What more can a person say about a movie that defines the word classic?
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"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
The American Film Institute voted "Casablanca" the second best American film ever made. "Entertainment Weekly" gave it the number three spot among their "100 Greatest Movies." At the time of this writing, the user ratings at the Internet Movie Database ranked it number eleven in the site's "Top 250 Movies of All-Time." And a scientifically formulated and rigorously administered survey of both the Wife-O-Meter and myself placed the film squarely at number one.
What more can a person say about a movie that defines the word "classic"? Certainly, "Casablanca" is worthy of this new Warner Brothers Blu-ray "Ultimate Collector's Edition" box set.
The accolades, awards, and adulation were not bad for a film that almost never was. After all, when Warner Bros. made it in 1942, it was considered just another back-lot studio melodrama. The studio had been churning out these things by the boatload every year, using their usual stable of contract players. With a script that writers were reworking daily and a plot that mystified everyone on the set, it's a wonder the studio ever finished the film, let alone the film becoming one of the most famous ever made.
When did I first come to the movie? Well, it wasn't in 1942, I can tell you that. But it wasn't all that long afterwards. I remember it was a rainy Saturday afternoon in the mid 1950s; I was a kid, bored, and looking for something to watch on one of our three television channels. I turned on "Casablanca" about ten minutes into the picture. I had never seen it before--an old, fuzzy, black-and-white film interrupted by a multitude of commercials. But I stuck with it for over two hours, fascinated by something that would normally have left me cold--a romance! I had no idea how popular the movie was, winning Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, nor how much more popular it would become on TV, eventually attaining the status of most-often broadcast film in history. I only knew I loved it.
So, what's the attraction? Why does "Casablanca" consistently show up in the public's and critics' lists of top-ten films of all time? I suspect it's the characters, the atmosphere, the music, and the dialogue as much as anything else. Sure, it's a riveting love story, but without the colorful cast, exotic locale, and memorable lines, it would probably be just another potboiler, which, as I said, is about what its producers initially expected it to be. But the picture took on a life of its own as filming and rewrites continued, eventually emerging as the classic every movie buff knows by heart.
Based on an unproduced play, "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison, the film moves effortlessly from scene to scene under the guidance of veteran director Michael Curtiz. The main character is, of course, Richard Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart. He's a hard-bitten, world-weary cynic, thirty-seven, single, the owner of Rick's Cafe Americain, a night club-casino in Casablanca, French Morocco, just before America's entry into World War II. He is the quintessential antihero, a man who proclaims, "I stick my neck out for nobody." At least that's his philosophy until old flame Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) shows up. Then all bets are off as Rick turns back into a noble and caring human being.
On a trivia note, Jack Warner had originally pushed for George Raft to play the lead, but producer Hal Wallis insisted upon Bogart. Raft would later say he turned down the part because he didn't want to perform with an actress then unknown in America ("I don't want to star opposite some unknown Swedish broad"). That's OK. The year before he had turned down the role of Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon," saying the movie wasn't important enough, and he didn't trust a first-time director (John Huston). Isn't it reassuring to know that you're not the only one who makes mistakes? Serendipitous for us, though.
Add to the mix Rick's ever-faithful piano player, Sam (Dooley Wilson, who had to fake his piano playing); Ilsa's war-hero, resistance-fighter husband, the ultra-suave, ultra-gullible Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid); a weaselly thief named Ugarte (Peter Lorre); a conniving black-marketeer, "the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca," Senor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet); a lovable headwaiter, Carl (S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall); a magnificently evil villain, Major Heinrich Strasser of the German Third Reich (Conrad Veidt); and a Prefect of Police more sympathetic to himself than to the Germans who occupy his city, Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains). What you get is an ensemble cast that is unquestionably among the best ever assembled. More serendipity: The studio had entertained thoughts of using, among others, either Ronald Reagan or Joseph Cotten for the part of Laszlo; Hedy Lamarr or Ann Sheridan for Ilsa; Clarence Muse or Lena Horne for Sam; and Otto Preminger for Major Strasser.
But let's not forget director Michael Curtiz, a staple of the Warner Brothers' factory. Temperamental though he was, Curtiz created some the studio's most-notable films. To name just a few besides "Casablanca," there were "Captain Blood" (1935), "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), "Angels With Dirty Faces" (1938), "The Sea Hawk" (1940), "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942), "Mildred Pierce" (1945), "Life With Father" (1947), "Jim Thorpe: All American" (1951), "White Christmas" (1954), "The Egyptian" (1954), "We're No Angels" (1955), and "The Comancheros" (1961). Today, with directors elevated to the level of outright stars, Curtiz may be the most overlooked filmmaker in the history of Hollywood. And he made "Casablanca" almost entirely on a Warner Brothers soundstage!
Then there's the script. There probably isn't another film with so many noteworthy lines. No wonder Woody Allen's character in "Play It Again, Sam" had every word memorized and would recite the dialogue along with the actors. Play a game: Randomly fast forward to any spot in the movie and listen to the conversation. I'm betting you'll find a famous quotation. Try these examples:
Ugarte: "You despise me, don't you?"
Rick: "If I gave you any thought, I probably would."
Ugarte: "Rick, think of all the poor devils who can't meet Renault's price. I get it for them for half. Is that so...parasitic?"
Rick: "I don't mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one."
Ugarte: "You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust."
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Yvonne: "Where were you last night?"
Rick: "That's so long ago, I don't remember."
Yvonne: "Will I see you tonight?"
Rick: "I never make plans that far ahead."
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Captain Renault: "What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?"
Rick: "My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters."
Renault: "The waters? What waters? We're in the desert."
Rick: "I was misinformed."
(Never mind that Casablanca is a major seaport; Hollywood was never big on geography.)
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Ilsa: "Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake."
Sam: "I don't know what you mean, Miss Ilsa."
Ilsa: "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'"
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Rick: "You know what I want to hear."
Sam: "No, I don't."
Rick: "You played it for her, you can play it for me!"
Sam: "Well, I don't think I can remember...."
Rick: "If she can stand it, I can! Play it!"
*************************
Rick: "How can you close me up. On what grounds?
Renault: "I'm shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here."
Croupier: "Your winnings, sir."
Renault: "Oh, thank you very much."
*************************
Rick: "Not so fast, Louie. ...And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart."
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[release]24666[/release]