2020-12-06, 02:04 AM
(This post was last modified: 2020-12-06, 02:11 AM by SpaceBlackKnight.)
Several Australian films back in the day had distributors with little-to-no funding (or incentive) to do much with their product, other than getting titles out for theater/TV and video to stay afloat. Most distributors, film labs and storage facilities discarded original film and audio elements after making release prints and/or IPs for archival purposes. Some distributors made edits on certain films for a lower rating certificate (read ticket sales - moolah) directly on the negatives. In the case of another cult Aussie horror film Razorback, the OCN edits distributor Greater Union did were carried over to the IP and new prints made from it (though there were rumors of an uncut duplicate negative that was sent over to Toho-Towa for the subbed Japanese theatrical release). Some high profile directors and film funding groups did make efforts to preserve original elements or OCNs for future/export market purposes, but there were far few in-between that did and most had no money or very little left to even get the title out to theaters or overseas markets.
The AUS TV airing that someone posted clips from could be ether from an Aussie release print or IP/interneg element that Roadshow Films had in their possession, both or one of them very likely having mixing or footage differences from all the other copies out there. There was a rumor that Roadshow (producer and Australian distributor of Mad Max and it's later entries) shipped out the original film and audio elements for Mad Max, which included the OCN, to US distributor American International Pictures. AIP had gotten the complete Australian English mono stem (which MGM found when they had contracted Chace for the 5.1 re-release mix) and a M&E track for foreign dubbing purposes. AIP used the M&E track and parts of the Aussie mono track when they created their US dub and probably did other "touches" to it as well, which could also account for the mixing differences between the two.
It is known that most DVDs and BDs (even the Warner and Australian Roadshow ones) seem to utilize an IP from the US AIP version. Orion may have saved the OCN or discarded it when they made a dupe negative to create IPs and release prints off of, but the current 4k UHD transfer looks crisper than the MGM HD master used on the BDs. For one, the color timing here is probably untimed from the duped OCN, whereas the IP had a distinct color timing made for printing purposes.
When Warner obtained European and Asian distribution rights, AIP most likely shipped them an IP, both English tracks, and a M&E track for foreign dubs.
The AUS TV airing that someone posted clips from could be ether from an Aussie release print or IP/interneg element that Roadshow Films had in their possession, both or one of them very likely having mixing or footage differences from all the other copies out there. There was a rumor that Roadshow (producer and Australian distributor of Mad Max and it's later entries) shipped out the original film and audio elements for Mad Max, which included the OCN, to US distributor American International Pictures. AIP had gotten the complete Australian English mono stem (which MGM found when they had contracted Chace for the 5.1 re-release mix) and a M&E track for foreign dubbing purposes. AIP used the M&E track and parts of the Aussie mono track when they created their US dub and probably did other "touches" to it as well, which could also account for the mixing differences between the two.
It is known that most DVDs and BDs (even the Warner and Australian Roadshow ones) seem to utilize an IP from the US AIP version. Orion may have saved the OCN or discarded it when they made a dupe negative to create IPs and release prints off of, but the current 4k UHD transfer looks crisper than the MGM HD master used on the BDs. For one, the color timing here is probably untimed from the duped OCN, whereas the IP had a distinct color timing made for printing purposes.
When Warner obtained European and Asian distribution rights, AIP most likely shipped them an IP, both English tracks, and a M&E track for foreign dubs.
