Casablanca goes digital ... play it Sam!

Of all the black and white films, in all the film archives in all the world, Casablanca was chosen for a return to the big screen.

The Golden Era film is one of five classics making their digital debuts in Bunbury for the Grand Cinemas Retro Roll-Out.

Other films in the series include Grease, Pulp Fiction, Scarface and Life of Brian.

Casablanca was released in 1942 and it has been 70 years since the film was first shown in Australia in 1944.

Grand Cinemas Bunbury venue manager Kate Godber said digital versions of classic films only became available in the past few years.

“It used to only be available on 35mm, or film,” she said.

“But they have been digitally remastered which gives cinemas access to that.”

Ms Godber said the cinema chain carried out a Statewide survey of which films should be part of the series.

“There were quite a broad range of classics – Dirty Dancing was a very popular response, ” she said.

“There were a few Hitchcock films but Casablanca was the most popular film from that era.”

Ms Godber said Casablanca, showing on Wednesday and Sunday this week, held a special appeal to the senior community.

“It gives them an opportunity to relive the old classics, ” she said.

Grease and Pulp Fiction have already been shown, but Casablanca will be followed by Scarface on November 29 and 30, and Life of Brian on December 13 and 14.

See Thursday’s South Western Times for a modern response to Casablanca in a special movie review.

“It gives them an opportunity to relive the old classics” — Kate Godber

Click here to go mobile with iNFOGO - local everywhere