CASABLANCA - Blu-ray review

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

The American Film Institute voted "Casablanca" the second best American film ever made. "Entertainment Weekly" gave it the number three spot among their "100 Greatest Movies." At the time of this writing, the user ratings at the Internet Movie Database ranked it number eleven in the site's "Top 250 Movies of All-Time." And a scientifically formulated and rigorously administered survey of both the Wife-O-Meter and myself placed the film squarely at number one.

What more can a person say about a movie that defines the word "classic"? Certainly, "Casablanca" is worthy of this new Warner Brothers Blu-ray "Ultimate Collector's Edition" box set.

The accolades, awards, and adulation were not bad for a film that almost never was. After all, when Warner Bros. made it in 1942, it was considered just another back-lot studio melodrama. The studio had been churning out these things by the boatload every year, using their usual stable of contract players. With a script that writers were reworking daily and a plot that mystified everyone on the set, it's a wonder the studio ever finished the film, let alone the film becoming one of the most famous ever made.

When did I first come to the movie? Well, it wasn't in 1942, I can tell you that. But it wasn't all that long afterwards. I remember it was a rainy Saturday afternoon in the mid 1950s; I was a kid, bored, and looking for something to watch on one of our three television channels. I turned on "Casablanca" about ten minutes into the picture. I had never seen it before--an old, fuzzy, black-and-white film interrupted by a multitude of commercials. But I stuck with it for over two hours, fascinated by something that would normally have left me cold--a romance! I had no idea how popular the movie was, winning Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, nor how much more popular it would become on TV, eventually attaining the status of most-often broadcast film in history. I only knew I loved it.

So, what's the attraction? Why does "Casablanca" consistently show up in the public's and critics' lists of top-ten films of all time? I suspect it's the characters, the atmosphere, the music, and the dialogue as much as anything else. Sure, it's a riveting love story, but without the colorful cast, exotic locale, and memorable lines, it would probably be just another potboiler, which, as I said, is about what its producers initially expected it to be. But the picture took on a life of its own as filming and rewrites continued, eventually emerging as the classic every movie buff knows by heart.

Based on an unproduced play, "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison, the film moves effortlessly from scene to scene under the guidance of veteran director Michael Curtiz. The main character is, of course, Richard Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart. He's a hard-bitten, world-weary cynic, thirty-seven, single, the owner of Rick's Cafe Americain, a night club-casino in Casablanca, French Morocco, just before America's entry into World War II. He is the quintessential antihero, a man who proclaims, "I stick my neck out for nobody." At least that's his philosophy until old flame Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) shows up. Then all bets are off as Rick turns back into a noble and caring human being.

On a trivia note, Jack Warner had originally pushed for George Raft to play the lead, but producer Hal Wallis insisted upon Bogart. Raft would later say he turned down the part because he didn't want to perform with an actress then unknown in America ("I don't want to star opposite some unknown Swedish broad"). That's OK. The year before he had turned down the role of Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon," saying the movie wasn't important enough, and he didn't trust a first-time director (John Huston). Isn't it reassuring to know that you're not the only one who makes mistakes? Serendipitous for us, though.

Add to the mix Rick's ever-faithful piano player, Sam (Dooley Wilson, who had to fake his piano playing); Ilsa's war-hero, resistance-fighter husband, the ultra-suave, ultra-gullible Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid); a weaselly thief named Ugarte (Peter Lorre); a conniving black-marketeer, "the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca," Senor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet); a lovable headwaiter, Carl (S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall); a magnificently evil villain, Major Heinrich Strasser of the German Third Reich (Conrad Veidt); and a Prefect of Police more sympathetic to himself than to the Germans who occupy his city, Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains). What you get is an ensemble cast that is unquestionably among the best ever assembled. More serendipity: The studio had entertained thoughts of using, among others, either Ronald Reagan or Joseph Cotten for the part of Laszlo; Hedy Lamarr or Ann Sheridan for Ilsa; Clarence Muse or Lena Horne for Sam; and Otto Preminger for Major Strasser.

