Desmond Llewelyn

This 5.1 mix is outstanding and all versions sound excellent. The Blu-ray HDMA is good but the DTS LaserDisc edges out over everything.

MGM 5.1 remix noticeably reduces elements of original mix

All versions since 2000 use MGM’s heavily bass filtered remix

The 5.1 track on the earlier THX LD/DVD and SE DVDs is not the same as the later remix, and appears to be more faithful the original mix (likely a simple upmix). The UE DVD remix has a lot more surround activity.

Better encoded than MGM Blu-ray

MGM's 7.1 track is a remix with a few flaws and much worse fidelity. Capelight's stereo and 7.1 track are both from the remix.

The movie was originally premiered as a roadshow release, with a a 70mm 6-Track Stereo mix. This mix, unfortunately has not been released on home video.

The closest thing to that mix, is the stereo track included on the 2010 Blu-ray. It sounds great, with high fidelity and little filtering. It's lossy, but that doesn't matter very much.

Both the DVD 5.1 and the Blu-ray 7.1 tracks (identical on both discs) are a new remix, rather than a repackaging of the original mix. The 7.1 track sounds quite muffled, though not evenly so. The Capelight Blu-ray's lossless stereo track uses the same remix, but with higher fidelity than the surround tracks, sounding significantly less muffled. Compared to the original, this remix sounds wider and more "cleaned up". The remix contains a handful of errors, for example the intermission cue fades out, rather than ending correctly.

Comparison samples

UK ITV Blu-ray > Australia Imprint Blu-ray which looks artificially sharpened see caps

All releases uses the old 2012 ITV 2K restoration, but from caps Criterion Blu-ray > UK ITV