Casablanca 80th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition with Steelbook [4K Ultra HD] [1942]

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studio print, both likewise created in 1942. These three source elements were newly scanned using improved technology and, combined with the Bergman] doesn’t simply gaze at [a man’s] eyes, as so many actresses do, their thoughts on the next line of dialogue. She peers into the eyes, searching for meaning and clues, and when she is in a close two-shot with an actor, watch the way her own eyes reflect the most minute changes in his expression. One of the other great strengths of Casablanca is its use of dozens of expatriate foreign actors who’d managed to make their way to Hollywood in the late 1930s and early ‘40s as their homelands in Europe came under Nazi influence. The authenticity this added to Casablanca’s atmosphere should not be underestimated. A problem Hollywood sometimes had with films of foreign setting was their unrealistic look and feel, partly due to the studio-bound nature of the filming and also because American players were typically cast as foreigners. While Casablanca was shot in the studio, its preponderance of interiors was greatly enhanced by its contingent of expats, who made the settings seem like international gathering places. It was more than just a look and sound though; the realistic atmosphere was borne of these individuals’ real-life experiences in Nazi camps and prisons, of being on the run, of fearing what might happen next, of hoping for a better future. There’s a sadness, though, in comparing the very small roles most of these individuals have in Casablanca to their actual importance in their home countries. Ilka Gruning, the woman who has the exchange of words with her husband over their watches, had run the second-most-important drama school in Berlin. Helmut Dantine, the young husband at the roulette table, was the leader of Vienna’s anti-Nazi youth movement. Marcel Dalio, the croupier at the same roulette table (“… well, a couple of thousand less than I thought there would be”), had starred in two classic French films for Jean Renoir— La Grande Illusion (1937) and La Règle du Jeu (1939). These are but three examples of more than two-dozen such individuals that populate Casablanca.

Casablanca’s clearest theme is that neutrality – whether in war or in love – is difficult to maintain. Years after its release, Ingrid Bergman was asked her thoughts regarding the iconic film. She answered, “I feel about ‘Casablanca’ that it has a life of its own. There is something mystical about it. It seems to have filled a need.” That’s a fair assessment, but at its core, Casablanca is an endorsement for being a good person. It advocates selflessness and doing the right thing. These are sentiments that will always resonate with audiences. Acting justly, courageously, and honorably transcend any era, which is why Casablanca has continued to be relevant till today. The new Casablanca 4K Ultra High-Definition image was restored and remastered from a 2022 4K 16bit film scan of the best-surviving nitrate film elements. The 4K-scanned digital images went through an extensive digital restoration process to clean and repair the picture for an unprecedented and pristine ultra-high-resolution presentation. The restored images were then graded in High Dynamic Range for today’s premium 4K display experience, providing the highest fidelity in image contrast and detail retention. This work was meticulously handled by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. The original theatrical mono audio has also been newly restored as well, providing a richer and broader frequency response than previously possible.secondary elements were also used to fill in a few gaps due to decomposition of that fine grain positive: a dupe nitrate negative as well as a nitrate both previous releases were sourced from a pretty impressive 4K remaster, this new 80th Anniversary Edition utilizes an even newer 4K Documentary: "Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of"(HD, 37 minutes) - Directors William Friedkin and Steven Spielberg, film historian Rudy Behlmer, Curtiz biographer Alan K. Rode, and others examine Curtiz's career, his style and technique, poor treatment of actors, butchering of the English language, fervid patriotism, and personal life in this celebratory piece from 2011. Clips from such Curtiz classics as Noah's Ark, Doctor X, Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mildred Pierce,and, of course, Casablanca augment their remarks.

As mentioned earlier, the included Blu-ray movie disc (which is the source for this review's screenshots) is identical to Warner Bros.' 70th AnniversaryEdition as the Blu-ray, with its older master and copious vintage extras, that leaves out the Giftset's impressive bonus disc of even more Between 1942 and 1945, there was no shortage of American films that served (in part, if not entirely) as moral support in favor of the war effort — yet ‘Casablanca’ stands head and shoulders above the rest. Without having reinvented the filmmaking wheel, or even having excelled too strongly in any one aspect (except maybe its water-tight screenplay), ‘Casablanca’ went from being seen as a “good movie” to a classic . ‘Casablanca’ remains a classic because of its characters, its humor, its sincere pathos, its dreamy romance, and its ever-relevant call to action against the forces of tyranny. not Casablanca's original camera negative, which unfortunately no longer exists despite a long and exhaustive search. Two Scholars love the film for its Freudian intertexts, while others see the title casa blanca – “white house” in Spanish – as a symbol for American foreign policy. Related article: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase: “The Importance of Venice Film Festival as the Protector of Cinema”