| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Real Casino, The
Sub Rosa // Unrated // December 30, 2003
List Price: $21.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Whenever I see a film which is based on (or inspired by, or suggested by...) a true story, I usually find that I want to know more about what really happened. Even with the tons of extras that we get on DVDs, the true story is rarely to be had. Filmmaker Joseph Alexadre apparently feels the same way, as he has made a documentary which tells the true story behind Martin Scorsese's Casino, entitled The Real Casino.
The film Casino, which was based on a novel by Nicholas Pileggi, told the story of Chicago mobsters Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) who move to Las Vegas to make their fortune. In his documentary, Alexandre attempts to explore the real-life influences on these characters, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro, as well as Alan Dorfman, who was the basis for Alan King's "Andy Stone" character. Alexandre interview several Chicago residents who were either directly involved with the mob, had relatives who were involved, or who witnessed mob rule first-hand.
The problems with The Real Casino are multiple. First of all, Alexandre assumes that if you are watching this documentary, then you have seen Casino, and thus offers little, if any, backstory, although, there are clips from Scorsese's film. I have not seen Casino, so I was lost from the outset. Secondly, the documentary is simply too short. At just 25 minutes, the film ends just as the material is beginning to come together. But, the biggest problem with The Real Casino is that Alexandre doesn't fulfill his goal, as the documentary focuses on mobsters and those in Chicago in particular, but it doesn't shed much light on the characters from Casino. Some of the interviewees (some of who are concealed in darkness to protect their identities) mention the real-life mobsters, but they are often imbedded in a story with many characters. (And most of the speakers play the pronoun game, littering their stories with "he" this and "he" that, leaving the audience bewildered.) The stories are semi-interesting, most notably that of a restaurateur who resisted mob control, but if you are hoping to get an inside look at Casino, you will ultimately be disappointed.
Video
The Real Casino craps out on DVD courtesy of Sub Rosa Studios. The documentary was shot on video and is presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio. The quality of the video image varies throughout the film, as it is moderately sharp and clear at times, but very muddy at others. Most of the shots show some ghosting and video noise, while some goes as far as to have pixellating and distracting distortion.
Audio
The DVD carries a digital stereo audio track. This track is seemingly unremarkable, as it provides clear dialogue, but the recording level was apparently quite low. When the track is brought to an audible level, there is noticeable hissing and distortion. The occasional musical cues sound fine.
Extras
The Real Casino carries a bizarre array of extras. There are two additional cuts of the documentary included here, but they are simply shorter versions of the 25-minute cut. The "Tele France 1" version runs as 14-minutes, while the "Independent Film Channel" cut is 8-minutes. "Deleted Scenes & Bonus Footage" (13 minutes) contains longer cuts of three of the interviews from the documentary. The 12-minute "Making of" segment features comments from filmmaker Alexandre plus anecdotes from several crew members.
I applaud the idea of making a documentary which take a look behind the dramatized movie and reveals the true-story, but The Real Casino fails to achieve this goal and leaves the viewer with even more questions.
Whenever I see a film which is based on (or inspired by, or suggested by...) a true story, I usually find that I want to know more about what really happened. Even with the tons of extras that we get on DVDs, the true story is rarely to be had. Filmmaker Joseph Alexadre apparently feels the same way, as he has made a documentary which tells the true story behind Martin Scorsese's Casino, entitled The Real Casino.
The film Casino, which was based on a novel by Nicholas Pileggi, told the story of Chicago mobsters Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) who move to Las Vegas to make their fortune. In his documentary, Alexandre attempts to explore the real-life influences on these characters, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro, as well as Alan Dorfman, who was the basis for Alan King's "Andy Stone" character. Alexandre interview several Chicago residents who were either directly involved with the mob, had relatives who were involved, or who witnessed mob rule first-hand.
The problems with The Real Casino are multiple. First of all, Alexandre assumes that if you are watching this documentary, then you have seen Casino, and thus offers little, if any, backstory, although, there are clips from Scorsese's film. I have not seen Casino, so I was lost from the outset. Secondly, the documentary is simply too short. At just 25 minutes, the film ends just as the material is beginning to come together. But, the biggest problem with The Real Casino is that Alexandre doesn't fulfill his goal, as the documentary focuses on mobsters and those in Chicago in particular, but it doesn't shed much light on the characters from Casino. Some of the interviewees (some of who are concealed in darkness to protect their identities) mention the real-life mobsters, but they are often imbedded in a story with many characters. (And most of the speakers play the pronoun game, littering their stories with "he" this and "he" that, leaving the audience bewildered.) The stories are semi-interesting, most notably that of a restaurateur who resisted mob control, but if you are hoping to get an inside look at Casino, you will ultimately be disappointed.
Video
The Real Casino craps out on DVD courtesy of Sub Rosa Studios. The documentary was shot on video and is presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio. The quality of the video image varies throughout the film, as it is moderately sharp and clear at times, but very muddy at others. Most of the shots show some ghosting and video noise, while some goes as far as to have pixellating and distracting distortion.
Audio
The DVD carries a digital stereo audio track. This track is seemingly unremarkable, as it provides clear dialogue, but the recording level was apparently quite low. When the track is brought to an audible level, there is noticeable hissing and distortion. The occasional musical cues sound fine.
Extras
The Real Casino carries a bizarre array of extras. There are two additional cuts of the documentary included here, but they are simply shorter versions of the 25-minute cut. The "Tele France 1" version runs as 14-minutes, while the "Independent Film Channel" cut is 8-minutes. "Deleted Scenes & Bonus Footage" (13 minutes) contains longer cuts of three of the interviews from the documentary. The 12-minute "Making of" segment features comments from filmmaker Alexandre plus anecdotes from several crew members.
I applaud the idea of making a documentary which take a look behind the dramatized movie and reveals the true-story, but The Real Casino fails to achieve this goal and leaves the viewer with even more questions.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||