[Released] Mad Max (1979) original color timing & mix

[marin888]

Same Color Plates on UHD as old releases but upgraded.

No sunny Aussie day. Maybe this look is actualy original?

But what about if there is.....  somewhere.....

35mm SCOPE, UK print, Agfa color

HDR2SDR by Potplayer

[Stamper]

Apparently the UHD mono mix is genuine. Also read the new 4K scan fixes most of the awful look of the original Blu-ray discs.

[spoRv]

Also read the new 4K scan fixes most of the awful look of the original Blu-ray discs.

Except color grading, perhaps?

[Stamper]

I confirm, the "original mono" from the 4K disc of Mad Max is the old domestic one from australia.

Plus: the 4K still does not look like the original film (although it's an improvement from the old Blu-ray disc).

So the original Pal DVD is still the way to go to see Mad Max with original international mono australian sound and colors.

SpoRv, you may want to use the 4K to refix the colors, it probably will be easier than from the old UHD web version.

[dvdmike]

What have you compared it to?

[Stamper]

Check out the other thread for more info.

Checking out the European Blu-ray disc:

- German dub has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Italian dub has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Spanish dub 1 has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Spanish dub 2 has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Portugal dub has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Tchek dub has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Hungary dub has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Polish dub has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)
- Russian dub has the "extra" sounds (same as Warner Europe DVD)

[captainsolo]

Everyone on the bd forum seems to believe it IS the original mono. Now I'm really confused.

[Stamper]

So am I. I mean every foreign dub out there is 100% having the foley of the Australian version found only on the Warner Europe DVD.

Every criticised version previously put out there were 100% sounding just like the 1999 remix with the same foley and missing stuff (being downmixes).

Now another mono version appears also corresponding to the 1999 remix foley, and this would be the genuine original?

On the Mad Max Forum, someone says the Italian VHS is also the same as the 4K UHD mix, but all we have is his word.

If true, I think there's probably proof that there is a lineage of 2 different mixes being in existence.

Probably the Australian version was badly mixed and is the version found on the 4K.

Also probably, every foreign dub was mixed from the american M&E track, resulting in better sound as it's the better version anyway.

Remember AIP were specialist in redoing soundtracks for every foreign film.

In any case, both versions are genuine. One being passable, the other the most widespread.

[NeonBible]

Also probably, every foreign dub was mixed from the american M&E track, resulting in better sound as it's the better version anyway.

Remember AIP were specialist in redoing soundtracks for every foreign film.

This might just be it though. The foreign dubs sound like the US mix which suggests the Australian track on the EU Warner DVD is derived from the same mix. So doesn't that suggest it is not the original?

I can't speak for the UHD mono because I haven't heard it. But I dug up my old 2001 R1 SE DVD and the mono on there matches the Aus '85 TV taping. So its not a downmix of the 5.1; the 5.1 is a remix of the mono (but for some reason messed up the Jonny ankle line).

[Stamper]

After sorting all this out, indeed, the 2001 SE is the original mono whereas the first Blu-ray is a downmix, you can hear it as there's some echo-y sound during some scenes, which only happens when tracks aren't lined up and then folded together (like fake surround, which is obtained by desync in the rears for the wide effect).

That's the problem when the remix appeared, it completely confused the mono mix history.

Thanks to Jonno I got the UK Warner Pal VHS and it features the mono found on the MGM DVD.
It sounds a bit muffled, but doing a comparison with headphones, they are clearly the same aussie mix!

This tape was released after years of people complaining that only the american dub was featured in all UK VHS.

So what does it means?

There are four possibilities:

1/ Somewhere along the line in the 90's, when they decided to remix the film, they grabbed a wrong, unfinished back up tape off the shelf, and it's the one that ended up being used for the 5.1 remix, that was then downmixed and passed as the old mono, producing endless confusion on release after release.

or

2/ Two different mono M&E tracks mixes were produced, one in Australia, one in America, which could be plausible as AIP always doctored the soundtracks of their foreign films releases. It would appear all the foreign dubs were produced using the AIP M&E track. You can hear this by listening to them on the Blu-ray discs.

or

3/ The original mono australian found on the Warner Europe DVD and all the foreign dubs on the Blu-ray and DVDs were doctored and reconformed from the AIP dub (ie composite mixes where the not speaking parts were all taken from the US dub and they just edited the dialogue parts in). But some of those have unique EQ that would be hard to be consistent all the way through if one made a composite hodge podge of tracks.

or

4/ Some countries mix their dub with the Aussie, like the italian, and when Mad Max is re-released after Mad Max 2 success, some countries remix their dubs using the AIP track. Maybe the Australian do it too and this would explain the existence of the alternate aussie/AIP hybrid found on the Warner VHS/DVD and the alternate italian earlier track on VHS as reported on the MadMaxForum, and the existence of the two alternate australian tv airings!

This need research by putting all mixes in a timeline, syncing all of them and making comparisons. This will take time! But I'm starting to gather all the necessary videos including TV airings from Australia.