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considered such a GREAT film!?!?!? I have seen bits and pieces of it through the years but NEVER watched the entire thing all the way through until last night... First off Humphrey Bogart is about as sexy as Walter Brennan and I don't think that Ingrid Bergman is any great shakes either... Her daughter is FAR more beautiful... Other than a great song and some catchy lines, I don't see the attraction. The supposed "chemistry" between the two was totally lost on me.... I certainly have NEVER subscribed to the notion that Humphrey Bogart was a leading man, I have NEVER understood why Audrey Hepburn with off with him over William Holden in Sabrina....
Follow Ups:
and done to perfection.
Not a great film as much as great entertainment.
Way too short a film for the material, but that's part of it's magic, that it just gets down to the bare minimum story line.
I enjoy it even while I consider it cheaply made.
cast of character actors (and their exceptional lines) at the top of their game and with a sparkle in their eyes.
I have never NOT enjoyed watching Casablanca.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
made it along with several other films that were not nearly so popular. Which to me means they got lucky. It just has several elements that draws attention and boom a classic was made.
and that's what we were told for a very long time. I find most B&W classics boring and trite. The modern film has vanquished the older "classics" with better storylines, dialog, and cinematography. Because there are so many films produced a year, it is easy to pick out dozens to ridicule. Some film is to entertain while others have a message that is well delivered. And, yes, some approaches "art". It's basically, "where's yer head at."
"Rosebud" my butt. :P
Citizen Kane.... the storyline never really interested me... I suppose now that I have seen Casablanca, I should now check off Citizen Kane as well....
appreciated, loved and treasured on either big or small screen.
The true genius and effect of Citizen Kane can only be fully appreciated on the big screen.
It has MUCH more to offer than that experience, but it's best to start on the big screen and journey
through the story, characters and acting from there.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
I believe it was Aristotle who placed a hierarchy of the elements of a play (which would apply to movies) in order of importance
Plot
character
theme
language
rhythm
Spectacle
Spectacle was viewed as the least important which would include Set, Special effects and Cinematography.
There are always exceptions as these spectacle elements often set a mood and can be a character in itself - Lawrence of Arabia would be one and Blade Runner would be another off hand. And most of the big Marvel movies succeed because of CGI - otherwise you get the TV series: The Incredible Hulk - which with today's audiences would laugh at it. Even if some of the stories themselves in terms of plot are superior.
This is all to say that it depends on what one is after when going to the movies.
I look at it partially the way Martin Scorcese looks at it - some movies like the Marvel universe are not ART, but theme park rides.
Of course Scorcese forgets all the B movie schlock in the 1940s, 50s, 60,s 70s but I get his overall point.
Everyone looks at films through the background of their own lives. A person's upbringing - whether you grew up rich, poor, of one religion or another or none at all, Republican, Democrat, from one country or another.
One's value systems are at play. In France and England nudity was never an issue - it is viewed as natural - but in the states - man if a nipple is shown it's rated R. So these sorts of things play on every movie a person watches.
And one can explain to you why Casablanca is great but while that may hold some interest - the discussion itself - that probably won't make you like the film any more than you do now.
Scorsese on Marvel
Only in the feminized America does it seem that people think that grown men should be beautiful. Was William Holden beautiful? John Wayne? Jimmy Stewart?
And yes, Casablanca was about adults, in an adult world, with adult problems. Bogart was most definitely not the, Great American Man-Child, as written about by Hemingway.
Big speakers and little amps blew my mind!
I've seen it more than any other and can quote most of the dialogue from memory. Why? I don't know. Opinions differ. For example, I find Lawrence Of Arabia excruciatingly boring.
-Wendell
To me Dr Zhivago is one long boring movie and like all Russian classics, a long tale of adultery.
Bill
the cinematography, the music and Rod Steiger's and Tom Courtenay's performances.... it IS long... but beautiful to look at....
Yes, you are right. Very scenic to look at.The book is dragging and there is nothing to look at and not conducive to imagining the scenery.
The Nobel and Oscar people must be the most boring bunch on earth.
Bill
I LOVE almost all of David Lean's films including LOA... beautiful, sweeping and majestic film with wonderful acting, cinematography and editing....
Yes I agree then i sae it in a theatre. When there is acting its good. The star of the show is cinematogrophy.
ET
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936
With the War still fresh for everybody, the time was perfect for sentiment in that situation.
The location of Casablanca was as exotic as it got.
Bogey's persona was attractive for that time.
The story was bittersweet -- boy loses girl, boy regains girl, boy loses second time and sucks it up, continuing with the heartache he was carrying the whole time, but with a modifications.
The chemistry of all those pieces coming together created the gut pangs for viewers that good noir gives.
Hype I would say. We are waking up from that smog now. Same with African Queen and that attack by aliens movie with the scare of the radio broadcast! My children loved the WO Oz but not when they grew up. And look at the list of Oscar winners. Terrible ones with Paul Newman.
Bill
It was quite steamy for the time. Bogart is no Clonney image wise. But he was considered a strong male character back then. Stick with current offerings.
As you know, the audiences of that time knew they were dealing with a heavily censored product , and were expected to know what the clues were, and then DIY connect the dots about the missing sex.
It was a time of double standards, grown women were supposed to be virginal, the church was much too powerful to cross in those days, if you wanted your film on the screen.
Movies had to get a bigger standard format, and color film before the word damn, in wide screen, stereo sound, and technicolor, passed the censors, what was that , about twenty years after casablanca?
This movie, like many other old ones, contained a musical number to make it have culturally redeeming qualities, that it wasn't just all a sex and murder show that would generally corrupt society.
The music was supposed to be cultural, and was worked in so seamlessly, it hardly seems a trade off to power and censorship. Most movies had dropped the stick in a dance or musical number by then. Perhaps it was only written in because it provided a great line, and great musical entertainment as a bonus. An all time classic scene, perhaps the strongest of all, in a collection of classic scenes strewn across the screen with this movie.
I like the movie, always a lot of fun, so thought I would just reinforce your thoughts for my own pleasure.
I heard they had a lot if problems with the newly wed blonde story line, the one who was offered papers by the rival rat nightclub owner, and she came to ask rick if the guy would keep his word and give her papers if she went through with her end.
Too close to prostitution for the censors, and they really tore up the scene to where it hardly has impact, but the audience of the day knew what she was going to have to do for love and papers. Really established how exotic and far from comfort casablanca was, when a good girl is forced to save herself with sex.
Just like they all knew rick and old flame had sex during their reunion, and after that, she wanted to stay in casablanca (!) of all places, until our hero has to man up and cut her loose, for the good of all
hero male leads in general, and to put one over on the nazis, for the happy ending.
I have to smile just thinking of some of those dialogue lines, and who couldn't like a movie with peter lorre?
The supporting cast was so great in that one, and then, throw in some stars. and it all came together, according to the audience, and me, the studio just considered it product, at the time .
Bogie could act, and could pass for a guy who was casablanca tough, and smart enough to own the best nightclub in the toughest border town in the world. Some leads would have to have to win a fight to show the audience they were believable tough guys, they didn't have the same advanced skill set. I've seen tough towns depicted in a lot of movies, but you have to bow up if you want to step to a town with its own nazis.
in re reading my above post, in trying to develop a minor point about the movie, I drifted from my main point.
It was not the imaginary sex that made this movie a big deal, the real quality that sets it apart is the high quality delivered from every part of the production. Leaves behind almost a home run feeling that good movies deliver , of time well spent.
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