Harold and Maude gets a Paramount Presents Blu-ray

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The 1971 comedy Harold and Maude is officially coming to Blu-ray Disc as part of the Paramount Presents line on December 7th, via Paramount Home Entertainment. This will be Spine Number 29 in the Paramount Presents line.

The film, celebrating its 50th anniversary, directed by Hal Ashby, starred Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, Charles Tyner, Ellen Geer, Shari Summers, and Tom Skerritt. This movie has received a new 4K restoration, from a new 4K scan of the original negative. This is detailed below, in a quote from the studio’s press release.

” Originally released on December 20, 1971, HAROLD AND MAUDE celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and has been beautifully restored and remastered for this Limited-Edition release.  For the restoration, the original negative was scanned in 4K and careful color correction and cleanup were undertaken to pay homage to director of photography John Alonzo’s memorable work and honor the look of the film. In addition, the incredible soundtrack was completely remixed using recently discovered tracks to add clarity and depth.  “

The tech specs for the release have not yet been fully detailed, but you can for sure expect a 1080p HD video presentation (presumably in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio) with a remixed lossless sound mix (presumably in Mono). Expect an update on the tech specs soon. The release will come with a digital code (copy) of the film.

UPDATE: You can now find the Paramount Presents Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.

As usual with the Paramount Presents Blu-ray releases, this will come with a fold-out poster and tasteful packaging (pictured below).

The release will also include some new bonus materials which you can find listed below. It’s worth noting that Justin Beahm’s Reverend Entertainment worked on these.

  • Commentary with Larry Karaszewski and Cameron Crowe — NEW!
  • Yusuf/Cat Stevens on Harold and Maude NEW!
  • Theatrical Trailer #1
  • Theatrical Trailer #2

Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement for this upcoming release of the film.

 

 

PRESS RELEASE:

 

Director Hal Ashby’s Classic Coming-Of-Age Comedy Celebrates Its
50th Anniversary with a Newly Restored and Remastered Version on Blu-ray

 

Newest Addition to Paramount Presents Line Arrives December 7, 2021
with New Commentary and More

 

Directed by Hal Ashby and written by Colin Higgins, the critically acclaimed cult classic HAROLD AND MAUDE arrives on Blu-ray as part of the Paramount Presents line December 7, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Originally released on December 20, 1971, HAROLD AND MAUDE celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and has been beautifully restored and remastered for this Limited-Edition release.  For the restoration, the original negative was scanned in 4K and careful color correction and cleanup were undertaken to pay homage to director of photography John Alonzo’s memorable work and honor the look of the film. In addition, the incredible soundtrack was completely remixed using recently discovered tracks to add clarity and depth.

The Paramount Presents Blu-ray includes a new commentary with Larry Karaszewski (co-screenwriter, Ed Wood; co-screenwriter, Dolemite Is My Name) and Cameron Crowe (writer & director, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), as well as a look at the film featuring Yusuf/Cat Stevens, who composed and performed the songs for the movie.  The full list of bonus content follows:

  • Commentary with Larry Karaszewski and Cameron Crowe—NEW!
  • Yusuf/Cat Stevens on Harold and MaudeNEW!
  • Theatrical Trailer #1
  • Theatrical Trailer #2

In this essential cult-classic, Harold (Bud Cort) is a death-obsessed teen who falls for Maude (Oscar® winner* Ruth Gordon), a happy-go-lucky, eccentric 79-year-old. To a lilting Yusuf/Cat Stevens soundtrack, Maude teaches Harold a valuable lesson about making the most of his time on earth.

As with every title in the Paramount Presents line, HAROLD AND MAUDE is presented in collectible packaging featuring a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster and an interior spread with key movie moments.

About Paramount Presents

This collectible line spans celebrated classics to film-lover favorites, each from the studio’s renowned library.  Every Paramount Presents release features never-before-seen bonus content and exclusive collectible packaging.  Additional titles available in the Paramount Presents collection on Blu-ray include: Fatal AttractionKing CreoleTo Catch a ThiefFlashdanceDays of ThunderPretty In PinkAirplane!, Ghost, Roman Holiday, The Haunting, The Golden ChildTrading Places, The Court Jester, Love Story, Elizabethtown, The Greatest Show on Earth, Mommie Dearest, Last Train From Gun Hill, 48 HRS., Another 48 HRS., Almost Famous, A Place in the Sun, Nashville, Bugsy Malone, Breakdown, The SheikVanilla Sky, and Ragtime.

About Paramount Home Entertainment

Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.  PPC is a unit of ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands.  The PHE division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television Studios, Paramount Players, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles.  PHE additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

Paramount Presents: HAROLD AND MAUDE

Street Date:       December 7, 2021

U.S. Rating:        PG