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Casablanca
1942 Comedy / Drama / Romance / War
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Credits
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Director: Michael Curtiz
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Script: Murray Burnett, Joan Alison, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Casey Robinson
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Photo: Arthur Edeson
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Music: Max Steiner
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Cast: Humphrey Bogart (Rick Blaine),
Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa Lund),
Paul Henreid (Victor Laszlo),
Claude Rains (Captain Renault),
Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser),
Sydney Greenstreet (Signor Ferrari),
Peter Lorre (Ugarte),
S.Z. Sakall (Carl),
Madeleine LeBeau (Yvonne),
Dooley Wilson (Sam),
Joy Page (Annina Brandel),
John Qualen (Berger),
Leonid Kinskey (Sascha),
Curt Bois (Pickpocket),
Marcel Dalio (Croupier)
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Country: USA
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Language: English / French / German
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Runtime: 102 min; B&W
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Summary
In 1942, the French-controlled Moroccan town of Casablanca is a transit
point for people fleeing to America from Nazi persecution. Rick
Blaine, an American expatriate and one-time freedom fighter, is the
owner of a popular nightclub which is frequented by refugees, Nazis,
crooks and gamblers. One day, the notorious Czech resistance
leader Victor Laszlo arrives with his wife, Ilsa. It is a
horrible twist of fate. Only a few years before, Rick and Ilsa had
enjoyed a passionate love affair in Paris. Since Ilsa walked out
on him, Rick has closed his heart to love and has become hard and
cynical. When she hears that Rick has in his possession letters
of transit that will guarantee her and her husband save passage to
America, Ilsa pleads with him to let her have them. Rick
realises that he still loves Ilsa and knows that he can never let her
go...
Review
Just what is it that makes Casablanca
such an enduring classic and the most popular romantic film drama of
all time? Is it the iconic pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid
Bergman? Is it the seductive blend of romance, melodrama,
intrigue and comedy? Is it the stylish, highly atmospheric film
noir look? These all play a part, but probably what most makes Casablanca such a great film is
that it deals with universal truths about the human condition, notions
of love, virtue, honour and sacrifice, and in a way that few other
films manage.
For all the praise that is heaped on Casablanca,
it is not without its flaws (although these are easily overlooked) and its
production was beset with some major problems (famously, the
screenwriters were still working on the ending whilst the film was
being shot). Yet Casablanca
has an allure and a magic that almost defies description and which any
self-respecting film executive would give his high teeth for. It
is a film which you can watch time and again and still be moved by, a
film which rewards the eye, the intellect and the heart, a film which
is the very embodiment of the cinema classic. It is a rare thing
indeed - a popular film which is also a masterpiece of cinematic art.
It’s hard to know where Casablanca’s
greatness stems from. Michael Curtiz’s meticulous direction
certainly plays a part. The lead actors certainly deserve some
credit. In his first romantic lead, Bogart gives arguably his
best performance, that of a man who struggles to contain a broken heart
within a gradually crumbling shell of hard cynicism.
Bergman has never looked so radiant and fragile as she does in this
film. Paul Henreid is the attractive third element in the
ill-fated love-triangle and Conrad Veidt makes a deliciously villainous
Nazi officer. Most memorable is Claude Rains as the comically
corrupt Captain Renault - his entertaining turn undercuts the melodrama
beautifully without diminishing its impact. Rains was nominated
for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1944, whilst Bogart received a
nomination for Best Actor.
And then there’s Max Steiner intensely evocative score, which skilfully
weaves in the film’s most famous air, "As Time Goes By" at every
opportunity. It is this music, along with Arthur Edeson’s film
noir expressionist cinematography which lends the film its
unforgettable mood of tension and oppression, with a note of very
poignant lyricism. Both Steiner and Edeson were
nominated for Oscars for their work on this film, two of the eight
nominations which resulted in three awards: Best Picture, Best Director
and Best Screenplay.
Casablanca may be a great love
story but it is also a pretty blatant propaganda film. As was
typical for a film made during WWII, it reminds its audience that there
are some values which are worth making sacrifices for, that there are
circumstances where we must put our cherished beliefs before the love
for an individual. The film makes the most shameless appeal to
patriotism and heroism, most famously in the sequence where Laszlo
strikes up a resounding chorus of La
Marseillaise. Yet, unlike many propaganda films, Casablanca’s messages are
universal, not specific to one place or time, and this is what gives
the film's moral perspective an enduring impact.
The success of Casablanca has
inspired many imitations and spin-offs. Warner Brothers have made
several attempts to cash in on its success; most notably it made two TV
series with the same name, one in 1955 and one in 1983, and also a
brilliant spoof cartoon entitled Carrotblanca
(with Bugs Bunny taking Bogart’s role). The failure of
these imitations to capture even a small fraction of the essence of the
original 1942 film shows just how great that film really is. The
magic of Casablanca is
eternal, as memorable as its frequently quoted (and misquoted)
lines. You’ve watched it before and you can watch it again, for
old time’s sake - we’ll always have its bliss. I think this is the
beginning of a beautiful friendship. Here’s looking at you,
kid. Etc.
© James Travers 2008
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