Casablanca (70th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]

Each holiday, I try to treat myself to a classic movie from the past that I have not seen for a long time. I chose to watch Casablanca from an order of the 70th Anniversary edition that I just had not taken time to watch. Having a daughter in college minoring in History and taking French prompted me to focus on this extraordinary movie that triangulates, greed, love, patriotism, history and culture within the framework of a brilliant script and extraordinary acting within a World War II setting and historical correlation. The opportunity to consider the meaning of Casablanca at this age of my life caused me to reexamine the characters beyond the memorable lines in the movie toward the thematic conclusion of transcending selfishness over a profound purpose for humanity. If I had written this review of the movie as a student, then I would have been trying to explain the mood, setting, character, effect, timing and other required features of a movie critique. However, as a father of a daughter and educator, my lens are colored by time and hopes that human good will prevail for the human race through STEAM education (Science-Technology-Engineering-Arts-Math). At this time, I am writing this review for my daughter because I want her and those of her emerging generation and educators of the next generation to try and see the acting in Casablanca as a platform to understand the measure of human beings trying to live through the conditions that can be metaphorically displayed in all human relationships and organizations that cause us to live through the woes of physical, psychological or intellectual warfare. From an educational perspective, I posit that Casablanca exudes the need to correlate the movie's great acting, content, context and time in history with the idea of honor and real patriotism. For me, the role Humphrey Bogart profoundly portrayed in Casablanca demonstrated, particularly in the final scene at the airport runway (I believe there is value in starting the movie at the end and then watching the movie from its beginning with the essential question: Why did he do that?), the moment when all men and women must choose the greater good over the selfish desires of the heart. I believe that Humphrey Bogart, as some professional critics and movie junkies might suggest, was an actor's-ACTOR! However, I believe that Rick, the character in Casablanca portrayed by the legendary Mr. Bogart, gives us a chance to witness honor, valor, virtue and a deeper moral consciousness shielded by the pain of perceived or profound betrayal, than we often find in our contemporary era of "get mind" or "destroy others to advance my personal or political or social cause!" I ask my daughter and youth to watch Casablanca through the lens of the significant points made about Rick and the choices he made at the end, according to the script writer's interweaving in the lines espoused about him from his dossier, described by the characters portrayed by the German Officer and French police officer where they referenced his past to include his actions in 1935 ( i.e. research the history of how "Italy began its World War II offensive when Benito Mussolini ordered his troops into Abyssinia in October 1935," cited from http://history.howstuffworks.com/world-war-ii/buildup-to-world-war-25.htm), 1936 (i.e The Civil War in Spain) political and human rights efforts. The classic lines in the movie, namely "here's looking at you kid," can be a metaphor for all of us who struggle with making the decision to give up our desires for the notion of the greater good for our youth to believe that we stand for something greater than ourselves (they are looking at us!). Sometimes, we give into the needs of those who are knowingly using our heart to advance their cause and can use our love, loyalty, core values or response to a person to seek our aid, support, skills or assets at our personal expense or beliefs. At this stage and age of life, viewing Casablanca evokes the centrifugal feature of head with heart or head reshaping or refining the essence of what causes the heart to beat. The French police Captain suspected that Rick was a sentimentalist under the neutral trappings of the salon-night club entrepreneur. For educators, each time the nature of our work causes us to believe that we need to accept mistreatment as professionals to advance educational opportunity, we can truly look at the products of our educational efforts and really say: "take these lessons and use them to advance civilization." From the educational lens of this review of Casablanca revisited, I believe that Bogart's character learned a lesson and taught us a lesson in the movie as the character, Rick, sent the passion from his life away in the role of the woman he loved (Ingrid Bergman's character) who had stampeded over his heart with the man that, seemingly held her head through purpose, over her heart safely toward freedom. Hence, for educators, especially those teachers of children, Bogart's classic line is a metaphor for our work each day we teach: "Here's looking at you kid!" I suggest the metaphorical lesson of the movie's conclusion and its central characters' desires versus their perceived values during World War II (i.e. note the character and values displayed in the role portrayed Claude Rains throughout the movie and his closing lines to Bogart at the very end of the the movie) teaches us the perplexing value of giving up the carnal desires of the heart for a greater purpose. Somehow, I believe that the human race is still trying to struggle with the notion of truth through the lens of true purpose versus true love of selfish ambition, "as time goes by," even as we live 72 years later!

This is a classic. Love the story line and the acting is top notch. A must watch!