But let's not forget director Michael Curtiz, a staple of the Warner Brothers' factory. Temperamental though he was, Curtiz created some the studio's most-notable films. To name just a few besides "Casablanca," there were "Captain Blood" (1935), "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), "Angels With Dirty Faces" (1938), "The Sea Hawk" (1940), "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942), "Mildred Pierce" (1945), "Life With Father" (1947), "Jim Thorpe: All American" (1951), "White Christmas" (1954), "The Egyptian" (1954), "We're No Angels" (1955), and "The Comancheros" (1961). Today, with directors elevated to the level of outright stars, Curtiz may be the most overlooked filmmaker in the history of Hollywood. And he made "Casablanca" almost entirely on a Warner Brothers soundstage!

Then there's the script. There probably isn't another film with so many noteworthy lines. No wonder Woody Allen's character in "Play It Again, Sam" had every word memorized and would recite the dialogue along with the actors. Play a game: Randomly fast forward to any spot in the movie and listen to the conversation. I'm betting you'll find a famous quotation. Try these examples:

Ugarte: "You despise me, don't you?"
Rick: "If I gave you any thought, I probably would."
Ugarte: "Rick, think of all the poor devils who can't meet Renault's price. I get it for them for half. Is that so...parasitic?"
Rick: "I don't mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one."
Ugarte: "You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust."
*************************
Yvonne: "Where were you last night?"
Rick: "That's so long ago, I don't remember."
Yvonne: "Will I see you tonight?"
Rick: "I never make plans that far ahead."
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Captain Renault: "What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?"
Rick: "My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters."
Renault: "The waters? What waters? We're in the desert."
Rick: "I was misinformed."
(Never mind that Casablanca is a major seaport; Hollywood was never big on geography.)
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Ilsa: "Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake."
Sam: "I don't know what you mean, Miss Ilsa."
Ilsa: "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'"
*************************
Rick: "You know what I want to hear."
Sam: "No, I don't."
Rick: "You played it for her, you can play it for me!"
Sam: "Well, I don't think I can remember...."
Rick: "If she can stand it, I can! Play it!"
*************************
Rick: "How can you close me up. On what grounds?
Renault: "I'm shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here."
Croupier: "Your winnings, sir."
Renault: "Oh, thank you very much."
*************************
Rick: "Not so fast, Louie. ...And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart."
Renault: "That is my least vulnerable spot."
*************************
Rick: "I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. ... Here's looking at you, kid."
*************************
Renault: "Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects."
*************************

I could go on, easily, but you get the idea. Remarkable, considering that writers Julius and Philip Epstein, Howard Koch, and Casey Robinson were handing the cast new lines on a daily basis.

Finally, there is the music. As well as music director Max Steiner's famous background score, there are at least six different tunes with lyrics involved, including "As Time Goes On," which is so indelibly associated with the picture. Originally written a decade earlier in 1931, the song at first did not meet with Steiner's approval, and he objected to it so strenuously that he almost got it excised from the film. Fortunately, circumstances dictated the song remain, and the universe preserved its proper order.

"Casablanca" holds up as well today as it did over six decades ago, its antihero eventually everyone's ultimate hero, its dialogue some of the best ever written, its cast superb, its atmosphere and ambiance extraordinary, its romance mesmerizing. The combination is irresistible, and the film is perfect.

Video:
The VC-1 video encode appears to be the same one that Warners used for their HD DVD edition, meaning it's darn good, and as one would expect, the BD25's 1080 lines of resolution go a long way toward rendering the picture quality as clearly as possible. The transfer vividly points up the film's warm black-and-white contrasts, the object delineation is reasonably sharp, grain is only that which is inherent to the original print, and age marks are completely absent. Indeed, the only visible lines or flecks occur during some WWII newsreel footage.

Some readers may wonder why I have assigned the disc's video rating a 9/10 when I gave the HD DVD a perfect 10/10. The fact is that for whatever reason, the Blu-ray transfer shows up just a smidgeon softer and lighter on my setup compared to the HD DVD. Nevertheless, the high-def picture quality is exemplary.

"Here's looking at you, kid."

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio comes up sounding pretty good. The voice tracks are clean, and, more important, they are smooth and natural. There is practically no background noise unless one turns the volume up to the threshold of pain. Needless to say, you'll find the frequency extremes limited, the dynamic range restricted, and rear-channel sound nonexistent. It is sixty-six-year-old mono, after all. That said, it doesn't sound quite as loud or as transparent to my ears as the Dolby Digital Plus on the HD DVD.

