Movie lovers to receive early gift for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day may be many months away, but that didn’t stop Warner Home Video from giving film lovers an early gift. “Casablanca: Two-Disc Special Edition DVD” (WHV; $26.99, DVD only), which arrived in stores earlier this week, provides an incredibly detailed digitally remastered pressing of the timeless romantic tale. Directed by Michael Curtiz and winner of three Academy Awards (best picture, screenplay and director), the black-and-white film stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as ex-lovers caught up in the intrigue of World War II.
According to Ned Price, vice president technical operations mastering for Warner Bros. Entertainment, recent advances in digital technology allowed the creation of a new digital re-master directly from the nitrate picture and sound elements. The amazing result is certainly a treat for the eyes as the images simply sparkle on the screen.
In addition to an introduction by Lauren Bacall (who was married to the late, great Bogart), the extras include:
– 10 minutes of newly found deleted scenes and outtakes.
– The Looney Tunes characters in the cartoon homage “Carrotblanca.”
– Two documentaries, “You Must Remember This: The Making of ‘Casablanca'” and “Bacall on Bogart.”
– A featurette, “The Children Remember,” with parental memories from Stephen Bogart and Bergman’s daughter, Pia Lindstrom.
– “Who Holds Tomorrow?,” the premiere episode of the 1955 television adaptation of “Casablanca.”
In their reference book, “The Motion Picture Guide,” co-writers Jay Robert Nash and Stanley Ralph Ross devote considerable space to “Casablanca,” which they describe as “America’s most popular and beloved movie, and rightly so.”
Some fascinating “Guide” facts about the film include:
– The idea for the character of Sam, the piano player portrayed by Dooley Wilson, was inspired by a real-life musician whom playwright Murray Burnett encountered during a 1938 European trip to visit relatives. He was present when the Nazis took over Austria and marched into Vienna and witnessed the first flood of refugees pouring out of German-occupied territory. Later in the south of France, Burnett visited a small caf?, which overlooked the Mediterranean and was packed with wealthy refugees en route to Casablanca. In the midst of all the activity in the caf?, the writer noticed a black pianist entertaining an audience incongruously composed of Nazis, French, British and other nationalities.
– “Casablanca” began as a play, “Everybody Goes to Rick’s,” which Burnett co-wrote with Joan Alison. Martin Gable and Carly Wharton optioned the play and insisted on one change: that Ilsa (played in the film by Bergman) not go to bed with Rick (Bogart) in order to obtain the exit visas. They felt such an act diminished both characters.
– Hedy Lamar would have played Ilsa if MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer had agreed to loan her out to Warner Bros. Producer Hal Wallis then decided to hire Bergman, a Swedish actress.
– Jack Warner, the head of Warner Bros., suggested that George Raft play Rick, a tough guy with a soft heart. Wallis told the mogul that the screenwriters had written the dialogue specifically for Bogart and asked that Raft not be considered.
– The film was shot in 59 days entirely on the Warner Bros. lot.
– During filming, the creative team pondered changing the sex of the piano player, and Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald were considered as a replacement for Wilson, who had been a singer and drummer in New York. Studio musician Elliot Carpenter dubbed Wilson’s piano playing.
– The famous song, “As Time Goes By,” was first sung in the 1931 Broadway musical “Everybody’s Welcome,” and it was a favorite of Burnett, who added it to the script. The previously unknown song became a favorite with the public after the film’s release.
– When the screenwriters failed to think of a good French name for the police chief brilliantly played by Claude Rains, they chose Renault, the name of a popular French automobile.
– The 1942 film opened at New York’s Hollywood Theater on Thanksgiving Day, which was just three weeks after the Allies had landed in Casablanca.
“Casablanca” marked the only time Bogart and Bergman worked together. Their work and the film they helped to create remain unforgettable.
Swashbuckling titles
The surprise success of Walt Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom has generated plenty of interest in swashbuckling tales.
