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Casablanca
R4 - Australia - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (17th January 2005). |
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The Film
 "Casablanca" is a story set during World War II, although the backdrop for this film takes place at Cafe American. Run by an American ex-patriot Rick (Humphrey Bogart). During this troubled time many people have been fleeing Europe, most notable France and making their way through Casablanca en-route to the United States. But in order to do that they must attain an exit visa, which in Casablanca is no easy feat, when two Nazi's are killed and the documents they carry were stolen by Guillermo Ugarte (Peter Lorre) a regular at Rick's cafe, in order to keep the documents safe so that he can eventually sell them he asks Rick for a favour to hide them. Rick not the one to do any favours for anyone reluctantly accepts as Ugarte is arrested for the killing of the Nazi soldiers. The Chief of Police Captain Renault (Claude Rains), knowing that Rick's cafe is a hotbed of activity tells Rick that a major resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) is currently in Casablanca and is looking for an exit visa quickly, however under orders by the Nazi Renault is ordered to keep Laszlo in Casablanca. Laszlo eventually shows up at Rick's cafe looking for Ugarte to buy an exit visa, the documents he stole from the Nazis, only to find out he was arrested and that he is stuck in Casablanca. Unfortunately for Rick Laszlo brings with him someone from his past, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) whom Rick shared a romantic interlude with in Paris years earlier that left him heartbroken, having learned that Rick is in possession of the visas and refusing to sell them, we find that Rick and Ilsa have a lot of old memories that need to be mended, all while the Nazi's are after her current love Laszlo. Roger Ebert explains in his DVD commentary for this film that to most people film history starts with "Star Wars". But, he says, even if you're not a cinephile, even if you hate black and white movies, you will still love "Casablanca". He is absolutely right. Great films are a rarity, especially in the factory system of Hollywood. It takes synchronicity between storytelling, direction, casting and even historic events to make a truly great film. The "Casablanca" double DVD is dedicated to the preciousness of movie greatness. Consider all the things that could go wrong: the fact that Warner Brothers announced Ronald Reagan in the part of Rick, or that not a single actor knew what was really going on with the story. Bergman couldn't wait to get off Casablanca's set so she could work on a real film, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", with Gary Cooper. Consider if "Casablanca" had been under the helm of a less technically accomplished and restrained director than Michael Curtiz, and the end, more than any other film "Casablanca" is made by the end. When Bogart, who sticks his neck out for nobody, looks into Bergman's grateful and heartbreaking eyes it's nothing less than tear-jerking brilliance. But the end wavered in the balance throughout production as Warners production executive Hal B. Wallis and the Epstein twins (Julius and Philip) tossed around whether Bogey and Bergman should get together and leave Laszlo flying away on his plane. If they'd filmed that ending "Casablanca" would have been just one more competently made film of the 50 Warners made that year.
Video
When originally exhibited in theatres in 1942 the film was projected at a ratio of 1.37:1, this DVD presents the film at a ratio of 1.33:1, exactly 4:3 and is very close to it's original ratio. In fact it doesn't appear that anything is missing or cropped. This version of the film includes a wonderful restoration from Lowry Digital, the same company responsible for the "Star Wars" restoration. Overall the image retains integrity almost throughout, black and white levels are consistent as is shadow detail and sharpness. This near perfect transfer does have a few flaws that can really be attributed to age, film artefacts occasionally make an appearance, however they are never distracting. I also spotted some aliasing that makes it presence as shimmer from off of clothing, additionally there were some instances of film damage and the occasional scratch. Otherwise this transfer is leaps and bounds better than the previously released version.
Audio
This film features three soundtrack options, all in Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono. They are, English, French and Italian and for the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its original English Soundtrack. Rather than choosing to upgrade the film's soundtrack to a 5.1 mix, Warner Brothers decided to include the film's original Mono soundtrack, which was a very good choice especially for film buffs and purists. Considering its age the soundtrack holds up very well, dialogue is clear and distortion free. I couldn't spot any audio dropouts, hiss or pops of any kind. Additionally the score is also well represented here and is never overbearing or distracting from the dialogue. Although this Mono mix lacks any depth or range that a full 5.1 track may hold, it's still perfectly suitable for this film.
