'Almost Famous' Celebrates its Anniversary with Newly Remastered 4K Ultra Steelbook
The Cameron Crowe classic was a labor of love for a second time for the actor/director, as he took this pandemic as an opportunity to jam-pack A new limited release blu-ray of the film.
People often ask why true film fans still collect physical media, especially when it comes to Blu-rays. Granted, the most recent instance where I witnessed this particular question, the same inquisitive individual said Blu-rays were akin to Vinyl records. I can only assume they meant that they were archaic and outdated, but it may also be safe to assume they simply miss the point.
If you’ve never collected vinyl or even Blu-rays, there is something tangible to pulling it out of a massive collection; being the only one who can find the specific disc because you’re the one who organized it. There is something satisfying in knowing that if one of the half-dozen streaming services you subscribe to chooses to take the film out of their online catalogue, that you have a copy in your hand whenever you want. More importantly, a true collector has these physical media because of the myriad of behind-the-scene features, commentaries or cast interviews that you can’t get through the streaming service, and some you can’t find anywhere else.
Paramount Picture is celebrating the strangely-uneven 21st anniversary of Cameron Crowe’s ‘Almost Famous’ with a collector’s dream; a remastered 4K Ultra Blu-ray with enough bonus content to keep any collector watching for quite sometime. The film itself is a love letter to 70s era Rock, who some will call the ‘death rattle’ of Rock and Roll, and the irony of that is not lost on me, nor should it be lost on any collector. You could tell Crowe was a collector even before he poured out his biographical details of being a young rock reporter on the road into the screenplay. There are several scenes where Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Lester Bangs shuffles through that aforementioned large collection. The films’ breakout star Patrick Fugit, as the baby-faced, teenaged journalist William Miller, has another pivotal scene where caresses the collection his sister (a young Zooey Deschanel) leaves him. Having these works that move him literally at his finger tips is shown as a moment of pure joy. This film is not just a love-letter to classic rock, it is a love-letter to collecting the art that you love.
The restoration is absolutely stunning, which is interesting to note, as most 4K upgrades that I feel really deserve the treatment are visual epics; films that scream for the special effects to be cleaner. Almost Famous however, while a much more intimate film looks amazing, especially in the concert sequences following fictional band ‘Stillwater’. I felt for the first time I was really experiencing those sequences they way they were intended, like actually being on stage. Music is such a critical part of this film as well, that the upgraded sound quality is a must have for anyone who loves this film. If this were not enough for the casual collector, then look no further than the additional ‘bootleg cut’ of the film, giving a glimpse at integrated deleted scenes, with more music, more humor and a great cameo by Tenacious D’s Kyle Gas.
PRESS RELEASE:
Arriving July 13, 2021, Releases Include Both the Theatrical and Bootleg Cuts Along with Extensive New Bonus Content
Academy Award® winner* Cameron Crowe’s deeply personal and universally entertaining coming-of-age film ALMOST FAMOUS turns 21 in style, arriving for the first time on 4K Ultra HD in a limited-edition Steelbook, as well as in a new limited-edition Blu-ray in the Paramount Presents line on July 13, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment. In addition, UMe has compiled multiple iterations of the film’s Grammy® Award-winning soundtrack, including a limited-edition Uber Box set arriving July 9, 2021.
“We are extremely proud to revisit ALMOST FAMOUS with a very special bounty of goodness,” said Cameron Crowe. “For the first time, we’ve created a Deluxe Soundtrack that features nearly every song from the film, along with Nancy Wilson’s wonderfully evocative score. We’re also thrilled to finally preserve both versions of the film, along with a collection of rare new bonus features, on these beautiful new 4K and Blu-ray releases as part of Paramount Presents. Long live physical media!”
About the 4K Ultra HD
Meticulously remastered from a new 4K film transfer under the supervision of Crowe, ALMOST FAMOUS is presented in stunning 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision® and HDR-10 for ultra-vivid picture quality.** The limited-edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook includes both the original theatrical cut (plus access to a digital copy) and the beloved Bootleg cut (aka “Untitled”), along with new bonus content offering a backstage pass into the creative process through a new interview with Crowe, extended scenes, rock-school sessions, a look at the casting and costumes, and more. Previously released bonus content is also included as detailed below:
Filmmaker Focus—Cameron Crowe on Almost Famous—NEW!
