Casablanca 4K Movie Review | Must-Have Upgrade? 

This could be the start of a wonderful friendship...sorry could not resist..

In film class - it was the first time I'd seen it. When the lights went up, I was revelling in it. A few rows behind me, I heard another student tell her friend "well it was good, but it was SO cliche" and I immediately broke out laughing

Can't wait to pick this up, have seen Casablanca dozens of times, including twice in the theatre and it never gets old, truly perfection.

Casablanca really is a classic. Was lucky enough to see on big screen a couple years back and would highly recommend if you get the chance.

Casablanca = Classic! 100%, no discussion necessary really! 🙂👍🏻

This is a film that I first saw in High School when I started to dive into film (as opposed to just watching what fit my tastes) and I loved it immediately. I don’t watch it as often as I should, but every time I do, I think appreciate it more.

SUCH A GREAT FILM. The Roger Ebert commentary on this (and CITIZEN KANE) are like a master class in film.....insightful isn't a good enough word. Thanks for this...I need to buy this asap. I used to rewatch and rewatch not only the movie but his commentary. It is superb.

Casablanca is one of my all time favorite films. I've seen it probably 100 times.

Thank you for this review 🙏 I’ve actually never watched this movie and I think I’ll order it and give it a watch.

Wow! Great review, Heath! I was on the fence about this since I have the blu, but it sounds like this is the absolute ultimate release. I'll be upgrading for sure!

Cinematic perfection is right. I just picked up the laserdisc release a few weeks ago. The painted poster is the cover image.

I'm definitely going to upgrade my blu ray after hearing your excellent review. I also want to echo your views on the video shop days, when there was a kind of film curatorship between the shop assistants and the patrons ( much more effective than the computer algorithms we suffer today ! ) and this is why I watch your Informative channel. Also, what you said about watching a film more than once is spot on. Like any art form, whether it be music, paintings or literature. You need to hear It, see it, read it more then once in order to appreciate it fully and if possible do further research on it. Finally, as much as I love "Casablanca", my favourite Bogart performance is as Dixon Steele, opposite the wonderful Gloria Graham, in Nicholas Ray's "In A Lonely Place" (1950).

I guess you really love it! I really enjoy when a movie comes out on physical media that somebody absolutely loves. The excitement and joy I hear in their voice just makes me so happy for them.

Nice review Heath! I appreciate your view on this movie. I posted my review of it last night. You are right! It looks perfect. Thanks for what you do. I look up to you. Your intro was great, don't stress

Glad to hear your thoughts. I'm a big fan of the film myself. May have to grab this soon. I really like that original art too and your sweet poster. Thanks for sharing.

I’m gonna have to get this. I’ve never seen it and this is how I want to watch it.

Great review! I was a young movie fan who couldn't get into Citizen Kane but instantly loved this movie. It's still my fave. I opted for the Zavvi ultimate collectors edition 4K steelbook of this (great art) which I hope to receive soon.

Great film and transfer! Now we need "Treasure of the Sierra Madre", "In a Lonely Place", "Maltese Falcon", etc.

Thanks for the insights into this release. I have several nice editions so was curious if it was worth the upgrade but both yourself and Jeff at Films At Home have given this a great review. I agree with you on your thoughts on this film. It is my favourite Bogey movie and one of my favourite films of all time (easily in my top 10). I love black and white in 4k with HDR. I watched the new KL Killer's Kiss the other night and it looked fantastic. A tad grainy but not in a bad way. Great him too. So I'm really looking forward to seeing this anew in all it's shadow and light glory. Michael Curtiz is in my top 5 directors. That guy was able to produce some amazing art under tough timeframe and budgetary conditions. Casablanca was no exception and was somewhat rushed so it's amazing what Curtiz was able to achieve. I agree on the art of the packaging. This generic "head" shot (sometimes a bunch of them) on packaging these days is very lazy and frankly unnecessary. The original poster art is much better by a billion miles. I must get myself a poster like that. Anyway there's a nice deluxe package on Zavvi which has a better presentation. For a film like this I think I will splurge and pay the 80 bucks for it to sit alongside my nice ultimate 70th anniversary Blu ray set (the white box). There are some movies where it's worth the splash out and to me this is one of them. Years ago I had the experience of a joy cruise flight on a 1935 Douglas DC-3 (I know the fake plane in Casablanca is supposed to be Lockheed L12 but...close enough lol) to King island ( near Tasmania). The small airport had a large cutout of Bogey I'm trenchcoat and hat at the entrance and the theme/decor was clearly trying to match that era. It was pretty cool ... the plane itself was a bit rattly but I couldn't help but keep thinking of those scenes in Indiana Jones of the plane flying juxtaposed on a map of where it was going. Whistles ...." you must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss....a sigh is just a sighhh!". Finally....I used to watch films like this (and including this) with my grandparents as a kid.....so this has a magical nostalgic element for me also. Film is after all the closest thing we have to actual time travel at this stage (I'll put that to be optimistic it might be really possible one day lol).