Extras
DISC ONE: The first extra you come across on the first disc is the introduction by Lauren Bacall (2:05), this short piece ported over from the previous single disc edition is a basic introduction to the film. Next up are a series of commentaries the first by film critic Roger Ebert. A great commentary track is a rare thing. There’s a genuine skill in playing off the visual material, and finding the nice mix of anecdote and personal observation. Ebert’s commentary on "Citizen Kane" is possibly the best commentary track I’ve heard. His commentary track for "Casablanca", on the other hand, is weak, sometimes repeating information, and providing only brief insights, which was a little disappointing. The second track is by film historian Rudy Behlmer, here he explains the production history of "Casablanca", not because it isn’t informative, but because it runs totally asynchronous to the visuals. If the commentary doesn’t play off the film at all, shouldn’t it become a documentary? Otherwise it’s just an annoying person talking through one of the greatest movies of all time. Some text notes also accompany the extras on the first disc and they include a cast and crew listing which includes the biographies and filmographies as well as some awards notes, which lists the many accolades the film has received. Finally disc one includes a series of theatrical trailers, two for Casablanca are included, the first is the original trailer and the 50th Anniversary re-release trailer. The others are bonus trailers for The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre DISC TWO: The second disc houses the video extras, we have the Bacall on Bogart documentary running at just over 83-minutes, this is a tightly produced fluff-free piece that includes some wonderful interviews and footage from Bogart’s early films. Of particular interest to fans of Bogie would be the roles he played before he became a star, when the Hollywood machine tested him in genre after genre and let anyone who received top billing kill him off. Bogart dressed in black in two westerns, and sporting a Mexican accent in one, is something to behold. Though certainly its his role in The Return of Dr X. as a mad scientist dressed in lab coat, and with slicked black hair, as he protectively caresses a rabbit, that makes this DVD a must have. The following documentary ported over from the previous DVD release (and originally produced for the 1992 Laserdisc release) is the You Must Remember This: A Tribute To Casablanca is hosted by Lauren Bacall and is another fine example of tightly produced extras. This documentary features key personnel involved in the making of the film as they reminisce about the experience. This is a excellent companion to the film and provides the viewer with some insights about the history of this film. Next we have a featurette entitled As Time Goes By: The Children Remember, this short piece is an interview with the children of the stars, Pia Lindstrom (Ingrid Bergman’s daughter) and Stephen Bogart (Humphrey’s son). This featurette gives us a different perspective as the children discuss the film and their parents. Following that we have two television specials. The first, Television Adaptation 1955: Who Holds Tomorrow, is a short programme made for television, and aside from being a badly made show it totally destroys the story by condensing it into under 20-minutes, however this makes for an interesting curiosity. The second Television special is the Cartoon Homage: Carrotblanca the classic Bugs Bunny short that spoofs the film and its stars, after all these years this Looney Toons cartoon is still very funny and makes a welcomed addition to this DVD set. Two audio-only tracks follow, the first Scoring Stage Sessions is a series of tracks taken from the original scoring for the film and includes and alternate version of Knock On Wood, and alternate version and the film version of As Time Goes By Part One and instrumental version of Rick Sees Ilsa, an alternate version and the film version of As Time Goes By Part Two and instrumental version of At La Belle Aurore and finally an audio outtake of Dat's what Noah Done The second audio-only track is the 1943 Screen Guild Theatre Radio Show this programme features the cast reprising their roles in the film for this radio adaptation of Casablanca We also get two deleted scenes, unfortunately after 60 years the sound elements for these scenes have been lost and therefore are presented in silence, subtitles have been included from the shooting script to give you an idea of what the dialogue was in these scenes. Additionally 5-minutes of outtakes are also included. These 8 outtakes includes some funny moments and mistakes made during the filming, like the deleted scenes these too do not include any audio and do not feature any subtitles. We also have some production notes that provide a wealth of information in the form of studio memos, set photographs, theatrical posters, lobby cards and cast photographs. Rounding out the extras are some DVD-ROM content that grants you access to the Warner Brothers website.
Overall
"Casablanca" remains one of the best films made during the golden age of Hollywood, after 60 years it remains a cherished classic and finally it has received the DVD treatment it so rightly deserves. Warner Brothers have included an all-new cleaner transfer and original soundtrack along with a selection of excellently produced video extras that will inform and entertain, I just wish the commentaries were as interesting. I have no reservations in recommending this release to all fans of classic films that have already discovered this gem, and also to those movie lovers who have yet to discover it all I can say is go out and see "Casablanca" you will not be sorry.
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