“Casablanca”, one of the greatest films in the history of cinema with the unforgettable duo Humphrey Bogart / Ingrid Bergman, gets a makeover thanks to a 4K UHD box set offered by Warner.
casablancaan unforgettable classic
It was in the middle of World War II that Michael Curtiz made his most famous film, casablanca. If in France the film was not released until 1947, it was in 1942 that the film was presented in New York. From this troubled period, the director was able to draw a sublime work, always in the memories 80 years later, well helped by the presence ofHumphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
The first plays Rick, a disillusioned and cynical man who owns a nightclub in Morocco. If he is content to live his life without trying to play the hero during this world war, it was nevertheless the case in the past. A past that will resurface in front of him when Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) returns to his establishment one fine day. “Of all the bars, of all the cities in the world, she had to enter mine!” he will say, bottle in hand after seeing her again.
Rick and Ilsa lived a great love story in Paris before separating. The arrival of the young woman will force her to make a choice, between denouncing Ilsa’s husband to get her back, or playing the real heroes by helping them to flee…
Apart from his tragic love story and his cult lines, casablanca marks the spirits by its highlighting of a patriotism necessary at the time. As with this sequence which sees the customers of the café intoning The Marseillaise.
A rich and varied 4K box
Winner of the Oscar for Best Director, the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay is Best Picture Oscar, casablanca obviously hasn’t aged a bit. All the more thanks to a 4K release offered by Warner. A quality box consisting of a SteelBook with the film on a Blu-ray disc and on a 4K UHD disc allowing you to (re)watch casablanca in the best quality currently.
Above all, Warner did not settle for the minimum by adding to the film a nice 32-page booklet with press articles of the time. To this are added a double-sided poster and seven cards with a collector’s envelope. A significant set to accompany the film and its bonuses.
Who is Michael Curtiz?
These are varied to say the least, but not necessarily all relevant. We still retain a charming introduction to the film by Lauren Bacall, the wife of Humphrey Bogart. The always interesting deleted scenes. Or the documentary Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You’ve Never Heard Of, which testifies to the Michael Curtiz paradox. An extremely prolific filmmaker (more than 160 films) whose name is ultimately little known.
For 37 minutes Michael Curtiz is honored. Obviously the documentary is made to flatter him, with Spielberg or Friedkin who go so far as to consider him the greatest director. But it is above all the analysis of his style, his desire for realism well before casablancaor the big shows offered with countless extras (such as Noah’s ark in 1928) which makes this bonus an exciting element.
The 4K UHD box of casablanca is available at 39.99€ from November 16.
