While notions of what defines a classic motion picture continue to be debated in the film industry, academia and popular critical arenas, Casablanca seems to be the enduring public favorite from Hollywood's Golden Age. For many, the intrigue and romance of Casablanca remain cherished notes from the heyday of the studio system. The film boasts a colorful cast of supporting character actors, a slick and often wryly comical Epstein brothers screenplay, a lush Max Steiner score (shaped from the standard "As Time Goes By") and definitive star turns by two of the world's most popular screen actors, Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.

Casablanca unfolds during World War II, when the occupation forced many Europeans to flee the rise of the Third Reich. In French Morocco's Casablanca, Rick (Bogart) is an American expatriate and cynical impresario of the popular Cafe‚ Americain. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she had to walk into mine," Rick famously sighs when Ilsa (Bergman), a woman from his past, walks back into his life. Now married to a Resistance organizer, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), Ilsa has arrived in Casablanca with hopes of obtaining passage to America for herself and her husband. After an emotional reunion, Rick and Ilsa, hopelessly divided, must choose between rekindling their affair and making a heroic sacrifice.

Warner Home Video recently released a two-disc special edition of Casablanca that will please both the casual viewer and devout fan. This presentation is the most impressive video version of this popular title to date. Although the DVD Warner issued in 1999 was solid, scratches, print dirt and less-than-desirable contrast levels were sometimes evident. This new picture transfer perfectly captures the dense and luminous lighting scheme crafted by pioneering cinematographer and ASC co-founder Arthur Edeson (The Old Dark House, Frankenstein, All Quiet on the Western Front); it has been digitally scrubbed of any print dirt or scratches, and Edeson's varied lighting setups are now seamlessly realized. The audio track has been cleared of imperfections and sounds very fine, considering its age.

In addition to theatrical trailers, the first platter's supplements are two audio commentaries. The first, by popular film critic Roger Ebert, too often consists of quotes from others' research, dubious observations and conjecture. The second, by film historian Rudy Behlmer, is a far more scholarly effort.

Disc two offers a trove of supplements that will keep viewers occupied for hours. Fans will delight in the brief additional scenes and outtakes that were recently discovered in studio vaults, and in two substantial documentaries, the 34-minute Tribute to Casablanca and the 90-minute Bacall on Bogart. Both documentaries are packed with interviews with film professionals and historians, including Bergman, John Huston, Katharine Hepburn, Peter Bogdanovich, Julius Epstein and Richard Brooks. In addition to Carrotblanca, a giddy Looney Tunes cartoon from 1995, supplements include an original broadcast of the radio play, an early television adaptation, production notes, scoring-session recordings and other ephemera. Also included is an interesting segment entitled "The Children Remember," in which Pia Lindstrom and Stephen Bogart recall their parents' feelings about the film.

With Casablanca, producer Hal Wallis and director Michael Curtiz shaped an unproduced stage play into a film that has, over the years, become part of American popular culture. Expressions such as "Here's looking at you, kid," "We'll always have Paris," and - although it is never actually spoken in the film - "Play it again, Sam" have become part of our collective vocabulary. The bittersweet notes of "As Time Goes By" instantly signal the cliche of Hollywood romance, even for those who have never seen Casablanca. With this gleaming new transfer and treasure chest of supplements, Warner Home Video has fashioned a worthy special edition that beckons repeated visits to Rick's Cafe, and to a time when sacrifice and honor held their own in the face of incomprehensible odds.