr. Menard shoots the zombie as it’s getting up, the end of the “shark vs. zombie” scene, and the zombie invasion of New York (the transition there happens after “…Manhattan. General Stein…” and the anchor’s scream sounds very different in the original theatrical mix).

Very interesting to hear. Who knew a movie with such a low budget would get so many changes post-release. Regrading and mixing’s one thing, but changes in voices and foley is just ridiculous.

Reminds me of when I saw the Evil Dead 4K restoration in theaters. It had an all new soundtrack and it felt far too grandiose for the original micro-budget film.

Ditto on the new Evil Dead score. Was much too much for the movie.

Film looked incredible, though.

Gotta get my hands on that 4K version. I do wonder if they’re still using the version that’s digitally tampered with to edit out one of the crew members showing in a one of those blink and you’ll miss it shots. That’s what I heard on IMDb anyway.

The 4K version still has the changes on the BD release with some exceptions. What comes to mind is that the lights in the background of the “they won’t let us leave” scene in front of the mangled bridge are no longer erased. I think Rob Tapert standing in the background of the bridge crossing shot is still erased, but the crewman’s reflection in the window inside the cabin is not erased anymore. The small lens flares in some shots are also no longer erased.

That’s so weird that they’d pick and choose which mistakes to keep and which to toss. It just sounds kind of silly and impractical.

ThrowMeTheWhip said:

OpenRift412 said:

Charles Threepio said:

As far as I can remember, this original theatrical mix is different than the one most of us are used to around the point where Dr. Menard shoots the zombie as it’s getting up, the end of the “shark vs. zombie” scene, and the zombie invasion of New York (the transition there happens after “…Manhattan. General Stein…” and the anchor’s scream sounds very different in the original theatrical mix).

Very interesting to hear. Who knew a movie with such a low budget would get so many changes post-release. Regrading and mixing’s one thing, but changes in voices and foley is just ridiculous.

Reminds me of when I saw the Evil Dead 4K restoration in theaters. It had an all new soundtrack and it felt far too grandiose for the original micro-budget film.

Ditto on the new Evil Dead score. Was much too much for the movie.

Film looked incredible, though.

Gotta get my hands on that 4K version. I do wonder if they’re still using the version that’s digitally tampered with to edit out one of the crew members showing in a one of those blink and you’ll miss it shots. That’s what I heard on IMDb anyway.

Charles Threepio said:

As far as I can remember, this original theatrical mix is different than the one most of us are used to around the point where Dr. Menard shoots the zombie as it’s getting up, the end of the “shark vs. zombie” scene, and the zombie invasion of New York (the transition there happens after “…Manhattan. General Stein…” and the anchor’s scream sounds very different in the original theatrical mix).

Very interesting to hear. Who knew a movie with such a low budget would get so many changes post-release. Regrading and mixing’s one thing, but changes in voices and foley is just ridiculous.

Reminds me of when I saw the Evil Dead 4K restoration in theaters. It had an all new soundtrack and it felt far too grandiose for the original micro-budget film.

Charles Threepio said:

I’ll actually release my first Halloween restorations next year.

Ah, I see. Well best of luck, and Godspeed.

Charles Threepio said:

Every Halloween, I hope to release some spooky fun restorations.

Oooh! That’s actually really cool! Do you have a record of all your previous Halloween restorations? Love to check that out.

Charles Threepio said:

I could try it for one of my Halloween releases.

Halloween releases?

The main reason I ask this is because there have been numerous rereleases of the film over the years, and each time, there’s always changes made to the opening logo and credits. Changes in font, changes in color, any kind of alteration you can think of. See these videos here for a brief understanding of what I’m talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST4I_r8BUCg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQ6Y6Qca60&t=566s

So to reiterate on my question, are there any existing efforts to preserve Zombie’s original titles, namely the US theatrical version?

I’ve never seen THX 1138. But knowing Lucas, I know that I have to see it the right way. You’re doing God’s work. Best of luck on your restoration. I hope to hear more updates on this soon.

Edit: is this being scanned in 4K, or just 1080p?

crissrudd4554 said:

Shoot this guy a message.

https://originaltrilogy.com/user/Colson/id/22811

He has the Criterion mono ripped and synced to the UHD release.

Thanks man, I just messaged him.

Can someone tell me where I can get this mono track? I’ve downloaded another one elsewhere but it seems to desyncronize from the the 5.1 track. Can I get some help?

I’ve been scouring the internet to find theatrical mono mixes of films I own. So far, I’ve found a little luck with The Terminator (still trying to properly sync it), but absolutely nothing with Halloween. Is there anywhere on here I could get a rip of the original mono audio of the film?