Will new Godfather dvd include original mono this time???
 

Since no one seems to have answered my question on all the forums I raised this question regarding the remastered single release of The Godfather. Does anyone know for sure?

If it includes the terrible 5.1 mix only. I am not buying it. Really destroyed the film.

I haven't seen the movies before they were remastered. Why would mono be better?

Re: Will new Godfather dvd include original mono this time???
 

I would hardly call it "terrible". The mix is still mostly mono, despite the 5.1 encoding.

Well from what I have heard. The voices echo with reverb & sound like they're coming from a tin can. Meanwhile the mono sounded natural & full of atmosphere.

Various sequences which were powerful & quite effective in mono,now sound terrible in the remix & don't pack the punch.

Two sequences that suffer the worst from this are Sonnys first kill....& the hospital sequence,where you hear someone walking up the stairs as they attempt to hide.

Sonnys murder sequence used to have a rather loud raw atmospheric punch to it,where you hear a train coming by outside & gets louder,then he shoots the guy just as the outside noise is loudest,thus muffling out the gun shot. On the 5.1 & stereo mix,the outside noise is now very surpressed & low,then gun fire more obvious(& fake sounding),but now it lacks the punch of the original mix which was awsome.

The footsteps coming up the stairs at the hospital now looses the suspense & tension. Originally the footsteps have apretty realistic loud bassy vibe to them,as you could hear them start out low,then get louder as the person gets closer to the next floor. On the 5.1/stereo mix,the footsteps sound fake,like they may be rerecorded,they are to low & pack none of the suspense & tension as in the mono mix.

Those are only two of many scenes that suffer from this bad remix.

Mono was the original mix to answer the first repliers question & that is why mono can be better in some cases & this is one of them:)

...erm... Julie does have a point:

...the (mono) soundtrack for the original "The Godfather" was nominated for (but did not win) the Oscar...

...the soundtrack for "The Godfather Part II" was also in mono...

...only the soundtrack for the 70mm release of "The Godfather Part III" was in 6-track stereo (Dolby for the 35mm prints)...

. . . :o . . .

Exactly & even if it were not nominated. It would still be the better option on the dvd compared with the current mix:)

I avoided the Jaws dvd as well which sounded bad with all the newly recorded FX replacing the incredible original mix & taking away all the fun & excitement of it all in favor of speaker city fakiness over the power of the original mix.

I did get the SE laserdisc of that film & the original mono mix is excellent in everyway & kicks major ass. That mix DID win the award for best sound btw...shame it is not on the dvd:(


5.1 is only good on films originally made in 5.1.which is mostly for newer films & a few rare expections from the past.

Meanwhile whatever the original mix of older films be it mono or stereo. Those are the better mixes & should always be included on the dvd. Most of the time,the 5.1 is bad on these type of films. Only once in a rare while,do they actually mix them right & now destroy them. But more often than not,they suck out all the atmosphere & 'feel' of the original sound in favor of expanding it to more speakers & sucking the life out of them by makin them sound fake & unrealistic.

...hear hear !...

. . . :o . . .

Why don't you rent one of them, watch it and formulate an opinion of your own? You may be worrying about the soundtrack issue for no reason. I doubt Paramount will alter anything for the new release just as I doubt your boycott of it will bother them at all.

I'm not disagreeing that a mono track shouldn't have been included originally, but you should watch one of the films before you take someone else's word on the soundtrack. I just turned my tuner to "ALL SPEAKERS" and made my own mono version. ;)

Ummm I HAVE heard the soundtracks. In other words,from what I have heard while viewing the dvd + current tv showings which use the new track. It sounds terrible.

Sound is very important for a film & should never be butchured & altered just to please HT junkies who expect everything to be 5.1 whether you like it or not. Yet it seems many people are clueless to this issue & only care about having their speakers filled no matter what & yet still think of themselves are 'real true' film fans. Yet butchuring a soundmix is no better than cropping a picture to fill your screen. Both destroy(usually) the original films intent & quality in the process.

Would youl rather watch The Terminator with silencer gunfire(5.1) or LOUD BANG BANG original gunfire(mono)?

Not only should the original mono soundtrack be included, it should be encoded in full-blooded LPCM (no anemic Dolby Digital 1.0/2.0 crap). Can you imagine how gorgeous that would sound, particularly the score? Oh my...

And I agree with the above posters on the multichannel... while this is nowhere near as bad as the worst multichannel remixes, it does evince that hollow, echoey, processed sound, and particularly so (as usual) for dialog. Not the worst I've heard, not by a longshot, and not a bad try... but these movies, at least the first two, deserve the best.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the current track. For a film of this nature and age, I have no problem with it.

I am more curious about how much better (if any) the video will look like on the new release.

When and where have you heard the original mono mix?

DJ

...erm... when Miss Julie saw the movie in a cinema...?... (like I did, when it was "new" - ditto for The Godfather Part II...)

. . . :o . . .

From my experience with mono movie, the sound is comming only from the center channel!!! and I hate it...

