The Movie
European World War II refugees sometimes needed to take a circuitous route away from the hostilities if they hoped to make their way to a better life in America. A key stop on that journey was Casablanca in French Morocco, a very colorful but rough place where life was cheap but the necessary travel documents proved quite dear.
It's the home of an enigmatic fellow named Rick (Humphrey Bogart) who runs a popular nightclub/casino. He's a cynical Yank who sticks his neck out for nobody these days, despite a heroic past. The corrupt French police and malevolent Nazis are enough of a challenge, but when a wanted freedom fighter and his wife (Ingrid Bergman)--coincidentally the love of Rick's life--suddenly show up in the club, everything becomes much more complicated.
Born of an unpublished play entitled Everybody Comes to Rick's, Casablanca does have an occasionally stagey feel on the one main set with all of the character entrances and exits. It is ever-so-slightly dated, unafraid for example to stop for a moment so we can all enjoy a catchy tune, but it also displays a remarkable briskness, without a trace of self-indulgence. The dialogue is some of the sharpest and most quotable we'll ever hear, and the end result is an inspiring treatise on love, sacrifice and courage.
The Picture
Although Casablanca had been previously released in an "Ultimate Collector's Edition" Blu-ray, Warner has since performed a new 4K-resolution restoration for this 70th anniversary re-release, for a stunning black-and-white presentation this time around. Fine background details pop as never before, while larger shots full of people and smoke show an alluring depth of focus. The movie is rife with heavy shadows, and the pillarboxed 1.37:1 image flaunts consistently luscious, organic blacks.
The picture is kissed by a welcome level of film grain, and varying extents of video noise appear but never anything especially problematic, not even the foggy airstrip at the conclusion. Only minimal edge enhancement is in evidence, the subtleties of focus are preserved, and the costumes look so crisp we can almost reach out and touch them.
The Sound
The soundtrack is presented in a true mono DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 configuration (all other languages as Dolby Digital 1.0), and the quality is clear and as full as we could possibly hope for from a single channel. One whispered scene is a little tricky to make out, even at my usually ample volume setting, but really Warner has done a fine job with this classic considering that there's no real width or directionality possible.
The Extras
The handsome boxed set is filled with plenty of previously released content as well as some new programs that celebrate the movie and its makers. Two audio commentaries are provided, one from Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert, the other by noted film historian Rudy Behlmer. The "Warner Night at the Movies" option conjures a special presentation wherein the movie is preceded by the trailer for Now, Voyager, a newsreel, a live-action short subject and three "Merrie Melodies" cartoons as we might have seen up on the big screen in 1942. There is also a two-minute on-camera introduction by actress and Bogart widow Lauren Bacall, who returns for Great Performances: Bacall on Bogart (83 minutes, in SD)
"Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of" (37 minutes) is a career retrospective populated with famous contemporary admirers, many of whom also weigh in on "Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic" (35 minutes, both in HD). Other segments (in SD) include "You Must Remember This: A Tribute to Casablanca" (35 minutes), "As Time Goes By: The Children Remember" with the offspring of the two stars (seven minutes), about two minutes of silent but nonetheless nifty deleted scenes, five minutes of vintage bits-and-pieces outtakes, and an excerpt from "Who Holds Tomorrow?," a cigarette-sponsored, Gig Young-hosted TV special. (18-and-a-half minutes). The 1995 parody cartoon "Carrotblanca" is also here, in standard definition but with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio (eight minutes).
Owing to the age of the movie, plenty of audio-only bonuses are provided as well, all in Dolby Digital 2.0. Fifteen minutes of alternate and unused music is assembled for our listening pleasure, in addition to both a radio adaptation of Casablanca and a behind-the-scenes radio program, half-an-hour each.
Disc Two, also a Blu-ray, is dedicated to special features. Richard Schickel's monumental 2009 You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story is here in its 289-minute entirety, in SD. Two more documentaries--The Brothers Warner (2008, 94 minutes, HD) and Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul (1993, 58 minutes, SD)--were produced by Cass Warner Sperling and Gregory Orr respectively, both members of the distinguished Warner clan.
Disc Three is a DVD of the movie, apparently mastered from the same new restoration, with the introduction, both commentaries and the "Michael Curtiz" and "Unlikely Classic" documentaries. Packed inside the large-format box are a hardcover Casablanca coffee table book, a reproduced French movie poster, and a box containing four heavy-duty themed drink coasters.
Final Thoughts
Damn, this is a good movie, and Warner has done right by it with the outstanding new 4K restoration and high-resolution audio, plus a menagerie of bonuses that only seems to grow with each passing year.
Product Details
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