Herb Kane
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Casablanca: 2 Disc Special Edition
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1943
Rated: PG
Film Length: 102 Mins.
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: DD Mono
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
The Feature:
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the release of Casablanca, Warner Brothers has released a 2-disc Special Edition set of one the best motion pictures ever made. Arguably, “the” best. Although the AFI puts it at #2, my vote would have it in top spot. This is one of my favorite movies starring perhaps, my favorite actor of the era; Humphrey Bogart. To say that I am excited to start off my Warner reviews with this movie in particular, would be an understatement. In fact, I’d say it’s almost intimidating.
Warner has given us a beautiful 2 disc set with gorgeous cover art (similar to the many SE’s they have already released). On disc one is the feature sporting an all new digital transfer and two commentaries featuring critic Roger Ebert and historian Rudy Behlmer. The disc is introduced by Lauren Bacall. The second disc hosts the bonus material which I’ll get into further into the review.
For those not familiar with the movie (and I can’t imagine there are many…), the movie starts with a short geography lesson explaining Morocco’s geographical importance during the Second World War. During that time, Casablanca was seen as a refuge for many of the local (and not so local) miscreants to plot and scheme. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is the owner of Rick’s Café who seems to have all the right connections, and is a sucker for the underdog. After a couple of Germans are killed and robbed of some important travel papers, it’s almost common knowledge that Rick would be the one to see for anyone wanting to escape the clutches of the Third Reich. Everything becomes very complicated when Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) shows up needing papers to escape to freedom in America. There’s just one problem. The lady who has accompanied him, his wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), was once in love with Rick. Rick is forced to decide whether or not to allow his ex-love to leave with her husband to the freedom that awaits them in America, or to save himself.
Audio:
Generally, I find movies of this era rather easy to differentiate in terms of audio quality and this is no exception. I was concerned (to say the least) when I first popped in the disc as the menu contained a great deal of hiss. The DD mono track during the film however, is very solid. During the movie, there was no hiss whatsoever. I found some of the gunshots and plane scenes to be almost dynamic in nature. In particular, the scene where Rick and Capt. Renault (Claude Rains) are sitting on a patio and a plane takes off just over their seating area. It sounds quite full and robust. Dialogue is exceptionally clear. Something else I find with many of the older films, is the lack of consistency where the audio (or video) changes part way through the movie. This was not the case. The audio is very pleasing from start to finish.
Video:
This is where the disc really shows off. I really had no idea what to expect in terms of the new transfer and the previous version. The version I had was the MGM release from 1998. I don’t know if the transfer from the MGM version or the last WB version is the same, but when compared to this new set, there was a difference of day and night. I found the scene in chapter 3 to be the most revealing where the plane is landing. The amount of grain in the sky is almost unbearable. The new version is beautiful. I found the new transfer to be very film like with an almost 3-D like appearance, especially for many of the outdoor scenes. The image is very sharp and detailed. Contrast is excellent with great black levels. I could not detect any dirt, video noise and the shadow detail was exceptional. Having said all of that, I did detect a slight (and I mean very slight) amount of grain. I don’t think the amount of grain could be any less noticeable and I suspect the only reason I am seeing it is the fact I am projecting on a 96” screen. Let me emphasize, this is not a grainy transfer and I was extremely satisfied. It is simply not as “digital looking” (which, obviously, isn’t necessarily a good thing) as a few of the recent releases i.e. Sunset Boulevard. I believe this will look outstanding on an average size RPTV.
Special Features:
The folks at Warner have pulled out all the stops on the special features on this set. There is an amazing amount of special features and extras. On disc one, along with the feature, included are the following supplements:
-Commentaries by film critic Roger Ebert and film historian Rudy Behlmer
-A Cast Worth Remembering. An interesting set of notes on the various cast members and other projects they worked on.
-Other Legendary Titles Available from Warner Brothers
-Cast & Crew
-Awards
-Theatrical Trailer
-Re-Release Theatrical Trailer 1992
On disc two, the following supplements can be found:
-The Children Remember
-Additional Scenes
-Outtakes
-Scoring Stage Sessions
-Bacall on Bogart
-You Must Remember This: A Tribute To Casablanca (narrated by Lauren Bacall)
-Languages
-Screen Guild Theater
-Radio Show – 1943
-Television Adaptation 1955; Who Holds Tomorrow
-Carrotblanca (Warner Brother animated short)
-Production Research
Final Thoughts:
This is truly an exceptional set. It’s amazing how this format keeps progressing since I was basically satisfied with my current version…. that is, until I popped this one in. This is a must buy for any film buff or any library. Highly Recommended!
Release Date: August 5th, 2003