…is whether or not WBHE’s Casablanca 4K Bluray (11.8) will resemble my all-time-favorite version, which is the slightly DNR-ed 2008 Bluray. If it has that clean and velvety look, fine. If it doesn’t and instead resembles the unfortunate 70th anniversary 2012 Bluray, which is crawling with billions and billions of digital mosquitoes, I will (a) be unhappy and (b) do what I can to spread the word.
I know that grain is integral to celluloid images, but I hate it all the same. Especially when it comes to black-and-white. I don’t want to know from grain, ever. Grain is a pestilence. I want clean, pristine, silvery images that look exquisite by present-day standards.
The new 4K Casablanca “was restored and remastered from a 2022 4K 16bit film scan of the best-surviving nitrate film elements. The 4K-scanned digital images went through an extensive digital restoration process to clean and repair the picture for an unprecedented and pristine ultra-high-resolution presentation. The restored images were then graded in High Dynamic Range for today’s premium 4K display experience, providing the highest fidelity in image contrast and detail retention. This work was meticulously handled by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. The original theatrical mono audio has also been newly restored as well, providing a richer and broader frequency response than previously possible.”
I think it’s fair to ask Variety‘s Clayton Davis if he’s finally seen Casablanca. If he has, fine, but he should submit to extensive questioning. If he hasn’t, he needs to be a man and admit that.