I spent more than 4000$ on my HT and using only the center channel makes me angry!...

how can you make the mono track go in (at least) all the front speakers??

downmix stereo?

and the DTS track of Jaws is quite nice BTW (FMPOV)

How long ago did you hear this mono track in the theater?

...erm... if your question is addressed to me, it was 1972, respectively 1974 that I first saw the initial two Godfather movies in the theater, the first in Zurich, the second in London... why?

(signed) Old Croak Who Just Turned Seventy

. . . :o . . .

Oh, I just find it quite interesting how so many people "remember" precisely how a movie looked or sounded 30 years ago. I hear this quite often about various transfers, etc. I have a good memory - still young (31 yrs old) - and have been interested in movies for years. There is NO way I can be honest and tell you just how a +10-year-old movie I saw in the theater look or sounded and how it compares to a current DVD transfer.

Yeah, and since you have a color TV all b/w movies should be in color as well. :rolleyes:

No one is saying they shouldn't have the DD remix for those of you that have to use all or your speakers no matter how terrible it sounds, just that they add the mono track for those of us that want the movie to sound closer to the way it was in the theater.

I would love to have the original mono soundtrack included on the new release. I didn't think the DD remix was as bad as most of the fake DD 5.1 remixes I've heard, but I have to agree the original mono would have to sound better.

It should be a rule that movies original recorded in mono should be released with the mono track. Most DD 5.1 remixes of old mono movies I have heard are terrible. Ocassionaly some one puts a lot of effort as with Vertigo and the remix sounds great, but this is rarely the case.

Its one thing to make a remix with movies like 2001 or Godfather 3 that had a 6 track mix. However, those movies are few.

Well I did see a revival of the film(not the latest remastered release) with the original mono track. Also the pre-THX edition VHS & laserdisc included the original mono mix. I saw those quite a few times before they were abolished with the THX releases & now 5.1 dvd.

So I was pretty much aware of how the film was supposed to sound & how different in a bad way the remixed track does sound.


So just because the mono mix may not be available on dvd,does not mean there are no other options to hear it:)


As for those who are monophobic since your speakers are not 'filled'. I never really understood the fear of mono. It sounds incredible!!

Crimes of Passion SE from AB has one of the most impressive & agressive mono mixes I have ever heard on dvd. It was beautiful & heck I was unaware it was mono until I checked the box.

I also caught a revival of the origimal Friday the 13th back aroumd Halloween. This would be the second mono film I saw in theaters besides The Godfather & guess what? An amazing frightening fum experiance. The track was loud & creepy. No need for a 5.1,it sounds perfect as it is. Of course alot of people are 'hoping' for 5.1 on the upcoming SEs. The mono mixes better be included,accept no substitutes.

I think some people care more about the brand name rather than sound quality. 5.1 is 'hip' & cool sounding. Whereas mono in the HT world is 'boring'. It's like another form of J6P:)

I mean,you have people whining about no DTS,wanting everything 5.1,now 7.1 & so forth. Yet they don't seem to really care about the actual original sound quality. If you want 5.1 tracks that work out your system. Stick to Micheal Bay films & all current action films. Leave all the older films alone. They were not intended for 5.1!

It's pretty simple actually,yet people don't care about that obviouslly expect the select few who do appreciate original sound mixes.

J5.1P?

(Sound maniac who hangs out with widescreen snob, J16:9P)

"this issue is much ado about nothing for myself."

I've never seen the Godfather films, "so it's not 'that' big of a deal."

"Go get the old theatrical laserdisc is you want,or the vhs(not sure if a WS version was released)." Then you will have the original mix.

Other people don't seem to mind the remix. "Thus it's not too big a an issue."

Just kidding with you Julie, I agree the mono mix should be on the Godfather. Films should be preserved how they were originally made. It is very easy to put two soundtracks on a DVD, it is very easy to release a film OAR and it is very easy to put a theatrical cut on disk.

Not everyone will agree if certain changes are better or not. But we can agree that both version should be released on DVD so each of us can buy the film we like.

I'm in complete agreement with Julie Walker...

The point is, this goes far beyond THE GODFATHER. What needs to be understood is that older films released originally in mono need to LEFT ALONE. IMHO, "remixing" an original-mono film in 5.1, 7.1, or x.1 without including the original mono soundtrack is tantamount to butchering a 1.85 or 2.35 film to 1.33.

It is not about "film purists" or HT geeks, it is about how the movie should be presented correctly. So what if 5.1 didn't exist 30 years ago? We all loved movies then and we all got by with big fat MONO just fine!

You HT enthusiasts with the $4k audio setups can blast it up with the films made today which are always in 5.1. I agree that since the films of today have such complex soundtracks, that is ALSO how THEY should be heard. Mono just is not acceptable for LOTR:TT.

Peace.

Thanks for the constructive comments!…I was actually asking a question how to enjoy the mono tracks (with my J5.1P 4K geek’s HT system, I cannot call myself a J16:9P guy yet cos I just have a color TV), to help me see the positive facts!…

also, terminator 1 sounds terrific in 2.0 mono and terrible in 5.1, with all of its fake sounds and such

I agree that the original soundtrack should be included.
That´s the best of both worlds.
U get your remix and the original.