Casablanca 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Casablanca 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Buy it again, Sam.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 8, 2022

Keeping their tradition of perpetually celebrating five and ten-year anniversary increments, Warner Bros. has finally released catalog staple Casablanca to 4K, replacing their own 70th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Giftset (reviewed here) and a single-disc version of that same edition. While both previous releases were sourced from a pretty impressive 4K remaster, this new 80th Anniversary Edition utilizes an even newer 4K master with slightly spruced-up audio to match. There's nothing else new here, though: it's a combo pack with the single-disc 70th Anniversary Edition as the Blu-ray, with its older master and copious vintage extras, that leaves out the Giftset's impressive bonus disc of even more legacy content including a whopping five-hour documentary. It's still a great set worth looking at, kid.

For a synopsis and appreciation of the main feature, please see Kenneth Brown's 2012 review of Casablanca's 70th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Giftset, linked above. With that said, let's get right into the A/V portion.

Casablanca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As mentioned earlier, the new 4K master created for this 80th Anniversary Edition differs from the 4K master used for Warner Bros.' 70th Anniversary Edition linked above... but to be fair, the overwhelming majority of it stems from the same vintage material. According to a trusted source, the best-remaining element -- and the one primarily used for both masters -- is a nitrate fine grain master positive created in 1942 and not Casablanca's original camera negative, which unfortunately no longer exists despite a long and exhaustive search. Two 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 studio print, both likewise created in 1942. These three source elements were newly scanned using improved technology and, combined with the greater format resolution of true 4K and a rather tasteful application of HDR10, the result is a much finer, tighter, and more dialed-in presentation than what we saw on that already-great previous release.

Invariably, the largest base-level improvements are overall fine detail (mostly a result of better disc compression and grain handling, explained shortly) as well as black levels and contrast. The moody and atmospheric Casablanca, dotted with only a few scenes shot outdoors in sunny weather, is dominated by cozily-lit interiors and nighttime sequences, both of which exhibit greater contrast levels and shadow detail now; gone is most of the noise and all of the contrast boosting and macroblocking seen on that 70th Anniversary Edition, the latter likely due to squeezing several hours of extras onto the same disc as the film. Casablanca's 4K disc now gets almost all 66GB of real estate to itself, revealing a more finely detailed image that was once previously hampered by chunkier grain and sporadic compression artifacts. Despite its smoother appearance, Warner Bros.' new 2160p transfer has not been subject to any grain management and, as a result, is as close to perfection as Casablanca has looked on home video to date, if not ever.

Likewise aiding its cause is the tasteful use of HDR10, which as always makes a difference even for black-and-white films. Depth is increased substantially in a few key scenes, largely due to a much greater dynamic range between jet-black and brilliant whites, leading to quite a few immediately striking moments that bring Casablanca's unforgettable atmosphere to life. Other scenes, even those not dominated by deep blacks and bright whites, enjoy a richer and more smoothly gradient appearance that likewise work in their favor. Although this element of its presentation may not be as immediately noticeable depending on your setup's maximum brightness level and native contrast, on a good-quality (and properly calibrated) display the differences should be just as evident as the resolution and clarity bump. From all perspectives, it's a solid improvement all around and, considering the previous Blu-ray scored perfect marks (which I've adjusted accordingly, since time goes by), it would be impossible not to give this release the same nod.

As mentioned earlier, the included Blu-ray movie disc (which is the source for this review's screenshots) is identical to Warner Bros.' 70th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray reviewed here; a single-disc version was also released.

Casablanca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix still preserves Casablanca's original mono source in this split-channel presentation, and likewise shows improvements over the 70th Anniversary Blu-ray, though to a smaller degree. Though not always as immediately noticeable, its overall dynamic range and balance are more smoothly refined, creating a sonic experience that's not quite as unavoidably harsh on the high end while obviously still sounding like a major studio production from 1942. Remaining instances of hiss and crackle missed during the previous restoration have, for the most part, been carefully removed as well, likely creating about as perfect an audio presentation as possible under the circumstances. Thankfully, a faux-surround remix has again not been attempted; it's nothing but pure, unfiltered original audio as far as the ears can hear, along with several foreign dubs and most of the same subtitle options as before.

Casablanca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with moody cover art and a matching slipcover -- just ignore that the top image of Bogey is from a completely different film. A Digital Copy is also tucked inside.

Bonus features are included on both discs and are 100% identical to those found on Disc 1 of Warner Bros.' lavish 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset detailed here. Please note that Disc 2 of that edition, a separate Blu-ray with three long-form documentaries including the exhaustive five-hour You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story, is not included. That bonus disc was also omitted from the standard 70th Anniversary Edition seen here.

4K DISC (Movie and Bonus Features)

• Introduction by Lauren Bacall (2:03) - Now optionally playable before the film.

• Audio Commentary #1 - Featuring film critic Roger Ebert.

• Audio Commentary #2 - Featuring film historian Rudy Behlmer.

BLU-RAY DISC (Movie and Bonus Features)

• Introduction by Lauren Bacall (2:03) - Included as a separate feature only.

• Audio Commentary #1 - Same as above.

• Audio Commentary #2 - Same as above

• Warner Night at the Movies - A series of authentic pre-show historical pieces to set the proper mood, with a helpful "Play All" option that segues right into the main feature. I wish WB still kept this up.

• "Now, Voyager" Theatrical Trailer (2:19) - A vintage promotional piece for this 1942 film.
• Newsreel (4:35) - News about the war effort.
• Vaudeville Days (20:18) - A piece on the history of Vaudeville.
• The Bird Came C.O.D (7:43) - The first of three Merrie Melodies shorts.
• The Squawkin' Hawk (6:41)
• The Dover Boys at Pimento University (8:58)

• Behind the Story - A series of in-depth features about the film and its cast/crew.

• Great Performances: Bacall on Bogart (83:27)
• Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of (37:20)
• Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic (34:59)
• You Must Remember This: A Tribute to Casablanca (34:38)
• As Time Goes By: The Children Remember (6:45)

• Additional Footage - A few odds and ends.

• Deleted Scenes (1:40) - No audio, but subtitles are included from the original shooting script.
• Outtakes (4:58)
• Who Holds Tomorrow? (18:37) - A short TV remake of Casablanca.
• Carrotblanca (8:02) - Merrie Melodies' take on the film.

• Audio - Several vintage audio-only extras.

• Scoring Stage Sessions (8 clips, 15:22 total)
• 4/26/43 Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater Radio Broadcast (29:38)
• 11/19/47 VOX Pop Radio Broadcast (29:35)

• Trailers (2 clips, 5:08 total) - The original theatrical trailer and a re-release version.

Casablanca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Curtiz's Casablanca is one of the most respected films of all time, a true Golden Age classic and career-defining production for much of its cast and crew. Warner Bros. celebrates its 80th anniversary with a new 4K combo pack that stems from a newer 4K master than their own 70th Anniversary Edition. Although no new extras have been added (and if you own the 70th Anniversary Giftset (reviewed here), some have actually been subtracted), the A/V upgrades leave a substantial enough impression to make this worth owning for format adopters. Highly Recommended.