Some recently released titles filled with plenty of swordplay include:
“The Complete Musketeers” (Anchor Bay; $34.99, DVD only): “The Three Musketeers” and “The Four Musketeers,” both directed by Richard Lester, are available in this special package. The colorful films, starring Raquel Welch, Michael York, Oliver Reed and Richard Chamberlain and based on Alexandre Dumas’ novel, are presented in both full-screen and anamorphic wide-screen versions.
The extras include two documentaries, television spots and talent biographies.
– “The Crimson Pirate” (Warner; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD): Burt Lancaster, who began his career as a circus acrobat, was at the height of his physical prowess when he starred in this 1952 high-seas epic set in the 16th century. Lancaster directed the action footage, much of which also involves Nick Cravat, the star’s fellow circus performer who joined him in some bigger-than-life action tales featuring incredible stunts and colorful combat scenes.
– “Scaramouche” (Warner; $19.99, tape and DVD): One of Hollywood’s greatest sword-fighting scenes is captured by director George Sidney during this 1952 release in which a charming rogue (Stewart Granger) devotes himself to learning fencing skills. He does that in order to fight a noble (Mel Ferrer) responsible for the murder of a loved one.
Coming Soon!
The following VHS and DVD titles either have been or soon will be released to video stores.
If your local outlet doesn’t stock them, the tape and disc offerings can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web sites www.amazon.com or www.moviesunlimited.com, unless otherwise noted.
Movies
– “Bastoni: The Stick Handlers” (TLA; $24.99, tape and DVD; www.tlareleasing.com; now available), director Kazuhiko Nakamura’s unrated film-festival favorite revolving around a couple and the absurd existence they often face as stars in the Japanese adult-film industry.
– “Carrie” (MGM; $49.99, tape; $25.99, DVD; Aug. 12) with Angela Bettis (“Girl, Interrupted”) in the unrated TV movie based on the Stephen King novel about a high-school girl with psychic powers.
– “Cradle 2 the Grave” (Warner; $19.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Aug. 12) with Jet Li (“The One”) and DMX (“Exit Wounds”) in an R-rated action tale
– “Head of State” (DreamWorks; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 12) with Chris Rock (“Lethal Weapon IV”) in a PG-13 comedy about an idealistic politician in a quest to become president.
– “House of 1000 Corpses” (Lions Gate; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 12) with rocker-turned-filmmaker Rob Zombie making his directing debut with an R-rated fright film that was inspired by “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes” and concerns a family of psychopaths.
– “The Hunted” (Paramount; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 12) with Tommy Lee Jones (“The Fugitive”) and Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic”) in an R-rated action tale about a renegade assassin.
– “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” (Disney; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 12) with 15-year-old Hilary Duff (“Agent Cody Banks”) in a colorful PG-rated romp based on the popular Disney Channel cable series, “Lizzie McGuire,” designed for girls between the ages of 9 and 14.
– “Possible Loves” (TLA; $24.99, tape and DVD; www.tlareleasing.com; now available), director Sandra Werneck’s comedy drama about two former lovers who bump into each other 15 years after their relationship ended and wonder what happened to each other during the ensuing years. The unrated Brazilian import was an official selection at numerous film festivals, including Seattle, Edinburgh, Rio de Janeiro and Denver.
– “P.S. Your Cat Is Dead” (TLA; $39.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; www.tlareleasing.com; Aug. 12) with Steve Guttenberg (“Cocoon”), who also made his directing debut, in an R-rated comedy about a man suffering through numerous personal problems on New Year’s Eve.
Television
– “Futurama Volume Two DVD Collection” (Fox; $49.99, DVD only; Aug. 12), a four-disc set that includes all 19 episodes from the second season of the animated show created by Matt Groening (“The Simpsons”).
Children
– “Northpoint: Shape Masters” (Fort Fun; $12.99, tape; $16.99, DVD, now available), the first in a new video series that uses digitally animated children in titles designed to help youngsters discover the powers of their imagination during lessons about history.
drama and science.