Rebecca (1940)

Revisiting this (probably for the last time), I was wrong to suggest that the audio track on the Criterion blu-ray, which was mastered primarily by Chace Audio, is from a better source than the MGM blu-ray and the DVDs. It isn't -- it's just EQed heavily to accentuate the mids and low frequencies while attenuating the highs. Only one sequence sounds objectively better, which is what misled me before: the final two minutes of the film (the burning of Manderley), starting at 02:08:33.000, have been spliced in from another source. (And that source definitely isn't the Music and Effects track, which doesn't sound nearly as detailed.)

The sample on the Carlotta website I alluded to before has now been taken down. Investigating it more closely, it's clear now that this clip, which is of a scene with no dialogue (music only), actually uses the Music and Effects track rather than the final mix as its audio track -- which is why I noted it sounded better than the Criterion blu-ray. I was thrown off since it also sounds better than the M&E track on the Criterion blu-ray, which I hadn't realised is a lot more NRed than the M&E track on the (otherwise poor sounding) MGM blu-ray.

So to summarise: the old R2 Prism Leisure Corporation DVD presents the film's audio most naturally and remains the most detailed; the Criterion DVD is slightly rolled off compared to the Prism DVD; the MGM blu-ray has heavy noise reduction and is the worst overall; and the Criterion and Carlotta blu-rays sound ostensibly the same (differing only by the 'additional restoration' done by Criterion -- a stronger high-pass filter and some EQ), having moderate noise reduction and some heavy EQ. While the Criterion/Carlotta certainly sound less thin than the Prism DVD, the lows and mids really do sound overemphasised -- the film sounds bloated and diffuse and a lot less clear.

Note: The Prism DVD in the comparisons below had its final 2 minutes spliced in from the Carlotta blu-ray.

And the Music and Effects track:

Rebecca (1940)

Criterion blu-ray booklet:

The soundtrack was remastered from the original soundtrack negative at Chace by Deluxe in Burbank and restored by Disney Digital Studio Services. Additional restoration was performed by the Criterion Collection using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

The soundtrack was indeed newly transferred for the new restoration, and it sounds like a better analog source was used. Recall that the 2012 MGM blu-ray (and the 2008 MGM DVD) are heavily noise-reduced, and the older Prism Leisure Corp DVD presents that same source without any hiss reduction. But the new Chace track is clearly from a better source that sounds much less thin and tinny.

However, the additional restoration done by Criterion manages to make a significant portion of the Prism DVD sound better. Female dialogue in particular sounds muffled and closeted in the Criterion, whereas it's detailed and immediate (and unfortunately also thinner) in the Prism DVD.

Fortunately, Carlotta will be releasing the same 4K restoration as part of their upcoming Hitchcock box set, to be released in November. On that page is a clip of the restored Rebecca without any additional filtering and it sounds much better than the Criterion blu-ray.

Rebecca (1940)

That MGM blu-ray... woof.

The Prism DVD sounds slightly better than the Criterion DVD after being pitch-corrected. It's a pretty minor difference, but I would describe it simply as 'slightly less veiled'.

This information is provided with the Criterion DVD:

The soundtrack for Rebecca was restored and preserved from the original 35mm nitrate optical soundtrack negative, a 35mm acetate dupe negative, and a 35mm magnetic music and effects master. New 35mm magnetic analog masters and DA-88 digital masters were created utilizing Sonic Solutions noise reduction software.

The amount of noise reduction on the MGM blu-ray is extreme. Dialogue sounds like it's being spoken through a telephone.

But the experts say otherwise, so I clearly must be wrong.

Rebecca's original mono soundtrack is delivered via a lossless DTS-HD Master 2.0 track that bears little signs of age, other than a bit of expected boxiness in overall tonal quality. This is one of the best, if not the best, sounding Blu-rays in this current slate of Hitch releases, with nice detail shining through, including lots of great effects like the surging sea water in the first scene and then of course the crackling flames in the final sequence. Dialogue and Franz Waxman's evocative score (also available as an isolated track, with effects) sound crisp and clear, though lower frequencies are just slightly clipped at times. As was the case with Notorious, Rebecca shows few signs of the hiss that was quite audible on the Spellbound release. — Jeffrey Kauffman, blu-ray.com

The film is presented with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track along with optional English SDH subtitles. With a nice, full-bodied quality, the modest audio comes through wonderfully. Dialogue is crisp and clean throughout, forgoing the usual thinness that plagues many classic titles. The movie's dramatic score carries strong fidelity but can strain slightly in the highest frequencies. Effects work is nicely balanced without overpowering the other elements. Crashing waves become an important auditory motif and bring some marginal low end activity. Thankfully, I did not detect any notable crackles, pops, or background hissing. With this technically strong and artistically faithful mono mix, 'Rebecca' sounds exactly like it should. While there are inherent limitations to any track this old, the audio presentation is quite strong considering its age. — Steven Cohen, High-Def Digest

MGM (actually the Fox logo precedes the Blu-ray presentation - followed the film starting with the Selznick Studio 'white house') have given this lossless DTS-HD Master 2.0 stereo at 2025 kbps. It sounds very good. Franz Waxman's original score sounds wonderful via uncompressed... — Gary W. Tooze, DVDBeaver