“You must remember this…” Calling Casablanca a classic is something of an understatement. It’s the machinery of Hollywood in the 40’s at its pinnacle. It’s got great direction from Michael Curtiz, a witty and fast paced script, and stars. Stars like stars should be – indelible – and a cast of memorable supporting players who pop in brief appearances. Huphrey Bogart plays Rick, the owner of a bar in Casablanca whose life gets shaken up by the appearance of Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), his long lost love. But she’s now married to a leading resistance fighter, and there’s a war on. Our review of the 70^th Anniversary edition of Casablanca on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

The joy at seeing two of Humphrey Bogart’s greatest films arrive on Blu-ray for the first time is tempered by some of Hollywood’s age-old tricks. Studios love selling us as many different versions of the same movie as they can, and the newly minted Blu-rays of  The Maltese Falcon and Treasure of the Sierra Madre are no exception. Both films stand as indisputable classics, but the discs themselves smack of quick-fix delivery: serving as placeholders for better things to come. Hit the jump for my full review.