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Casablanca (Special Edition)
Stars:
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt,
Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre
Writers:
Julius J., Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch
From
A Play By: Murray Burnett and Joan Alison
Director:
Michael Curtiz
Feature
length: 102 minutes
Extras:
Introduction By Lauren Bacall, Bacall On Bogart, Additional Scenes and Outtakes,
Homage Cartoon “Carrotblanca,” 1955 TV Series Adaptation Of Casablanca,
Screen Guild Players Radio Production Of “Casablanca” Featuring The Film’s
Top-Billed Stars, Scoring Session Outtakes Gallery, Production History Gallery,
Feature Length Audio Commentary With Film Critic Roger Ebert, Feature Length
Audio Commentary By Film Historian Rudy Behlmer, Original and Reissue Trailers,
Bonus Trailers Script-To-Screen For DVD-ROM PC Users
Languages:
English and French Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Two-Disc Digipack Gatefold Within A Cardboard Slipcase
Chapter
Stops: 32
Sound:
Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1943/DVD Release: 2003
Theatrical
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Home
Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
MPAA
Rating: PG
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Is
there any wonder why “Casablanca” has endured 60 years and is still going
strong with each generation? Movies like this are sublime occurrences that
cannot be repeated. No one can predict something like this. It is just something
that comes together as if it were destiny and stays with the viewer for the rest
of his or her life. Watching “Casablanca” is always an engaging experience
because I find there is always something new I missed before whether it is some
characterization in the background or another piece of dialogue that has become
a part of the modern American consciousness, or even seeing what may or may not
be possible instances where I watch “Casablanca” and ask myself, did
filmmaker A get his inspiration for that scene in movie B from this scene here?
The story is at once a tale of star-crossed lovers, a drama set against the
backdrop of the Second World War, and who knows? It’s just “Casablanca”
and that’s enough for me.
Warner
Home Video is releasing “Casablanca” to celebrate the 60th
anniversary of the film with an all new digital transfer presented in the
film’s (1.33:1) aspect ratio and the results are truly breathtaking. A clear
English Monaural Soundtrack is included and it is a true single channel monaural
track that comes from the front center channel instead of a two-channel right
and left speaker monaural track that many films on DVD are released with. A
French Language Monaural Soundtrack is also provided along with English Captions
and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language
Subtitles encoded as options. Roger Ebert delivers a terrific feature length
audio commentary track that is remarkably different from Film Historian Rudy
Behlmer’s commentary, which is just another example of how two different
people can deliver so much information and impressions on a motion picture like
“Casablanca” and both be very different and never-the-less interesting
points of view as well.
Lauren
Bacall provides an optional introduction for the film (2:08) and her “Tribute
to Bogart” (83:23) is moving in itself and since it is a feature length
documentary it has its own set of 22 scene selections too. The 1992 “You Must
Remember This The Making Of Casablanca” hosted by Bacall (34:38) is also
included as is the featurette “The Children Remember” (6:47) that has newly
videotaped paternal memories from Stephen Bogard and Ingrid Bergman’s daughter
Pia Lindstrom.
Perhaps
what is the oddest extra feature is a premiere episode dramatization of
“Casablanca” from 1955 that I think if nothing else shows that you can’t
force lightening to strike twice in exactly the same manner let alone in the
same place. I couldn’t watch this in its entirety because somehow it seemed
like an abomination compared to the original film. The radio dramatization
featuring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid as well as 8 audio
only scoring session outtakes that can be heard collectively or individually are
included along with some surprisingly well preserved silent deleted scenes
featuring English Captions (1:40) and outtakes (5:00). There is also an animated
gallery of press materials photos, studio correspondence and more (12:32) added
to the DVD as well as an exclusive new Warner Brothers Loony Tunes homage
entitled “Carrotblanca” (8:04) with a full English Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Soundtrack.
The
original trailer (2:17) and the 1992 50th Anniversary re-release
trailer (2:53) that begins with a little TV showing images of the film with a
narrator preparing the viewer to be prepared to experience the film on the big
screen much like the way Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox heralded the 20th
Anniversary of “Star Wars” with the first “Star Wars Trilogy: Special
Edition” trailer back in 1997 is also included.
Bonus trailers for “The Adventures Of Robin Hood,” which I think from
the way the trailer looks alone should make for a stunning DVD when it is
released later this year (1:51), “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (3:57), and
“Treasure Of The Sierra Madre” (2:42) are included on the first disc along
with onscreen notes, a listing of honors and awards, and a cast list wrap up the
extra set top features included on this DVD.
Windows based PC users will also have access Script-To-Screen comparisons
and web links.
“Casablanca:
Two-Disc Special Edition” will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday, August 5, 2003
from Warner Home Video and is a must for any movie lovers’ DVD library.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Buy This DVD Now By Clicking On The Text Link Below!
Casablanca (Special Edition)