Casting & Costumes—NEW!
Rock School—NEW!
Extended Scenes—NEW!
Odds & Sods—NEW!
Audio Commentary with Cameron Crowe and Friends (Bootleg cut)
Intro by Cameron Crowe
The Making of Almost Famous
Interview with Lester Bangs (optional audio intro by Cameron Crowe)
Cameron Crowe’s Top Albums of 1973
“Fever Dog” music video
“Loves Comes and Goes” (optional audio intro by Cameron Crowe)
Rolling Stone Articles (optional audio intro by Cameron Crowe)
B-Sides (optional audio intro by Cameron Crowe)
Cleveland Concert (optional audio intro by Cameron Crowe)
“Small Time Blues”
Stairway (optional audio intro by Cameron Crowe)
Script
Theatrical Trailer
Hidden Talent (Unhidden Easter Eggs)
About the Limited-Edition Blu-ray
ALMOST FAMOUS will also be available in a limited-edition Blu-ray Disc™ and is—fittingly—Volume #21 in the Paramount Presents line. With collectible packaging featuring a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster and an interior spread with key movie moments, the release includes the remastered versions of the theatrical cut for the first time on Blu-ray (plus access to a digital copy) and the Bootleg cut, along with the bonus content listed above.
About UMe’s Soundtrack Releases
To complement the 4K Ultra HD and Limited-Edition Blu-ray releases, UMe has compiled multiple iterations of the film’s Grammy® Award-winning soundtrack, augmented comprehensively in the limited-edition Uber Box set that encompasses an expanded soundtrack with five CDs, seven 180-gram black vinyl discs, and a brand new 7-inch for Stillwater’s “Fever Dog.” The expanded soundtrack includes songs from The Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Who, and Yes, plus all the songs created for the film’s fictional aspiring rock group Stillwater, most written for the movie by Cameron Crowe, Heart’s Nancy Wilson and Grammy Award-winning guitarist, Peter Frampton.
The Uber Box includes bonus items such as a 40-page photo book and memoir housed in a film-prop-replica of William Miller’s high-school notebook; the first-ever complete William Miller cover story on Stillwater as a 1973 Rolling Stone newsprint; two replica ticket stubs; and a Stillwater tour poster. Exclusively available only in the Uber Boxset is a Stillwater Cleveland concert poster and a backstage poster; six film-prop-replica backstage passes (some seen throughout the film); three film-prop-replica business cards for Dick Roswell (Stillwater road manager), Lester Bangs (Creem magazine), and Ben Fong-Torres (Rolling Stone magazine); and three photo prints of cast members. Along with the thirteen-disc Uber Deluxe box, Universal is issuing two six-LP editions—one on black vinyl, the other with colored vinyl discs; a five-CD Super Deluxe set including 102 tracks, 36 of them previously unreleased songs; a separate 12-inch vinyl EP with all 6 of Stillwater’s songs; a Record Store Day exclusive with the 7 original demos of the Stillwater songs, five performed by Wilson the other two by Frampton; a two-LP vinyl version of the original soundtrack album; a two-CD Deluxe Edition of the original soundtrack. Pre-order the ALMOST FAMOUS EXPANDED SOUNDTRACK now and listen to Stillwater’s Bonus Track “Love Comes And Goes” HERE.
Synopsis
ALMOST FAMOUS is the semi-autobiographical odyssey of 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit), whose writing talent and earnest passion for rock music earns him an assignment for Rolling Stone, interviewing and touring with Stillwater (Billy Crudup, Jason Lee). Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) is the young groupie who guides him through the wild world of rock heroes, all-night parties, and the most dangerous experience of all—love. The film won the Golden Globe® for Best Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical and the AFI Award for Movie of the Year and received dozens of additional nominations and awards.
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 Attraction, King Creole, To Catch a Thief, Flashdance, Days of Thunder, Pretty In Pink, Airplane!, Ghost, Roman Holiday, The Haunting, The Golden Child, Trading Places, The Court Jester, Love Story, Elizabethtown, The Greatest Show on Earth, Mommie Dearest, Last Train from Gun Hill, 48 HRS, and Another 48 HRS.
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.
ALMOST FAMOUS 4K Ultra HD
Release Date: July 13, 2021
Rating: R for language, drug content and brief nudity (theatrical cut)
Unrated (Bootleg Cut)