After having watched "Casablanca" for the first time, it has become quite clear to me why the period from the 1940's through the 1950's was considered Hollywood's 'Golden Era'. I suspect that is was still the relative newness of the medium that enabled movies of this period to be of such high quality, a quality lacking in almost all of today's films. During that period, gratuitous sex and violence were not permissible and there were no special effects to distract the audience from a poor story. As a result, the way directors were able to engross the audiences in their films was by telling compelling stories and developing their characters with great depth and care. These movies also involved some of quickest, sharpest, wittiest dialogue ever committed to the big screen. The only director today who shows any understanding of the importance of clever and intelligent dialogue is Quentin Tarantino, but he makes overly violent movies and only makes about one film every 5 years. "Casablanca" may be the pantheon of the 'Golden Era'. It is easily one of the most quoted movies in cinematic history and it has some the most memorable scenes. For anyone who has not actually seen the movie, the plot centers on French Morocco during World War II in the city of Casablanca. The fear of the German war machine drives people to Casablanca to seek any form of passage to the United States. Business is fertile for men possessing the exit visas to get people across the Atlantic. Much of the business takes place at Rick's Cafe Americain, run by a jaded Rick Blaine (played masterfully by the legendary Humphrey Bogart). He was idealistic in his younger days, but now is a cynic and only helps people when it benefits him. His world gets turned upside down when the former love of his life Isla (played by the luminous Ingrid Bergman) enters the Cafe with her husband, the revolutionary leader Victor Lazlo, looking for passage to the States. It evokes one of the greatest lines in cinematic history and sets in motion series of events involving intrigue, passion, and suspense. The wordplay between Bogart's Rick and any one of the other characters is true treat to behold. It is sharp and witty and seems so perfectly timed. The only other movie I have ever seen that comes close to this level of dialogue is the old Cary Grant film "His Girl Friday". Rick's enigmatic moods always leave the viewer wondering what path he'll choose. Will it be the one of selfish interest or the one of greater good? The viewer never knows until the very end. Bergman's Ilsa is one of the most beautiful female characters in the history of film. Bergman's beauty would be just as captivating today as it was back in the 1940's. The passion of lost love between Ilsa and Rick is largely unspoken, but it's very palpable. Unlike today's films, which feel the need show too much, "Casablanca" uses subtlety to convey the emotion and passion. "Casablanca" is considered a violent movie without ever being too violent. The threat of the German 'Gestapo' hanging over every action and every scene creates a tension, a fear, and a suspense that few movies can match. There is not one single wasted motion, scene, or character in this film. There is purpose in everything that happens. Characters from the shifty street vendor all the way to the shady Captain Renault have purpose and meaning. "Casablanca" has been termed by some to be the 'perfect film'. That's a lofty claim as some of the movies that were thought to be great in their time, now prove to be dated and almost a parody of themselves ("2001" and "The Graduate") are classic examples. "Casablanca", however, earns that praise and proves to be a timeless classic that is as moving today as it was in 1942.

one of the best of all time! Bogey is cool

My favorite actor in one of my very favorite movies. This never gets old, I could happily watch it every day. His performance was beyond outstanding, the facial expressions, the subtle nuances and the signature Bogie style are all there in spades. The supporting cast, dialog, and writing are simply marvelous. I am gradually replacing my old taped classic black and white movies by adding them to my digital library. À classic not to be missed.

