Mystery. Intrigue. War time paranoia. Rick’s Café Americain. The name Casablanca conjures up adventure, unrequited love, and perilous times. It comes to DVD in an ultimate collector’s edition that brings the adventure back. Loaded with special features in an ultra-nice set, you won’t want to miss this.
Someone recently told me that ‘It’s a love story because it didn’t work out’. They weren’t referring to Casablanca, but they could have been. It’s a cynical way to look at things, but it describes Casablanca perfectly if you want to put Rick, Ilsa, Victor and the troubles they face in a World War II backdrop in a nutshell.
This set does the classic story justice: it is beautifully packaged with not just special features but special gifts - such as 48-page photo book, passport holder and luggage tag, 10 reproduction cards.
If these collectables don’t entice fans of the film to frequent Rick’s again, then the special features should. This set is simply loaded with great featurettes and documentary style information about the film. The back story to the film is just as intriguing, I think, as the movie.
It started as a play called ‘Everyone Comes to Rick’s’ and then Hollywood got a hold of it. There was a trade between studios to get Ingrid Bergman to play Ilsa, and they started filming without a clear ending in mind. It was just one of the many films that the studios churned out in those days, as most studios shot about a film a week.
However, it didn’t get lost in the shuffle; rather it became a winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture of 1944 and one of the best-loved classics most enduring movies of all time because Casablanca works and still works. Everybody comes to Rick’s and then comes back again and again.
The basic story is a love triangle between Rick and Victor and Ilsa. Ilsa was married to Victor, who was involved in his work-effort work, and she thought he had died. She meets Rick in Paris (shown through flashbacks) and they fall in love. She finds out as she is ready to leave with Rick on the train that Victor is still alive but very ill and needs her. She has to make a heartbreaking decision: husband or true love?
We see the rain falling on the Dear John letter she has left Rick as he is waiting at the train station for her.
Flash forward. Rick is in Casablanca (as everyone else is it seems) and he owns a café/bar/club where everyone comes to smoke a lot and drink and try to fix a way to get out of Casablanca. Everyone is stuck there as no one can get out of Casablanca, it is like a Purgatory between two worlds: hell, which is Nazi invaded Europe, and freedom which is probably America and escape from the horrors of Nazi rule.
So they all meet at Rick’s and plot and plan and get arrested and try to get papers to get out. However, Rick’s heart is broken and even his dear friend Sam (Dooley Wilson) playing the piano can’t heal it. So he drinks and really doesn’t care about getting anywhere.
He is cynical and hard and, well, Bogart. Until Ilsa shows up in Casablanca and he says his memorable line, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
Yes, she does, Rick. Or else we wouldn’t have a movie. Surrounded by an excellent supporting cast that includes the infallible Peter Lorre as Signor Ugarte, Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, everyone has a story, and everyone wants to get out. Rick throws his hat into the ring for the elusive papers that everyone wants as he tries to make plans for he and Ilsa to escape together. However, there is the small problem of her husband, Victor (Paul Henreid).
If you don’t know the ending of Casablanca, I am not going to spoil it for you. I will say, however, that it is probably one of the best endings ever filmed. The true ending of the film was not decided upon until everything had wrapped, and Bogart and Rains were brought back for the final scene. The famous quote, “This is the start of a beautiful friendship,” endures in our psyches.
The special features include: A Roger Ebert Commentary; a Lauren Bacall Introduction; A Tribute ‘You Must Remember This’ to Casablanca; Bogart and Bacall documentaries; additional scenes and outtakes; Carrotblanca cartoon; Casablanca TV Series Premiere Episode, enhanced features for your DVD-ROM PC; scoring sessions outtakes, production history photo gallery and radio show.
There is also a bonus disc included: Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul, which is a look at the rise of a Hollywood legend and is produced by his grandson Gregory Orr.
This is a beautiful set that fans of Bogart or Bergman or the movie Casablanca, boxed in a lacy cut-out sleeve with plenty of goodies and extras that will make any fan happy. A definite don’t-miss, this set comes highly recommended!
Casablanca (Ultimate Collector's Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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