I grew up watching the theatrical cut on VHS, which has always been my preferred version. However, there’s a few things that work better in the Blu-ray version, such as the removal of Hawkeye’s response to Duncan on the river. I do wish Mann would have included this scene:
It’s the only scene from the expanded cut I thought worked better than in the theatrical version. If this scene was present, the Blu-ray would contain an almost perfect version. Such a missed opportunity since the DDC should have combined the best of both from the previous cuts. Hopefully the theatrical version will get a remastered release with the original stereo soundtrack someday