First, I'm not reviewing the movie, which in and of itself is worth 10 stars. Yes, it follows "Citizen Kane" as the second-best movie of all time. But it's probably the best overall and most enjoyable movie ever made. So enough about what we already know... Second, with a couple of exceptions, I'm not really reviewing the quality, quantity, or variety of extras in this special edition as a reason to purchase or not to purchase this movie. It's got some cool souvenirs, extras, etc. Some of the extras I watched appear to have been re-mastered vs. the 2008/2009 edition they were in. In that edition, the extras look as though they were poorly upscaled from the DVD version. The extras on this edition seem to be of better quality, and the menus are a bit more refined. What I am reviewing is the quality of this transfer vs. the 2008/2009 Blu-Ray edition of the movie. Sadly, I think the 2008/2009 edition is superior, both for the video and the audio. Let me start by saying I watched all versions on an HDTV and on a newer 1920x1080 Dell laptop with the appropriate player software. For the heck of it, I also took an HD recording off TCM, as well as a TCM standard DVD because I could not really believe what I was seeing, or rather, not seeing, with this edition. The problem with this edition is that the contrast/gamma is off. Way off, at least on my monitors, relative to the 2008/2009 edition Blu-Ray and DVD, and the TCM HD airing. While the other versions seem to have no problem with grays, this edition contains too much black. I had to create a custom setting on my monitor to expand the gamma. When I went back to other shows, they were far too bright and washed out, so I don't think it's in my monitor or laptop. And yes, I can watch the TCM edition on my laptop via SageTV. This leads me to believe one of two things is going on - either "Casablanca" has been transferred incorrectly all along, and this edition finally got it right, or this edition has a problem with its transfer. I think it's the latter. The gamma is just plain too low. Things are either too black, lost in the shadows, or too white. The good news is, relative to the 2008/2009 Blu Ray edition, the resolution appears even higher and more detailed. The grain of the film is so apparent it almost hurts your eyes, in a good way. Needless to say, either edition beats the TCM HD airing in that department, as one would expect with the lower bitrate of satellite TV. Obviously, they also beat the standard DVD, but not by as much as one might think. I take issue with the contrast/gamma so much because of the important use of shadow, both with the characters' faces and costumes, and with the backgrounds, to convey emotional states and atmosphere. It's not solely because the detailing on someone's top or sleeve gets lost due poor contrast/gamma, although that is almost as bad. The other issue is the audio. It's not that I expect surround; I never did from any edition. The problem is that the movie starts out loud and then gets softer. It's the same with dialogue normalization engaged or disengaged in my players/monitors. I was hoping that since the movie was in mono, and not being listened to with the expectation of a surround-sound festival, that I could correct the steadily-dropping level by using normalization and not destroy dynamic range that was never there to begin with. Unfortunately, that did not help either. Again, neither the 2008/2009 blu Ray or TCM DVD editions, or the TCM HD airing suffered from this, so I don't think it's my systems' fault. Am I saying not to buy this movie? No, I am not. Casablanca is hands-down my favorite movie. But at $45 for this edition, I think one should be prepared for what one might or might not get. Maybe it's my monitor and laptop. I doubt it's both, especially with three other versions to compare it to. If you think I may be right, rent the last release and watch them both and decide for yourself. As to the extras, the ones I have watched so far look as though they have been at least re-scanned in HD, even if their aspect ratios are not right when showing clips of the movie within them. I also recommend listening to Ebert's commentary at least one time while viewing the movie. He makes some great points about the composition of the movie itself and offers some compelling arguments against the popular "Casablanca" urban legends such as Bergman's alleged confusion about not knowing the eventual outcome of her character (aside from the order of the shooting, as an actress she had to know all along that her character could never go off with Bogart's character since her character was married and the film censors of the time would never have allowed her character to leave her husband for another single man in the movie). Details such as those might cause you to look further into the fascinating story of how this movie came to be so highly regarded, when in reality no one at the time expected it to be anythig more than one of the 50 or so movies Warner Brothers would make that year. ****Update**** Just for the heck of it, I purchased a used HD DVD copy as well. My above criticisms against this 70th. Edition would also stand as compared to the HD-DVD transfer. It also has much better contrast/gamma, but I still have to give a slight edge to the 70th. Edition for the detail. As I stated earlier, the resolution of the 70th. Edition is so good at revealing the grain of the film that it almost hurts to look at it.

“Casablanca” is an enduring classic, a cultural touchstone that has several memorable lines that are now part and parcel of the popular American culture, such as the subject one. Two of the greatest actors of the era, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, play the lead roles. Claude Rains, as Captain Louis Renault, is also memorable. I had not seen the movie for three decades or so, and felt a re-viewing was in order. Naturally it is a love story, though there are no torrid scenes. A kiss, an arm around the shoulder and some imagination must suffice. The woman, Bergman, is torn between two men. As the story evolves, the circumstances, involving war and political upheaval, that led to that dilemma are revealed. The setting is Casablanca, Morocco, which is considered part of “unoccupied France,” meaning – sorta – that it is being ruled by Marshall Petain (the “hero” of Verdun) from Vichy. His picture is prominently displayed on a billboard early in the movie. The “action” in Casablanca is at Rick’s café americain, run by the cynical Rick Blaine, played by Bogart. Running a bar may rank up there with the top ten oldest professions, so the movie also suggests his “heart of gold.” We also learn that he has some “good guy” credentials, having assisted in supplying Ethiopia with guns in ’35, and naturally saw the virtues of the Loyalist side in Spain, in ’36. I wondered, on the re-viewing, what percentage of the current viewers would know WHY Rick was supplying guns to Ethiopia in ’35. Meanwhile, the “action” seems to involve the intrigues of Europeans of many nationalities trying to get to America, via Lisbon and the machinations of the Nazis who are just on a “courtesy visit” while the French gendarmerie tries to placate them. The piano player, Sam, a Black, (“play it again Sam) tickles the ivories, looks after Rick, and makes “As Time Goes By” an American classic. The movie was made in the middle of World War II. The movie appears to be set in 1940-41. With its title, it took advantage of the recent Allied invasion of North Africa, which also featured Casablanca. The movie was released in November 1942 and the invasion, code name “Operation Torch,” occurred just a few weeks earlier. As time goes by, I noted a couple other touches I missed the first time. When Captain Louis Renault decides to get off the fence at the end of the movie, and go to Brazzaville, which was the headquarters of the “Free French,” he drops his bottle of Vichy water in the trash can. And in Rick’s, when the French decided to belt out the Marseillaise, to drown the German singing, it contained the now controversial verse “Qu’un sang impur” (of the impure blood) that has members of the French national soccer team doing the equivalent of “taking the knee.” Oh well, when it is time to “round up the usual suspects,” they will include “We will always have Paris,” as well as Marseilles, the “Île-de-France,” et plus. An enduring 5-stars.

Classic Humphrey Bogart movie everyone must see.