CONSENSUS #11. Casablanca (1942)

 

SYNOPSIS: The super-famous film about Rick and Ilsa in Vichy Morrocco during WWII. Rick (Humphrey Bogart) runs a night club that is the center for intrigue and espionage. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) reenters his life on the arm of a Resistance leader who is on the lam from the Gestapo. Rick and Ilsa rekindle their romance, but the bigger picture intrudes.

BACK-STORY: “Casablanca” is a war movie released in 1942 to coincide with Operation Torch and the liberation of Casablanca. It is based on an unproduced play entitled “Everybody Comes to Rick’s”. Shockingly, several writers adapted it which flies in the face of multi-writers signaling problems. It was directed by Michael Curtiz. It was Bogart’s first romantic role. In spite of the chemistry between him and Ingrid Bergman, they never made another film together. Only three American actors have roles. Many of the extras were Jewish refugees. It was filmed at the studio. The Production Code Administration had all direct references to sex removed from the script. (Note to current television writers, it is possible to be sexy without beating the audience over the head.) It won three Oscars (Picture, Director, Screenplay) and was nominated for Actor (Bogart – robbed by Paul Lukas (who?) in “Watch on the Rhine”!!), Supporting Actor (Rains – robbed by Charles Coburn in “The More the Merrier”!), Cinematography (how did it lose that one?), Editing, and Music.

TRIVIA:

1.  It was Bogart’s first romantic role.  He was never comfortable with kissing on film.

2.   In spite of the chemistry between him and Ingrid Bergman, they never made another film together. 

3.  Only three American actors have roles. 

4.  Many of the extras were Jewish refugees.   

5.  The Production Code Administration had all direct references to sex removed from the script.  References to Renault selling visas for sex were removed and references to Rick and Ilsa having been lovers.  The line “What the --- are you playing?” was changed to “Sam, I told you never to play…”

6.  It was rushed to release to coincide with Operation Torch.  One of the landings was at Casablanca.

7.  An alternate ending was considered with Rich joining the Free French for the invasion of North Africa, but Claude Rains was unavailable.  David O. Selznick decided it would be a mistake to change the ending.

8.  Dooley Wilson was a drummer.  His piano playing was dubbed.

9.  It is a myth that Ronald Reagan was considered for Rick.  Bogart was the man from day one.

10.  It is also a myth that it was undecided until the last moment who Ilsa would go with.  The Production Code would not have permitted her leaving her husband for Rick.

11.  Bogart stood on two inch blocks for some scenes with Bergman because she was taller than him.

12.  The movie was not iconic until the 1960s when, after Bogart’s death, a theater in Connecticut began showing it for three weeks each year.  Fans came dressed in trench coats and snap-brim hats.

13.  When it won the Best Picture award, studio head Jack Warner rushed up to receive it.  Producer Hal Willis was blocked in his seat by the Warner family.

14.  It has the most quotes on the AFI list of best quotes.

                5 -  “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

                20 – “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

                28 -  “Play it, Sam.  Play ‘As Time Goes By’”

                32 -  “Round up the usual suspects.”

                43 -  “We’ll always have Paris.”

                67 -  “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

 

Belle and Blade  =  N/A

Brassey’s              =  5.0

Video Hound       =  5.0

War Movies         =  5.0

Military History  =  #65

Channel 4             =  #30

Film Site                =  yes

101 War Movies  =  no

Rotten Tomatoes  =  #1 

ACCURACY: Accuracy is not really an issue. It does not claim to be based on a true story. The general outline is accurate. Morocco in 1941 was officially part of Vichy France and thus technically out of Nazi jurisdiction. Casablanca was a transit point for European refugees trying to get to Portugal and then to America. It seems likely that under real circumstances the Gestapo would have had less scruples about eliminating a resistance leader like Laszlo. The “letters of transit” were a fictitious plot device. In my opinion, one of the most accurate statements in the movie is made by Ferrari (Sidney Greenstreet) who is Rick’s shady-operator rival. He opines: “My dear Rick, when will you realize that in this world today, isolationism is no longer a practical policy?” The screenwriters obviously agreed with that sentiment, as did FDR who screened the movie in The White House (la casa blanca).

OPINION: “Casablanca” is one of the top five movies of all time. It is one of the few “classics” that holds up for modern audiences. The dialogue is crackling. Numerous quotes are among the greatest in movie history. The acting is top notch. Bogart is at the top of his game and he is matched by Bergman. Rains is outstanding in the best performance of his career. The only downer is Henreid’s stiff performance, but that was partly due to the saintliness of the character. You throw in Strasser, Lorre, and Greenstreet and you have an amazing cast. The musical score keeps pace with the acting. The song “As Time Goes By” is justifiably one of the most memorable in cinema history. The cinematography is awesome. Bergman’s face is shot in such a way to highlight her conflicting emotions. The darkness and shadows give the film a film noire feel.

In conclusion, “Casablanca” is one of the greatest movies of all time, but is it one of the greatest war movies? It certainly fits the 100 Greatest list better than “Foreign Correspondent” or “The Third Man” or “Notorious”, for example. Although I have my qualms about it being part of the genre, clearly most experts think it fits.  With that said, it certainly deserves its placement at #11.  It clearly is better than two of the upcoming films.  You’ll know them when they appear.