Casablanca (1942) (70th Anniversary Edition)

[mzupeman]

The back and forth 'true fan' nonsense in this thread has been a little sickening, but I will certainly agree that there is zero excuse for a subpar transfer and lossy audio... especially for one of the most classic films of all time.

[blg]

Originally Posted by tama

From Greg Maltz, the reviewer who reviewed Casablanca on Dec. 6th 2008:

"This Blu-ray is not meant to make viewers feel like they are watching film from 65 years ago--that was not Warner's intention. Rather, it is intended as more of a museum piece that has been carefully excavated, cleaned up and restored to a relatively asceptic state. In some cases, film is DNR'ed to death, but Warner seems to have taken great pains to remove the noise, grunge and grain without losing too much detail in the process."

This review was done in the same Month Criterion hit the blu-ray format with it's first releases and 2 weeks before Criterion released The Third Man, There first of several B&W films to hit the format. I bring this up because at this time in the format there wasn't a lot of films that had been properly restored for comparison to what this format was and is capable of. Even in the initial review it is made mention that this version does not have a film like image.

This is a warrented and welcomed re-release.

I agree and am very happy that WB is redoing this release. And not to get off topic, but I take every G. Maltz review with an enormous grain of salt. I personally think many of his movie reviews are/were laughable and if I'm not mistaken, there were a few that were redone after he stopped reviewing for this site.

[bigshot]

Bigger bitrates and lossless audio does not necessarily mean better picture and sound. A B&W film of this length properly mastered should easily fit on a BD25 disk. I have the original release of Casablanca and it isn't over-DNR'ed. It looks nice and film like. I'll buy something else instead. Encoraging studios to keep re-re-re-remastering their keystone films won't encourage them to dip deeper into back catalog and release the ocean of films that deserve proper release.

I have Casablanca and Wizard of Oz already... NEXT!

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Bigger bitrates and lossless audio does not necessarily mean better picture and sound. A B&W film of this length properly mastered should easily fit on a BD25 disk. I have the original release of Casablanca and it isn't over-DNR'ed. It looks nice and film like. I'll buy something else instead. Encoraging studios to keep re-re-re-remastering their keystone films won't encourage them to dip deeper into back catalog and release the ocean of films that deserve proper release.

I have Casablanca and Wizard of Oz already... NEXT!

Thank you! It's about time someone agrees with me.

[Donat96]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Bigger bitrates and lossless audio does not necessarily mean better picture and sound. A B&W film of this length properly mastered should easily fit on a BD25 disk. I have the original release of Casablanca and it isn't over-DNR'ed. It looks nice and film like. I'll buy something else instead. Encoraging studios to keep re-re-re-remastering their keystone films won't encourage them to dip deeper into back catalog and release the ocean of films that deserve proper release.

I have Casablanca and Wizard of Oz already... NEXT!

Umm, this isn't just a re-encode of the same master. It's a brand new master. The previous one that was used was made almost 10 years ago for the DVD, and IMO, that's unacceptable for a classic of this caliber. Just sayin'

[retablo]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Bigger bitrates and lossless audio does not necessarily mean better picture and sound. A B&W film of this length properly mastered should easily fit on a BD25 disk. I have the original release of Casablanca and it isn't over-DNR'ed. It looks nice and film like. I'll buy something else instead. Encoraging studios to keep re-re-re-remastering their keystone films won't encourage them to dip deeper into back catalog and release the ocean of films that deserve proper release.

I have Casablanca and Wizard of Oz already... NEXT!

You said "not necessarily", not "never." It certainly doesn't hurt, and in MOST cases it helps. It's not a matter of opinion.

It IS over-DNR'd, and even the reviews point to this. You can look at it and it's pretty apparent. It doesn't look film-like at all. Even the review here got it right: "In some cases, film is DNR'ed to death"... "This Blu-ray is not meant to make viewers feel like they are watching film from 65 years ago." Case closed.

And you don't have to buy it. It's great that Warner is treating one of the milestones right and giving it a PROPER and filmlike transfer, which it deserves.

Its funny, the people who keep complaining own (between them) Evil Dead 2, the Harry Potter movies... all titles that have had NUMEROUS releases. But I don't see anyone complaining about that, and those aren't even classics of cinema. At least Casablanca DESERVES the best possible presentation, and with this new master, isn't just a cash co re-release like so many other films.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Encoraging studios to keep re-re-re-remastering their keystone films won't encourage them to dip deeper into back catalog and release the ocean of films that deserve proper release.

A) This is not the third or fourth or fifth Casablanca transfer. It's the second. This is hardly overkill for a film of this magnitude.

B) This release is very likely not slowing other releases in the slightest. Most of this work is archival in nature and would be done whether it led to a BD release or not. Putting new Casablanca discs in a box with some coasters isn't going to delay The Big Sleep in the slightest.

