Search - Casablanca on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Movie Release: 1942 DVD Release: 02/15/2000 Format: DVD - Black and White,Pan and Scan - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 43 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Drama, Romance, Romantic Drama, War Romance See Also: Casablanca, Casablanca [Collector's Edition], Casablanca [Special Edition Collector's Box], Casablanca [Special Edition], Casablanca [HD DVD], Casablanca [Repackaged], Casablanca [Blu-ray], Casablanca [Blu-ray], Casablanca

One of the most beloved American films, this captivating wartime adventure of romance and intrigue from director Michael Curtiz defies standard categorization. Simply put, it is the story of Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a world-weary ex-freedom fighter who runs a nightclub in Casablanca during the early part of WWII. Despite pressure from the local authorities, notably the crafty Capt. Renault (Claude Rains), Rick's café has become a haven for refugees looking to purchase illicit letters of transit which will allow them to escape to America. One day, to Rick's great surprise, he is approached by the famed rebel Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick's true love who deserted him when the Nazis invaded Paris. She still wants Victor to escape to America, but now that she's renewed her love for Rick, she wants to stay behind in Casablanca. "You must do the thinking for both of us," she says to Rick. He does, and his plan brings the story to its satisfyingly logical, if not entirely happy, conclusion. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Humphrey Bogart - Rick Blaine
Ingrid Bergman - Ilsa
Paul Henreid - Victor Laszlo
Claude Rains - Capt. Louis Renault
Conrad Veidt - Maj. Heinrich Strasser
Peter Lorre - Ugarte

Someday, someone may produce a deep and far-reaching DVD edition of Casablanca, but this one will likely satisfy the casual viewer until then. This Warner Home Video DVD edition tries hard to be definitive. The picture transfer is very good, superior to either the MGM/UA Home Video or CBS/Fox laserdisc versions of Casablanca, although The Criterion Collection laserdisc transfer remains its rival in richness. One can see the sweat on Peter Lorre's brow as he talks of the murder of the two Nazi couriers with Humphrey Bogart's Rick, and the individual diamonds in Ingrid Bergman's earrings as she talks with Claude Rains' Captain Renault. The story of Richard Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), saloonkeeper and casino owner in Casablanca, and his entanglements with a pair of political fugitives (Paul Henreid, Ingrid Bergman) from the Nazis and the police official (Claude Rains) charged with their capture, is almost too familiar to quote. The movie's enduring longevity lies in its ability to reveal new permutations to its story, characters, and setting with each viewing, as well as to each new generation of viewer. This is a point made very well in the documentary supplement to the film, which is nearly as entertaining as the movie itself.

The DVD starts up automatically, and one must then access the menu (on one side of the disc, the menu plays the scene in which Bogart listens to "As Time Goes By"). The main body of the supplement is given over to "You Must Remember This," a 36-minute documentary introduced and narrated by Bogart's widow, Lauren Bacall, which includes a contribution from Haver (who narrated the Criterion laserdisc) as well as scholar Rudy Behlmer, and one onscreen participant, the late Dan Seymour. Murray Burnett, the co-author of the original play, appears to discuss the play, as does story editor Irene Lee Diamond, who recommended the play to Warner Bros. management, and makes one of the most important points about the movie's impact beyond its romantic plot and fast-paced drama and action -- that it internationalized Americans' perceptions of the turmoil and personal chaos growing out of World War II. The documentary goes into precise detail about the separate and distinct contributions of Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard W. Koch, and Casey Robinson, all of whom were essential. The vital roles in the production played by director Michael Curtiz and producer Hal Wallis are also examined in detail. The rest of the supplement consists of the trailer for Casablanca and trailers (all indexed separately) for eight more of Bogart's best-known films: The Petrified Forest, High Sierra, To Have and Have Not, The Maltese Falcon, Passage to Marseille, The Big Sleep, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and Key Largo. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide