Paramount to release THE CONFORMIST in MAR. Help!

[FilmFanSea]

Courtesy of a poster at HTF, there is hard evidence that Paramount is in the early stages of mastering Bernardo Bertolucci's 1970 masterwork, The Conformist, in a 4:3 Pan & Scan DVD release (the film was shot in an OAR of 1.66:1). This news comes from colorist Lou Levinson of Post Logic Studios (in the 1990's Levinson worked with the film's legendary cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, on the VHS transfer). Levinson is quoted in the most recent issue of Widescreen Review. The quote in question is available online for free, on page 126:

I may have to do some things on The Conformist today. After all these years, Paramount may actually get that out into the world. It's a 4:3 version which, of course, I'm a conscientious objector to, but I have no choice but to do it. That's just one of those things, where as much as things tend to be driven by accountants, you wish somebody could convince them that if you do a movie in its original composition, then it's cheaper. It takes a lot less time. No one has been able to sell that yet, because they are still convinced that none of this stuff sells unless it's filling the screen.

I am absolutely floored that Paramount would even think of cropping this masterpiece, which Michael Atkinson of the Village Voice wrote recently "may [represent] the apex of color cinematography."

I propose that we carpet-bomb Paramount with [polite but forceful] emails to get them to correct this awful mistake before it's too late. Here is the email for the head of PR at Paramount Home Entertainment (who wrote me just last week that the film wasn't on their production schedule):

Brenda_Ciccone@paramount.com

[Mr. Brink]

Paramount DVDs usually suck anyway. This is lame. I think that most people that will buy this movie will be the types that prefer OAR. Dumbfucks.

[Notoriousaurus]

Emailed. It is unexcuseable, even if it wasn't that wide to begin with.

[moviezzz]

Nothing to worry about folks. Paramount doesn't even have this title in the works, according to them.

Film archivist Robert Harris participated in that thread, saying it is a non story.

With Paramount releasing all of their films just about in OAR, this won't happen. Plus, the film shows all the time on TV letterboxed (just showed on TCM a month ago).

Settle down until an announcement.

[FilmFanSea]

Official Response from Paramount (which does indeed "have the title in the works"):

Hi Brian.

I did some digging in to this issue and have confirmed that the information is inaccurate. Paramount will be releasing The Conformist in its original aspect ratio. We're still in the early stages of the transfer so I don't have a street date confirmed or anything but we want to make sure this film is done right equally as much as all the fans do.

I'd appreciate if you could share this correction with the members of your forums.

Best.
Brenda

[emphasis added]

Thanks to everyone who sent emails.

P.S. to moviezzz: Lou Levinson is every bit as well respected in his field as Robert Harris is in his. The difference is that Mr. Levinson is an insider who is actually working on The Conformist, while Mr. Harris is merely speculating. That the original information came from Mr. Levinson--an insider with direct knowledge--is what made this an "issue" worthy of investigating.

BTW, Paramount's laserdisc of The Conformist was Pan & Scan, so it would hardly have been unprecedented.