Monty Python's Life Of Brian

[alexpeden2000]

Don't suppose anyone has this on LD and could capture the audio please? There are copies out there are quite expensive.

[spaceboy710]

I have the Criterion laserdisc if you still need this.

[alexpeden2000]

Yes please!

No rush though as I've got lots of others to get through

[uVSthem]

I synced up the bluray with the mono track from the Criterion DVD. Is the laserdisc better?

[alexpeden2000]

I synced up the bluray with the mono track from the Criterion DVD. Is the laserdisc better?

I'm not sure but I've got the LD in my queue to sync

[captainsolo]

It's Dolby Stereo. The Criteiron LD is the best sounding version I've found yet but I wondered if there had ever been a mono. On BD.com I had a great back and forth with another poster who shared this info:

"Life of Brian was originally mono, but I think CIC (original UK distributor) or Orion (US distributor) had the filmmakers do a rush job Dolby Stereo mix that was said to have had narrow mixing problems (similar to Superman's Dolby Stereo track). This mix was only heard during the very early premiere runs and abandoned by the general release (the US and 1980 UK posters don't mention Dolby Stereo at all). Most video releases should have the mono mix, while one of the Anchor Bay or Canadian CTHV DVDs had the early premiere Dolby Stereo mix (the latter also believed to have a 5.1 discrete version with a blank LFE channel). Criterion did a new 2.0 surround mix on the LD (which was also ported over to their 1999 DVD) made from the original D/M/E stems and the soundtrack.
When Sony got the rights, they did a totally new 5.1 mix from the master recording stems, but had the typical "whisper dialog, blaringly loud music/SFX" mixing that near field remixes tend to do. The 5.1 mix of Labryinth is a massive offender in this category."

Me: "That’s truly interesting and would explain a lot. The criterion 2.0 matrix stereo simply says from the magnetic stereo master and is sooo much better than the 5.1 remix though it still feels very mono in origin. I presumed it was the original Dolby Stereo mix all these years. Similarly Jabberwocky I always thought would be mono but is always presented in seemingly from a dolby stereo source or a 5.1 remix."

"It's possible the "magnetic stereo master" Criterion used was a Dolby Stereo mix Handmade created for one of the 1980s re-release versions. I did hear somewhere the element for the "original" Dolby Stereo mix was considered "unusable" (probably referring to the 1979 one with more narrow mixing) and the reason they did the 5.1 remix. But, if Handmade did the later DS mix and Sony weren't aware of it or couldn't get access to it, then it would also explain quite a lot.
Jabberwocky was definitely mono across the board in it's initial release and overseas versions. The producers and Sony did a new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix (made from the M/D/E stems and the OST) for a late-90s reissue version under Rainbow International Pictures and the DVD releases.
Curiously, the original mono was left off most BDs and all have the 5.1, though the recent French Carlotta Films release has the mono in addition."

So I'd really like to track down a good sounding older version with mono.