Casablanca(1942)

Casablanca which I recently watched for the umpteenth timex would surely ram as a top  ten favourite for so many film lovers.   At the time it was released  (1942) the studios were rolling out a film a week and it was not regarded as anything exceptional.  Scripts were delivered to the Warner brothers set daily and leading star Ingrid Bergman was confused right to the end whether  she would put her belief  in Victor Laszlo ( Pail Henreid) before her love for Rick Blaine ( Humphrey Bogart)  The supporting cast too were terrific: Sidney Greenstreet the unctuous  owner of the Blue Parrot , Peter Lorre as the slippery Ugarte and above all  Claude Rains as the debonair but duplicitous Inspector Reynaud all deliver fine performances

So what makes the film such an enduring classic? It was made at the time  of the American North   African landings and the tide of the war was turning with Rommel and his Afrika Korps shortly to be forced out of Africa. It has a terrific score by Max Steiner with the memorable ‘As Time goes by’. The chemistry between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart is impressive though they never acted together again and it’s unlikely they had any relationship outside the film.. They were nonetheless perfect for the parts. The dialogue crackles ; my favourite line brig Rocj Blaine’s reply to Inspector Reynard as why he came to Casablanca

‘For the waters ‘

’ But there are no waters in Casablanca ‘

’I was misinformed’

Almost all the cast except for Bigart were non American including Hungarian director Michael Curtiz which might explain the passion in which they sang the Marseillaise to drown out the German drinking song. Incidentally the German actor Conrad Veidt who  played  Major Strasser   saw was no Nazi he was married to a Jew.

 

The film is taken from  a  play written by Murray Burnett called ‘They all come to Rick’s’ The play was never put on but Jack Warner’s unerring feel for popular entertainment  boughtvl it up and  directed by  Miichael Curtoz who hitherto had made action films like a captain Blood and Robin Hood was a perfect director.  When in the South of France I like to visit the Paloms Café n Cap Ferrat which inspired Burnett and had a black pianist.

There were several unsuccessful remakes but Woody Allen’s Play it Again Sam ( words never actually said  i’n the original ) was probably the best and a reason for the film’s enduring popularity