Casablanca

First off, I really want to apologize for posting this review really late. I was out for practically the entire day, but I will try to get this review up as quickly. As all my online readers will probably know by now, Valentine’s Day is my least favorite holiday. I already reviewed two Valentine’s Day movies that I hate but everyone loves, but that doesn’t mean that I hate all of them. Case in point, I will review the 1942 classic movie that is one of the best and one of my favorites, “Casablanca.”

Variety started off their review by saying, ““Casablanca” will take the b.o.’s of America just as swiftly and certainly as the AEF took North Africa. Despite the fact that the fortunate turn or military events has removed the city of Casablanca, in French Morocco, from the Vichyfrance sphere and has thus in one respect dated the film, the combination of fine performances, engrossing story and neat direction make that easily forgotten. Film should be a solid moneymaker everywhere.”

Heavy advertising – management campaign being given the movie by Warners should also count at the box office. It’s designed – as was the fast release of the movie after General Eisenhower’s army marched into Casablanca – to take advantage of the advertising helper to military events involving Casablanca. To summarize, Warner Bros, instead of being shocked at the town’s changed status, is wisely cashing in on America’s child knowledge with the title.

Variety mentioned, “Exhibs, in selling the picture, will do well to bear in mind that it goes heavy on the love theme.” Even though the title and the great Humphrey Bogart’s name express the impression of high adventure rather than romance, there’s plenty of the latter for the feminine trade. There is also adventure, but it’s more as exciting background to the Bogart-Bergman main department. Bogart, incidentally, as a caring lover (Variety noted, “in addition to being a cold-as-ice nitery operator”) is a novel characterization that, rightly billed, might itself be good for some coin in the trench.

Variety pointed out, “Casablanca is pictured as a superficially gay town to which flee the monied refugees from Axis terror.” There they wait for visas to Lisbon and then transportation to the USA. The waits are often endless while arrangements for papers are being made with evil Vichy officials and the affluent help to calm their impatience with chemin-de-fer and other games at Rick’s. Rick is Bogart, who has opened his nice looking club after being ‘jilted’ by Ingrid Bergman in Paris.

Bergman, playing Ilsa, shows up one evening with her husband Victor, played by Paul Henreid, who she thought was dead during the time of her romance with Rick. Victor is a leader of the underground in Europe and it is essential that he gets to America. Rick has two visas that will help out and the choice is between going off with himself with Ilsa – or sending her off with Victor, who can do so much for the United Nations cause.

Bogart, as you might not be surprised by, is more at ease as the bitter and sarcastic operator at the club than as the boyfriend, but handles both roles with superb skill. Bergman, in a torn-between-love-and-duty role, stays true to her reputation as a great actress. Henreid is well cast and does an excellent job as well.

Superb is the lineup of supporting actors. Some of the characterizations are a bit on the overdone part, but each is a memorable addition to the entire film. There’s Claude Rains, as the delightfully-dishonest prefect of police, Sydney Greenstreet, as the polite and insidious boss of Casablanca’s underground traffic of visas, Peter Lorre, as a menacing candidate of fake papers, Conrad Veidt, as the usual German officer, S.Z. Sakall, as a waiter in Rick’s and a participant in the anti-Axis underground, and Leonid Kinskey as Rick’s bartender.

The person who really deserves a special mention out of all the supporting actors is Dooley Wilson, making his film debut. An African American, he appears as the devoted friend and confidante of Bogart, as well as the piano player at Rick’s. He sings with great helpfulness “As Time Goes By,” the theme song of the Bogart-Bergman affair, and otherwise entertainingly massages the keys and sings some old blues songs. Variety noted, “He was last seen on Broadway in “Cabin in the Sky” and before that was a singing drummer in vaude for many years.”

Film is splendid anti-Axis propaganda, particularly inasmuch as the propaganda is firmly a by-product of the main action and adds to it instead of getting in the way. There will be a few more touching moments to be found than when a group of German officers in Rick’s begins to sing Nazi songs and Henreid orders the orchestra to go into “La Marseillaise.” A bit scary at first, but then with a might that completely drowns out the Germans, the supporters and help in Rick’s comes in to the anthem of the France “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” It is just another side of the variety of moods, action, suspense, comedy and drama that makes “Casablanca” an A-1 entry at the box office.

On top of all this, there are a handful of memorable quotes to be remembered from this classic film. “Here’s looking at you kid,” "It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world," “Louis, I think this is a start to a beautiful friendship,” “Play it Sam, play As Time Goes By,” “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the worlds, she walks into mine,” “Round up the usual suspects,” and of course, “We’ll always have Paris.” If you haven’t seen this film yet, you are definitely missing out. I highly insist everyone sees this great movie because you will fall in love after you see it, I promise you.

Well, Happy Singles Awareness Day to all the single people out there. Stay tuned for Monday when I review a President’s Day movie.