ADDITION: Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray January 16': Warner go dual-layered with their MoD of Passage to Marseille starring Bogie and some of the supporting cast from Casablanca (Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre.) It's unfair to compare it to that iconic film from 2 years earlier, but Passage is still an excellent adventure/drama. The image quality is as good as you might hope for - advancing upon the SD - in the key area of contrast - a function of detail. The grain texture is rich and the image slightly darker than the old DVD.

Warner use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track at a very healthy 1950 kbps (24-bit). It sounds predictably flat but clean and crisp with some impressive depth (plane engines etc.) and the score sounds appropriately dramatic in lossless and is by the great Max Steiner (The Fountainhead, Casablanca, The Caine Mutiny, Bird of Paradise, Beyond the Forest, Pursued etc. etc.) All audio is impressively exported by the lossless - equally the brilliant film-like image. The Warner Blu-ray disc offers large (in all caps!) English subtitles in a gaudy yellow font (see sample) and is region FREE.

There abundant - Warner Night at the Movies - extras duplicate the DVD but to highlight one - I really got a kick out of the Blooper real (entitled 'Breakdowns'). It's only about 7 minutes long but I thoroughly enjoyed it - filmed verbal faux-pas of performers like Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis and Bogart himself. Another worthwhile supplement viewing was the 16 minute new featurette The Free French: Forgotten Unsung Victors. For the most part Warner's Night at the Movies 'section' can get a little tiresome but I still enjoy the cartoon entries (in this case - The Weakly Reporter').

The Blu-ray is a keeper - plenty of value here with a great Bogie film - surrounded by the best support in the business. There are some pleasing supplements and we definitely give this a recommendation!

***

ON THE DVD (October 2006): Although this DVD is only 'officially' available in The Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2, a few individual marketplace sellers have broken up the package and are re-selling the single thinpak DVDs (aside from the 3-disc The Maltese Falcon - which is selling separately by Warner). We strongly recommend the complete collection which represents 7 disc (5 feature films - all on dual-layered DVDs) - they are all coded for regions 1 through 4 in the NTSC standard. Each offer original audio and optional English, French or Spanish subtitles. There are extensive extra features (see individual reviews for more detail).

This is a magnificent progressive transfer from Warner on this  Bogie classic. Excellent contrast - the image looks almost brand new with hardly any damage at all. Warner's restoration, combined with what must have been strong elements, give this DVD top marks in the visual category. Audio is likewise clear and clean.

Overall this DVD set is a very good purchase. Warner has continued their commitment to preserving and distributing vintage cinema from the golden age of Hollywood in the best packages possible. Strongly recommended!

Gary W. Tooze