I saw it at Best Buy today, but I have already ordered the zavvi ultimate collectors steel book. So I’ll have to WAIT!!! Seen the trailer, the upgrade looks amazing!!

I need to get this movie. I've never seen it before

I always find you and your enthusiasm uplifting and inspiring Heath... that unique childlike magic has never, ever left your life, and never, ever will... but you had me watching through a haze of tears through most of this one. I love Casablanca, of course, and was so moved by your delightfully heartfelt review of this new rendition of it. Thank you.

I agree 100% with your thoughts on this film. 100%. Last time I ranked my favorites of all time it was #3. I have seen it more times than can be counted even once in a theatre.

The Steelbook and Limited Editions have a third disc with the Warner docs you mentioned.

Magnífica película

The cover is acceptable but the original is better. One glaring note on Picture of HB on the cover is not photo shopped or Picture from the movie. Its from another HB movie. They picked it because it looked good. Nothing to do with Casablanca except as a marketing move with the assumption nobody would know except the the Uber fan long before Uber was a Driving service .Many of the people working on these Blu-ray and 4ks don't know the history and miss an obvious oversight. Great 4k Good Video 😎

One of my fav. movies : I splurged for the Zavvi ed. 😎

This movie made me fall in love with Bogart, and how cool he is. Fantastic movie, and everyone in are just perfect.

I do not understand why they have to replace the original artwork for classic movies? Back in the Golden Age of movies, these posters were real works of art drawn by hand, painted, a real labor of love and a lost craft. Now some young kids are replacing it with a photoshop mess. And if they have the rights to the original artwork, why pay for something you don't need? Anyway great release!

Are you going to get the Deluxe Steel Book edition? It looks really cool

A Night at the Movies goes as far back as VHS. Tom

Another problem I have with the cover is that Bogart's white tuxedo jacket is iconic for this movie. (Do you remember Cary Grant or Gary Cooper wearing a white tux??) He's wearing a black tuxedo jacket on the new cover and looks more like the Bogart of THE ROARING TWENTIES. Recently, Quentin Tarantino and Bill Maher were discussing the "letters of transit" in the movie. Maher sarcastically said, "The Nazis are remembered for their strict adherence to the letter of the law." That's the closest anyone has come to finding a flaw with this wonderful movie.

Was wondering when Noir-vember would kick off... getting warmer!

It really is one of the most perfect movies ever made. Casting all around perfection. Claude Rains steals every scene he is in. I continue to learn things about the movie. I always wondered why the Germans in the cafe were singing, “Watch on the Rhine”. The producers were going to have them sing the “Horst Wessel Leid” which was an unofficial anthem of the Nazi party. The issue was the song was still under copyright and they were concerned with issues when the film was would be screened in neutral countries. I’m actually glad they did not use it. “Watch on the Rhine” is much older written about defending against Napoleons invasions with lyrics dating from the 1848 revolutions. Nationalistic but no connection to WW2 and that regime. It’s the highlight in the movie when everyone drowns it out with the Marseille! Love Casablanca!

Think we'll get ..Treasure Sierra Madre or Maltese Falcon on 4K in next few yrs from WB? Madre's 75 Anniv is next yr.

They never mention the word Nazi in this movie. I watched the film as a teenager on tv during the 1970s and became a fan of Humphrey Bogart movies. I own a copy of it on DVD. I shall buy the 4K Bluray edition. Most young people don't appreciate classic Hollywood movies today because they are corrupted by popcorn CGI-laden movies with overpaid actors.

I thought the person on the cover art looks like Ben Affleck. Love the movie and have it on blu ray and HDX digital on Vudu so I likely won't buy it. Not for now, at least.