This Casablanca Film Commentary launches this new blog. That s fitting, since this is my all-time favorite film and worthy of a longer-than-usual commentary.
Many other movie lovers acknowledge Casablanca as the greatest film ever made.
Some call it the perfect film, not because it s flawless, but because it has the perfect balance of romance, intrigue, mystery, humor, passion, compassion, tenacity, national pride, tension, and redemption. Every scene, every movement means something. It is timeless.
Ordinarily in my Film Commentaries, I ll give you a heads up if I m about to mention something about the story or the characters that might spoil the film for you if you haven t see it. (This is called a Spoiler and that s the word I ll use to identify that I m about to mention something that might spoil the first-time experience). However, I assume that you have seen Casablanca, perhaps as many or more times than I have.
And if you haven t seen it, go rent it right now!
The opening scenes of the film have the sound, texture, and visual elements of news reels popular at the time, but, of course, the story is fiction set in a time of real turmoil. The Casablanca story is a love triangle in the midst of revolution or war.
Much attention is given to getting in and, especially, getting out of Casablanca. Desperation prevails. The actors and extras provide a rainbow of faces and nationalities in the streets and cafes.
Varied characters, who define their motives and tell multiple stories, interact with each other before the entrance of the beautiful Ilsa.
Bars, stripes, shadows, lines, gates, search lights, and people wanting freedom repeat throughout the film. The Letters of Transit (a , which is a totally fictitious plot ploy) focus the attention on one means out of Casablanca.
Watch for a myriad of exits.
Nations and nationalities represented or named by characters included America, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain. Most of the characters wanted to get to America from this city in North Africa.
And perhaps the most inventive of all nationalities is declared by Rick, who claims he is a drunkard.
Even in the midst of all the turmoil, desperation, war, and cynicism, the film provides delightful humor. Carl s mere presence lightens each scene he s in; and he s in many.
I ve not seen this movie classified as a Comedy, but I ve chosen that as one of the genres, because of so many genuinely humorous scenes.
This movie exemplifies the theme of redemption, through many of the characters, especially Rick. You first meet an embittered, cynical, jilted man who drinks too much.
His regrets show on his face, becoming deeper as time goes by. The flashbacks to Paris with Ilsa are almost shocking when you see a young, happy man in love. Rick says he sticks his neck out for nobody, while he quietly assists those he likes when everybody comes to Rick s.
As the puzzle pieces of Rick s past get put back in place in his own head, you see him move from depressed to angry to empowered. He does the right thing for his own redemption, not only because he always has Paris, but because he takes charge by doing the thinking for all of them. He really did go to Casablanca for his health; he arrived dead inside and became alive.
Time of War. In the early 1940 s, Europe was imprisoned by war, so refuges found their way to many countries. The European refuges in Hollywood served as extras, giving Casablanca authenticity.
The film setting was Northern Africa, although filmed in Los Angeles County, California.
The Music. The music is exquisite all through this film.
Max Steiner created the score, based mainly on As Time Goes by, music and words by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. Steiner wanted to write his own song to be featured in the film and the music score, but by the time he came on board, As Time Goes By was integrated into the film. Sam s singing seems appropriate for the setting, although he s not playing the piano (Dooley Wilson was a drummer).
Certainly one of the most extraordinary music arrangements in any film is the battle of the two national anthems, Die Wacht am Rhein and La Marseillaise. This was an emotional experience for the characters, and also for the actors.
The Two Leads.
Warner Brothers considered several of their leading ladies under contract for Ilsa. However, they wanted Ingrid Bergman, who was under contract at another studio. So they negotiated a trade: Olivia de Havilland and Ingrid Bergman swapped to play in one movie for the other s studio.
Apparently Warner Brothers wanted Humphrey Bogart right from the start, although to generate some publicity, they announced other leads were under consideration. This was Bogart s first romantic lead after becoming a well-known star.
The Director.
Michael Curtiz had directed films in many genres in his native Hungary and in the United States before Casablanca. He directed many popular films following Casablanca, often with patriotic and heroic themes. Bogart starred in seven of the 172 films he directed.
The Writing . The movie is based on the unproduced play, Everybody Comes to Rick s, written by Joan Alison (who had the original inspiration) and Murray Burnett. The first team of writers to turn it into a screen play were the Epstein brothers, Julius and Philip, who made it a character-rich story with wit and humor.
They completed roughly the first half and then were called away to work on another screenplay, Yankee Doodle Dandy, a national-pride flag-waving story of a different genre, also directed by Michael Curtiz. Howard Koch took over for the latter part of the script. Casey Robinson, a writer under contract at Warner Brothers, is responsible for most of the writing for the love-story flashbacks in Paris.
