Review of Casino (Special Edition)

Introduction

I kind of missed the whole gangster genre, dismissed it early on as an unworthy genre for my attention. Not sure why, may have been old-fashioned morals kicking in, who knows? In fact, prior to last year I think the only gangster-type film I`ve seen was The Untouchables, but that was the good guys getting one over on De Niro so that was alright. I also dismissed the almost worship of Scorsese as hype. What was I thinking?

Last year I picked up the Godfather boxset and Goodfellas in a sale, and my god, was my view changed! Still ultimately unsympathetic characters by and large, but there was certainly a good story to tell. Going much against the grain, I also thought Godfather III was pretty good. Different kind of story than the previous two, more one of redemption, but still a good film.

Casino is the story of three people; Sam `Ace` Rothstein (Robert De Niro), Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) and Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone). Sam is an ace gambler, winning money hand over fist for the Mob. Nicky is an old friend from the streets who is assigned to look after him, in a way that only a Joe Pesci mob character can. Sam is given the opportunity to move to Las Vegas and take over the running of the Tangiers casino, and takes to it like a duck to water. He falls for the lifestyle and then falls for good-time girl Ginger, who is essentially only out to get whatever she can from whoever she meets. After an arranged marriage to Ginger, things are looking good for Sam. Not for too long though as Nicky arrives in Vegas looking to make his mark…

Video

Has a clear and clean anamorphic transfer that appears to be pristine with the period colours looking really sharp (De Niro`s choice of opening suit almost blinded me…). I`ve seen some complaints on the internet about a shoddy previous transfer, but this is superb. This is also one of the few films where I`ve avoided the temptation to get rid of the black bars and stretch the picture. Yeah, I`m a philistine, I know…

The editing in this film is quite something-else, provided by long-time Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker (I found out in the extras). She was obviously helped by some stunning shot set-ups by the Director, but still a fantastic job and worthy of much more than the Eddie nomination in 1996 by the American Cinema Editors.

Audio

Excellent use of period music throughout and the use of the over the top classical piece by Bach over the title sequence adds a touch of class. The soundtrack music moves with the story, so we get snippets of jazz, lounge music, glam rock and then finally some new-wave. I thought having Roxy Music`s `Love Is The Drug` was a high-point, but `Whip It` and `(I Can`t Get No) Satisfaction` by Devo just sent me to heaven. Just can`t fault the music used; the Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Animals, Moody Blues…

Features

Extras appear across the two discs, those marked with an asterix appear on Disc one.

Commentary* - slight misnomer there as this is really short interview footage that has been transplanted on top of the film. A narrator announces each segment`s contributor (and this is every time someone new speaks) and this feature is the one disappointment of this DVD. It wouldn`t be so bad if this was all new stuff, but it`s clear that it is extended footage from the interviews in the documentary extras. Very lazy and so lots of repetition.

Production Notes* - some extensive notes on the production of the film with quotes from some of the main players.

Casino: The Story - exploring how the story came about and how this time the film came before the book (unlike Goodfellas)

Casino: The Cast And Characters - exploring the reasoning behind the casting with short interview footage with the main stars and players

Casino: The Look - exploring how the period feel was achieved

Casino: After The Filming - looking at the editing of Casino, the title sequence, the reception of the film and subsequent re-evaluation

Deleted scenes - four scenes in total that just run straight through rather then separated. A couple of scenes are a bit superfluous but add a little to Pesci`s character. The other two scenes are just really outtakes of scenes already in the film. One is of Rickles on the phone to De Niro when the latter asks him for a gun, where Rickles adlibs at the end and cracks up the crew nearby. The other features Scorsese`s mother in the Grocery Store and proves she is an unsung comedy heroine.

Vegas And The Mob - short documentary on the Mob history behind Las Vegas.

History Alive: True Crime Authors - a History Channel programme on the Casino/Goodfellas author Nicholas Pileggi. Basically runs through the real story that became Casino. Amazing how close the real story is to the filmed version.

Conclusion

A classic tale of greed and paradise lost. What should have been a sweet, if illegal, set-up is lost due to the greed and pride of too many people. Las Vegas was set up by gangsters in an attempt to become legitimate to a degree, and the vision of turning a strip of desert into the palatial wonderland seen both in this film and in real life is something to behold. The greed and the pride of these people, at all levels, is something that ultimately leads to their downfall and the loss of total grip on the town.

The film itself is almost 3 hours long, but it doesn`t feel that way. Time almost flies, which may in part be caused by the way the film is structured. Part narrative, part documentary, the film not only tells a story but is narrated by the main characters where they fill you in on events pertinent to the overall story, moving things along and explaining how things work. Only one minor character has the honour of a narration, at a critical part of his interrogation by a mob boss explaining his next choice of words.

The good thing about this film is that it moves up a level from Goodfellas. Goodfellas was purely about the men at street level. Casino is about the bosses and how they think and react to events. It also shows what can go wrong when street men like Pesci`s character move up a level, where ambition blinds his common sense.

I could say much much more about this film as it`s had a major impact on me. That doesn`t happen that often and I tend to get very enthused when it does. I`ll certainly be watching this one again, and with the glut of extras here this is certainly the version to own. If you own the previous release, discard it and get this one now…