4K Blu-ray

Disney 4K Blu-ray has the original mono as the 2.0 track but only in lossy DD. Here’s a detailed analysis by a longtime fan of the film.

(Criterion/Second Sight Blu-ray. Up to preference)

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray > StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

4K Blu-ray is missing featurettes from the old Blu-ray

> International WB 4K Blu-ray see caps. While WB has better highlights, Criterion resolves grains better and is believed to have a more accurate color grading.

For Criterion 4K Blu-ray: The better resolution and the subtly adjusted grading paired with HDR makes for a more rounded, fine-tuned experience. The encoding is a leap forward from the Blu-ray as darker shots are no longer a macroblocking mess on the 4K.

Source:

• caps

• Chris's review

• nicolas review

2019 BFI Blu-ray is the older master but better encode + extra footage than Criterion Blu-ray

Italy CG Entertainment Blu-ray is 4K resto, but horrible colours.

2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook fixes duplicate shot seen on the previous Columbia Classics release and has better encoding

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray (caps; grade on the BD was controversial)

Later Warner Bros Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray are minor downgrades

> Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray (better encode on Carlotta without any low-pass filtering, more extras and English subtitles on Vinegar Syndrome)

Both the US Arrow 4K Blu-ray and UK Shameless 4K Blu-ray are better than the horrible grade of the France Le Chat Qui Fume which has blacks looking greenish and milky with some yellow push. However, comparing these two, there's significant tradeoffs; Arrow has less black crush and some shots seems to be better graded but it's worse in some shots with a slight magenta grade; the UK Shameless 4K Blu-ray has a better color grading.

UK Shameless 4K Blu-ray and US Arrow 4K Blu-ray have exclusive extras

The original mono mix has bad pitch and sound quality issues on the Shout! Factory Blu-ray and is terrible sounding. The LaserDisc PCM mono is very good but sounds a tad muffled in comparison to the MGM 2004 DVD mono at first listen. Yet the DVD mono has the volume of the entire track normalized so that effects and music remain at consistent levels which they don't in the LaserDisc mono-meaning that the jokes and gags hit harder in the LaserDisc mono because the mix varies as it was intended. It may be that the same source was used and then EQ'd and processed for the DVD boxset as all the mono mixes were messed around with. For example, when the hunchback disguise goes off with the explosions, the DVD mono has everything at a mostly consistent level. On the LaserDisc the effects build and fall off in loudness so the intensity is entirely different because they were mixed that way for comedic effect. Another is the piano smashing-on the DVD mono it's at the same level as the rest of the scene. On the LaserDisc it's loud and aggressively so which again makes the gag hit so much harder.
Again, the remixes are existing MGM ones and not good. The 5.1 remix on the Shout! Factory Blu-ray does not have pitch issues but the stereo remix does.

5.1 remix sounds good and likely came from original audio stems.

WB/Paramount Blu-ray has lossy restored mono