In addition, many of the lines were created on the set by the actors. And interestingly, the director was not the least bit interested in the writing and knew little English; his niche was capturing the visual atmosphere.
International Effort.
Humphrey Bogart is the only lead character who speaks with an American accent. Joy Page in a minor role does, as well, although she plays a Bulgarian. The Hungarian Director, Michael Curtiz, spoke, at best, broken English.
Of all the featured players who are credited, only four are American born. Many actors are uncredited in the film itself. Thanks to the phenomenon of the Internet and other record keeping devices, many of those who were uncredited in the film itself are acknowledged after the fact, for example, at the Internet DataBase,
Planes and Airports.
The opening sequence airport was filmed at the Van Nuys airport. However, the plane that flies near the Rick s Cafe Americain is a model airplane. The closing sequence airport was constructed in a sound stage with the main actors in dialog and action outside, in front of the sound stage.
Inside the sound stage, fog was created with more than 500,000 cubic feet of vaporized oil; a cut-out airplane with midgets as mechanics completed the illusion. Ah, the magic of movies!
The Ending.
Much has been written and speculated about the ending. I consider there are two endings: the ending of the love triangle and the ending of the relationship between Rick and Major Strasser (or maybe the latter ending is really the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Captain Renault). Since the script was a work in progress and not finished when filming began, the actors were uncertain about the direction the writing would take.
According to Ingrid Berman s daughter, Ingrid did not know which man she was supposed to love, which comes through Ilsa s character as well. She was in love with one man while being devoted to the cause of another man.
Wartime.
The real City of Casablanca was invaded around the time the film Casablanca moved into the theaters. The film was considered very timely, even ahead of its time because the United States had not yet entered the war that serves as a backdrop for the film. Casablanca became famous at the time; and even more famous now that more than sixty years have passed.
Doing a Job. Interestingly, the producers, writers, director, and actors, were not setting out to make the best picture. The studio, Warner Brothers, set out to make one of the fifty films needed that year to keep the studio solvent and employees employed.
It was just another movie, shot on recycled sets over a period of seven weeks, begun without a completed script, and ended slightly over budget.
Enjoyed by Many. This film has the capacity to entertain many different types people because it touches may chords of the human condition.
Screenwriters, directors, and actors study it to gain greater appreciation of the development of story, character, dramatic impact, and the balance of drama and humor.
DVD and Books. There are many publications about this great film, .
The screenplay itself is an enjoyable read. The version I own was typed on an old typewriter, probably very soon after the film was produced. The has some very interesting deleted scenes and Quicktakes and an authoritative acknowledgement by Lauren Bacall.
Copyright © 2006 Marshall House, Jeanie Marshall, Empowerment Consultant and Coach with Marshall House, produces Guided Meditations on CD albums and MP3 downloads and writes extensively on subjects related to personal development and empowerment. Discover her empowering guided meditations at the Voice of Jeanie Marshall,
Jeanie,
This is such a wonderful review. I ve read it several times, not because I m stupid, but because I keep seeing or understanding new aspects.
I had heard that Ingrid Bergman was very upset during the filming because she didn t know the ending, who she d get on the plane with. But you don t really say that. Do you know if that s what she was worried about?
Thanks again for this wonderful review. I look forward for more.
Thanks for your comments, Sandy,
And welcome to my new blog!
Much speculation abounds concerning Bergman s attitude on the set. Fortunately, there s a wealth of documentation because the key people making decisions wanted everything in writing.
Since filming began without a finished script, a certain amount of agitation is understandable.
I personally think that she was not particularly happy with being in the film at all. She left the set as soon as she could, had her hair cut for the next film, and exited Casablanca!
I ve heard movie authorities say that Bergman did not know who she would get on the plane with, that they intentionally kept it from her so that she would be a little uncertain and even agitated.
Other movie authorities debunk the theory that she didn t know who Ilsa would get on the plane with, simply because of the movie mores of the time. In other words, a married woman could not go off with another man because the censors would not allow that. I heard her daughter say that she was uneasy because the crew didn t tell her who she was supposed to be in love with.
Her not knowing as an actor did show through Ilsa s character, so that probably served the movie very well.
I m no authority, but having reviewed a lot of literature and documentaries, I align more with the group who believe she knew who she would leave Casablance with, but was edgy about other elements of filming, including who she was supposed to be in love with.
Thanks again for your comments!
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