Casablanca Review (Valentine's Day 2014)

 

Casablanca

Release Date: June 15th 1944 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

Genre: Drama/Romance

Rating: PG

Runtime: 102 minutes


Budget: $1,039,000

Box Office Gross: $10,622,435 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

A cynical American named Rick Blaine is busy running a nightclub in Casablanca, Morocco, and he discovers that an ex-lover of his, Ilsa, is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo. Laszlo is a resistance leader who is in trouble with the Germans as they are searching for him. The only person Ilsa can turn to is her old flame, Rick, who needs his help in exchange for Laszlo's transport out of the country. Now Rick

has to face a tough decision

on what's more important -

his happiness or saving

countless lives.

Cast

Humphrey Bogart - Rick Blaine

Ingrid Bergman - Ilsa Lund

Paul Henreid - Victor Laszlo

Claude Rains - Captain Louis Renault

Conrad Veidt - Major Heinrich Strasser

Sydney Greenstreet - Signor Ferrari

Peter Lorre - Guillermo Ugarte

S.K. Sakall - Carl
Madeleine Lebeau - Yvonne

Dooley Wilson - Sam

Leonid Kinskey - Sascha
Joy Page - Annina Brandel
John Qualen - Berger
Curt Bois - Pickpocket

Marcel Dalio - Emil - Croupier at Rick's (Uncredited)

Helmut Dantine - Jan Brandel (Uncredited)

Gregory Gaye - German Banker Refused by Rick (Uncredited)

Torben Meyer - Dutch Banker at Cafe Table (Uncredited)

Corinna Mura - Singer with Guitar (Uncredited)

Frank Puglia - Arab Vendor (Uncredited)

Richard Ryen - Col. Heinz - Strasser's Aide (Uncredited)

Dan Seymour - Abdul

(Uncredited)

Gerald Oliver Smith -

Pickpocketed Englishman

(Uncredited)

Norma Varden - Wife of Pickpocketed Englishman (Uncredited)

Crew

Director - Michael Curtiz

Based on the Play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" - Murray Bennett and Joan Alison

Screenplay - Phillip G. & Julius J. Epstein, Howard Koch and Casey Robinson (Uncredited)

Executive Producer - Jack L. Warner

Producer - Hal B. Wallis

Technical Advisor - Robert Aisner
Art Director - Carl Jules Weyl

Set Designer - Harper Goff (Uncredited)
Set Decorations - George James Hopkins
Gowns - Orry-Kelly
Director of Photography - Arthur Edeson

Assistant Director - Lee Katz (Uncredited)
Special Effects Director - Lawrence W. Butler
Special Effects - Willard Van Enger
Film Editor - Owen Marks

Montages - James Leicester and Don Siegel

Sound - Francis J. Scheid
Songs - M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl

Music - Max Steiner

Awards

1944 Academy Awards
Best Picture - Hal B. Wallis (Won)
Best Director - Michael Curtiz
Best Cinematography: Black or White -

Arthur Edeson (Won)
Best Screenplay - Julius J. & Phillip G. Epstein

and Howard Koch (Won)
----------------------
Best Actor - Humphrey Bogart (Nominated)
Best Supporting Actor - Claude Rains (Nominated)
Best Film Editing - Owen Marks (Nominated)
Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy

Picture - Max Steiner (Nominated)

Review

Happy Valentine's Day, blog viewers! In the late evening, I decided to celebrate this special day by writing a review for you film buffs. The moments of CASABLANCA are unfamiliar to some young moviegoers. In the early 40s, when movies became war-time propaganda for World War II, the world was in turmoil and unrest. CASABLANCA never needs any amount of dogfight and warfare. It also doesn't have to be labelled in the war genre. Sometimes, the most simple movies turn out to be everlasting classics. Known by every generation, courtesy of a love triangle to tangle with intrigue in a simple plot. This classic movie is unforgettable. Backed with credible acting talent like Humphrey Bogart, this is the first time he plays a romantic lead, and he maintains the stint of an anti-hero. This role is less staggering than portraying a gangster or a detective.

It helps Bogie create the formula of a character trait later borrowed by other actors in future movies. He's paired together as a fictional couple with lead actress Ingrid Bergman. They are immediately responsible for the duo's chemistry.

CASABLANCA is inspirational for its ending and dialogue, and a few directors have tried to imitate its concept to satisfy the audiences' thirst. Never reaching its use-by date, it's still in its famed recognition. You must see it if you want to know its true potential.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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