Mad Max 1 fans owning the original VHS - we need YOU!

[Uncle Entity]

From a user at the blu-ray.com forum:

"Sorry to bring this up, but the australian mono is still messed up. The only thing that has been fixed is the missing line from Johnny the boy at the end. Otherwise this sounds very much as muffled as the 5.1 mix and all the other missing audio bits are still missing (Footsteps while running to jessie, dropped gun, falling against the car door after crawling back to the car , the flapping wings of the eagle, etc.)"

Do you confirm that those sounds were featured on the original film print and the original Aussie VHS as well?

Can someone check old vhs versions which contain the original aussie mono? Is there any chance that when someone created those surround sound tracks or u.s. dub, they added those sounds and in some way they ended up in the mono tracks also?

[Stamper]

The user is the same guy who did the comparison vid. He works in the industry behind the mixing boards and everything is says is 100% right, he never makes a mistake.

The new 4K disc indeed as the third crappy downmix in lossless instead the real mono.

You can find all the info you need on all the mono & remixes fiasco of this film here: https://forum.fanres.com/thread-2593.html

[Uncle Entity]

Thank you so much, Stamper.

Too bad. The picture quality is perfect and definitive.

[Uncle Entity]

Another user:

"I wouldn't be surprised if the old DVD might of been a "hybrid" mix of the original Aussie and the AIP dub. I did some comparisons between the two and both have unique sound effects (AIP removes, mixes low, or add effects such as ambiance). They're generally minor things but the scenes where Max is running to Jessie and Max limping himself back to his car are the biggest (there are also some seagull sounds when Max is sitting on the beach after the hospital in the AIP dub that aren't present on the Aussie). I can barely hear Max's footsteps in the Aussie mono and they sound different from the ones in the AIP dub (I assume the Aussie track might of been "on set" audio rather than Foley but the music just buries it). Plus, the Aussie mono on the Kino is much better sounding fidelity-wise compared to the 5.1 track (even if you fold-down the 5.1 mix to mono there would still be traces of that track's fake stereo effects).

Personally, I'm not too hung up about it because I feel those addition effects honestly kind of kill the tension of those moments."


BY THE WAY: THE SOUNDS ARE MISSING FROM THE ORIGINAL VHS/DVD ITALIAN MONO AUDIO TRACK AS WELL.

[Stamper]

The US dub always sounded different, but that's fine, as it's a different mix.

The problem since after the early Warner DVD is they sold us fake mono mixes which clearly have the 5.1 remix new sounds, so they aren't the original mixes.

Foreign dubs also would have variations of the levels of the foley and effects tracks, as they are unique mixes. But none of them have the changed gunshots sounds as they only appeared in 1999 when they did the remixes.

[Uncle Entity]

Okay, but how do we know now?
What's real and what's altered?

[Stamper]

Every original foreign dub is real (including the american from AIP).

The only problem is the 5.1 remix (both the US and Australian versions of it) is being used since it's inception, to release fake mono mixes as they are downmixes from it. Thus, the original australian mix, only available on the European Pal DVDs, is still not in existence on any HD release.

[Uncle Entity]

Every original foreign dub is real (including the american from AIP).

The only problem is the 5.1 remix (both the US and Australian versions of it) is being used since it's inception, to release fake mono mixes as they are downmixes from it. Thus, the original australian mix, only available on the European Pal DVDs, is still not in existence on any HD release.

Except for the 4K release, that features the real, "original" aussie mono audio, without the added effects.

[Uncle Entity]

Another guy on blu-ray.com forum:

"I don't know what's "original" and what's not, but it seems to me that the Australian mono on the 4K is the same track that was on the US DVD from MGM. It's missing the sound effects when Max is staggering back to his car and the bird effects during the subsequent dissolve. But it has Johnny's full "foot" line (which wasn't on the MGM Blu-ray's mono).

However, I think both Johnny's line and those sound effects were on the UK DVD from Warner."

[Uncle Entity]

Summing it up:

I checked my old, nineties VHS of "Mad Max 1", featuring the original mono audio track redubbed in Italian. As comparison.
Well, guys, the added effects of the DVDs are not there.


BOTTOM LINE:

1- The aussie mono track featured on the MAD MAX UHD disc is proper and legit, original, as it was conceived in 1977-1979.

2- The transfer of the movie is excellent and gorgeous on the MAD MAX UHD disc. No errors or flaws.

3- The "dropped frames" at the 5:04-5:05 mark is the way the movie always looked like since its inception (1979). So don't worry, the MAD MAX UHD disc is very faithful to the original presentation of the movie, the way it was edited by George Miller in 1977-1979.