Extras:
Disc one of this "Ultimate Collector's Edition" contains the same extras found on Warner Brothers' two-disc SD Special Edition and their single-disc HD DVD, meaning the studio has crammed the BD with about as much stuff as I imagine exists on the subject. First, there's an introduction by Lauren Bacall, and then there are two separate audio commentaries, the first with film critic Roger Ebert and the second with film historian Rudy Behlmer. If you want to know practically everything there is to know about the film, listen to both commentaries.

Next, there is a six-minute featurette, "As Time Goes By: The Children Remember," containing reminiscences by the stars' children, followed by a terrific, eighty-three minute documentary on the life and films of Humphrey Bogart, "Bacall on Bogart," produced in 1988 and narrated by Lauren Bacall. Another documentary, made in 1998, "You Must Remember This: A Tribute to Casablanca," is about thirty-five minutes and contains loads of information on the movie's production as remembered by many of the writers and filmmakers who were actually there. Following that are several minutes of additional scenes, without sound, and about five minutes worth of outtakes, again without sound but containing some cute goofs. One of my favorite bonus items is a Bug Bunny cartoon, "Carrotblanca," that features the whole stable of WB animated characters in a sidesplitting send-up of the movie. Additionally, you'll find a 1956 television adaptation, "Who Holds Tomorrow?," based on the movie, about eighteen minutes; a series of audio-only scoring-stage sessions of music from the film, about fifteen minutes; and a collection of production research--notes, memos, photos, schedules, and documents pertaining to the filmmaking, which I wish the production designers had enlarged for easier viewing.

Things conclude with an original theatrical trailer and a 1992 re-release trailer for "Casablanca," plus a trailer for WB's restored "Adventures of Robin Hood." Lastly, there are thirty-two scene selections; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired. Surely, this Blu-ray edition is a "Casablanca" lover's dream.

Disc two is a standard-def DVD, which contains the 1993 documentary "Jack L. Warner: the Last Mogul," a fifty-seven-minute biography of the studio chief, with comments from authors, film historians, and surviving relatives. The two discs come housed in a foldout Digipak case.

In addition to the discs, the set includes several bonus collectibles. Of most importance is a forty-eight-page, hardbound photo book with a ton of text and pictures. Then, there is a leatherette passport holder and matching luggage tag; ten 5 ½" x 7 ¼" reproduction cards of the movie's various lobby posters; four 5 ½" x 7 ¼" replicas of archival studio correspondence; and a mail-in offer for a 27" x 40" movie poster.

Warner Bros. package all of these items in a fairly large box, further enclosed in an attractive slipcover with an intricate, laser-cut Moroccan design (remember, the movie's setting is Morocco). If there is any drawback to the whole affair, however, it is that as of this writing the studio is making the Blu-ray version of the film available only in this rather costly gift-set edition. The elaborate packaging and accessories are certainly a boon to ardent fans, but they may be overkill for some other people who might prefer to forego the set's fancy accessories and save probably half their money by buying a single-disc BD edition. What's more, because the big box takes up a healthy amount of shelf space (it's about the width of eight regular Blu-ray cases) and because it means making a job of opening all the materials just to play the movie, Warners might have considered releasing an alternative single-disc Blu-ray edition rather than only this "Ultimate Collector's Edition." Oh, well.... I guess a single-disc edition will have to wait.

And a second issue: Why did Warners put so much money into fancy packaging and accessories and then go cheap with a single-layer BD25? If they had used a dual-layer BD50, they could have increased the bit rate on the film transfer, added a TrueHD soundtrack, and included the "Jack L. Warner" documentary on the same disc. Of course, they couldn't advertise the set as a two-disc edition, but if that was their concern, they could have provided a digital copy as a second disc. Nobody ever asks me.

Parting Thoughts:
As Ms. Bacall says in her introduction to the movie, "The lure of 'Casablanca' lies in its romance, intrigue, and mystery." But mostly, I think, its appeal is in its romance; not only the love story, but the romance of adventure, exotic places, colorful characters, and clever repartee. "Casablanca" is a movie for the ages, and its high-definition mastering should keep it that way for a very long time to come.

"Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."