[Donat96]

Originally Posted by octagon

A) This is not the third or fourth or fifth Casablanca transfer. It's the second. This is hardly overkill for a film of this magnitude.

Not to mention it's only the first that has been done in the HD era.
Personally, I am very happy this is getting the care it deserves.

[MrHT]

Ok, I'm willing to agree to disagree.

With that said, maybe I'll pick this up. Any chance a movie-only disc will come out later?

[bboisvert]

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/war...ca-event-26601

TCM, Warner Hold ‘Casablanca’ Event
NCM Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Home Video will hold the “Turner Classic Movies Presents Casablanca 70th Anniversary Event,” a screening of the film with an introduction by TCM host Robert Osborne, March 21 at 7 p.m.

The screening will be broadcast to nearly 500 participating theaters through NCM’s Digital Broadcast Network. It’s the third recent classic anniversary event in theaters by NCM Fathom Events, after the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz and 50th anniversary of West Side Story.

The screening comes just before Warner releases Casablanca: 70th Anniversary Edition March 27 ($64.99) in a three-disc limited edition set with the remastered film on both Blu-ray Disc and DVD. It also features more than 14 hours of bonus material, including a compilation of three feature-length documentaries; a hardcover 62-page book with on-set photography, sketches and production history; a reproduction of the original 1942 French theatrical poster; and a set of drink coasters.

Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at http://www.FathomEvents.com.

[James Luckard]

Any word yet on a retailer exclusive that will just have the discs and not all the swag?

I've checked Best Buy, Target and Walmart's websites and only see the big gift box listed. Also no listing for a discs-only release in the UK.

I have no intention of buying the box, but hope I don't have to wait a year for a normal swag-free set of the discs.

[bboisvert]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

Any word yet on a retailer exclusive that will just have the discs and not all the swag?

I've checked Best Buy, Target and Walmart's websites and only see the big gift box listed. Also no listing for a discs-only release in the UK.

I have no intention of buying the box, but hope I don't have to wait a year for a normal swag-free set of the discs.

I'm waiting for the same thing. Seems like something that Best Buy would have, but so far... no news.

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by bboisvert

I'm waiting for the same thing. Seems like something that Best Buy would have, but so far... no news.

Same here. I'd like this and The Town in separate releases, please.

[The Duke]

Originally Posted by Donat96

Not to mention it's only the first that has been done in the HD era.
Personally, I am very happy this is getting the care it deserves.

Personally, I'd be happy if Warner had not touted the previous release as an "Ultimate Collector's Edition: with $70 price tag when, in fact, they're now pretty much admitting is was only yet another "it's good enough" release.

WB continues to lose their credibility with me, especially with their "Ultimate" editions - and teach me to never buy their initial releases of anything.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by The Duke

WB continues to lose their credibility with me, especially with their "Ultimate" editions - and teach me to never buy their initial releases of anything.

I really love the work they do on their films, but they need to learn that "Ultimate" means LAST and FINAL, not merely "snazzy".

[octagon]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

I really love the work they do on their films, but they need to learn that "Ultimate" means LAST and FINAL, not merely "snazzy".

Or we just need to accept that it usually doesn't mean that

[retablo]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

I really love the work they do on their films, but they need to learn that "Ultimate" means LAST and FINAL, not merely "snazzy".

If "Ultimate" meant LAST and FINAL, then they wouldn't have gone back and fixed this transfer so it finally looks faithful to the original film. I'd much rather prefer they correct a mistake than use semantics to determine film history.

Yeah, they could've gotten it right in the first place. But back then, mastering films for hi-def was a new process, and one that was still very much in the learning stages. Tools like DNR weren't fully understood and often mis-used — in some cases, they still are. But most companies have a grasp now on what makes a great remaster.

On the other hand, no ones forcing you to by it, either.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by retablo

If "Ultimate" meant LAST and FINAL, then they wouldn't have gone back and fixed this transfer so it finally looks faithful to the original film. I'd much rather prefer they correct a mistake than use semantics to determine film history.

Yeah, they could've gotten it right in the first place. But back then, mastering films for hi-def was a new process, and one that was still very much in the learning stages. Tools like DNR weren't fully understood and often mis-used — in some cases, they still are. But most companies have a grasp now on what makes a great remaster.

On the other hand, no ones forcing you to by it, either.

+1

I think consumers have learned a lot over the past several years too. The HD buzz used to be all about detail and clarity and pop and people complaining about 'fuzzy' transfers that didn't look 'that different from the DVD' were not uncommon but the tide definitely seems to have turned in the favor of faithful transfers.

[ajhidell]

When should we expect a retailer exclusive edition to be announced?

[zoodermin]

Does anybody know if this release will have lossless audio? We are very close to the release date and yet there's no word about the A/Q in this release.