CASABLANCA (1942) is beautiful! - Movie Reaction - FIRST TIME WATCHING 

Here's looking at you kid! What a fantastic movie full of soon to be tropes and cliches (they were not those at the time which is why they are so special). The romance in this film blew me away and it felt so believable and real. The ENDING! Perfect. Found myself slowly liking the film more and more as it went along. Thanks for watching! Have a great day! :)

One of tightest scripts ever written. To think several movie studios turned it down and it almost never got made. Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains have the best quotable lines of the movie. Fun Fact: Some years ago in a shop dealing with historical documents, a photo still from this film was found, showing Rick sitting at the chess board. Accompanying the photo was a letter from Humphrey Bogart to a friend in New York, indicating a specific chess move. The document dealer explained that the chess game in the movie was a real game Bogart was playing by mail with his friend during the course of filming. Bonus Fact: Casey Robinson, who re-wrote the romantic scenes between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, was offered screen credit but turned it down because at the time he was only taking credit for scripts he wrote entirely by himself. By declining credit, he did himself out of an Academy Award.

The most noble love triangle in history. All 3 were willing to sacrifice to make someone else happy.

"What nationality are you Rick?" - "I'm a drunkard."

A year or two ago, if you told Gen-Z’ers they “had to watch more classic films”, they’d think you were immediately enrolling them in NYU film school to write a term paper on the editing of Casablanca and Citizen Kane. Now, thanks to the Reactor-Verse, we have fangirls sobbing,”…NO, he can’t let Ilsa go on the plane alone! 😭”

Bogart's character is a metaphor for the U.S. involvement in WWII.

You ask what genre this is. I call it "Grown-Up" - it's about people not necessarily getting everything they want, even when they do "win".

There's something I want to bring up since no one has mentioned it. In addition to everything else it is, this movie is a metaphor for America's role in the war. Rick is America. It's brought up several times that Rick had been active in the world before on the side of freedom. Captain Renault mentions how he fought with the Americans in WWI. But now Rick and America have turned inward, rejecting a role in the world. The movie is set just before America's entry into the war. "It's December 1941 in Casablanca. What time is it in New York?" "I bet they're asleep in New York. I bet they're asleep all over America." The movie is a call to arms, just like the French national anthem, Le Marseillaise. The creators are reminding the audience how important it is that America goes all in on the fight against the Axis

Fun fact-The actress who played the newlywed Hungarian girl, desperate for an exit visa, was Joy Page. She was the stepdaughter of legendary film executive & president of Warner Brothers, Jack L. Warner. Apparently she got the part on her own & he wasn’t happy with her choice of careers. He refused to sign her to a studio contract, though she did work on films for other studios.

Casablanca is the type of movie that you love more and more everytime you watch even if you had already loved a lot when you first watch. It's one of the best ever. The Cast is perfect, script is perfect.

Nobody, not even the actors, thought this movie would be anything more than a modest success, if that. It was indeed a modest success and then... as time went by, the movie began to grow in popularity in the 50s and by the 80s, it was widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made. 1992 was the movie's 50th anniversary, I did get to see it at the Los Angeles Theater, one of those old grand and opulent theaters built in 1931. They began the movie in the dark w a single spotlight on the stage on a small group of people huddled anxiously leaning in around an old-time radio listening to the war correspondent's report of the German advance on Paris as the listeners were in shock and upset (it's a unique experience being a grand theater and watching people listen to the radio. You feel like one of those people huddled around the radio), the report ended and the spotlight faded and everything went black, the curtains were pulled open and the movie began w that dramatic opening. It was epic.

Claude Rains was a world famous star at the time. His American film debut had him in the starring role of 1933's _'The Invisible Man.'_

During the singing of La Marseillaise , there were actual French expatriates singing, some crying and those were real tears of pride and hope. Of course France was occupied by the Germans at the time but the tide was just beginning to go against the Nazis in 1942, especially with the US entering the war. In fact, the movie was luckily released when the allied invasion of North Africa had begun.

The older couple going to America : they're proudly practicing their English: "Liebchen (sp)," says the man, then corrects himself with basically the English translation of the word: "Sweetness-heart. What watch?" She understands he's asking for the time and looks at her watch: "Ten watch." He: "Such watch!" (meaning something like: "So late?") As the daughter of a father with a strong Spanish accent and a sometimes creative way with English, I have always loved this scene.

They didn't have an ending to the script, even while filming! They kept changing the ending. Ingrid Bergman asked Michael Curtis who she was supposed to be in love with, so she could play her scenes convincingly. She was told "Play it both ways."

The actor who played Sam was a very famous drummer and singer that time they wanted him for the movie so the cast him as a piano play. He became rich with his rendition of AS TIME GOES BY

34:44 That reminds me of when my little sister was taking a Shakespearean literature class in high school. One of her classmates told her "I really like Shakespeare, but he uses too many cliches." When the American Film institute listed its 100 greatest movie lines back in the late 90s or early 2000s, "Casablanca" was the movie that had the most number of great lines (BTW Sidney Poitier was the actor who had the most number of great lines - just a hint that you should watch some of his movies).

Rick tells the audience when the plot takes place. Right before the flashback, he says it's the first week in December, 1941, and their asleep in America. Think about it. What happened on December 7th, 1941?

This is one movie you need to watch several times to catch all the subtleties. There are two more popular lines, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...." and you know the rest! The other is "We'll always have Paris". In fact the latter was the title of a Star Trek Next Generation episode that was flavored a bit with Casablanca. But I have to say Ollie your summary about the affect of this movie on wartime America was spot on dude! My mom was 11 when watching it in early 1943 just after its release, with my grandmother while my grandfather was in the war. They told me at certain scenes like the battle of the anthems in Rick's and at the end Louis telling his men to "Round up the usual suspects" brought a lot of applause and even getting out of their seats cheering. I'm sure it had similar affects on Canadians then because you guys were in it too, man! Way before us! When you're ready for another great B&W classic do the Orson Wells masterpiece, "Citizen Kane" (1941). You'll love the lighting in that one! It's well known for that and the incredible acting, great story, lots of flashbacks, etc. Even the "Making of..." about Citizen Kane is like a movie in itself! CK is a must for one who appreciates classic movies. And it's a year older than Casa! 😎👍

"Round up the usual suspects" classic ending line annexed by Christopher McQuarrie for a fantastic script. Check out the movie if you haven't already.

The flawless and complex story, script, dialoge and characters is what makes this movie as amazing as it is. 10/10 in my opinion

You were absolutely right that “Sam” the piano player was faking playing the piano! He was actually a drummer. You are good at noticing the little details.

Did you notice how the shot in Dr. No that reveals our hero James Bond is a near exact copy of the shot that reveals Bogart's character of Rick?

I think you may be selling Curtiz a bit short. He directed some absolute action classics, like Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigadeand Robin Hood, and was also renowned as a great director of women, Mildred Pierce and The Private Lives of Elizabeth I being two prominent films. As you noted, he did a lot with very little in this film, it had a relatively small budget and a very tight shooting schedule, and very little was expected of it by Warners. It went on to win best picture and catapulted Bergman into stardom. The cinematographer was Arthur Edeson, who also shot The Maltese Falcon amongst many others reaching back to the silent era, so was by this time one of the most experienced cinematographers working in Hollywood, he knew what he was doing.

The closeup of the Vishy Water was an important shot. The Free France capital was in Vishy, France, when he dumped it in the trash it represented the Inspector's alliance changed.

For anyone first time watching Casablanca , especially a younger person I would want them to understand the politics in this location at the time. Morocco was a French colony and at this point it was under the Vichy French government. Vichy France was basically a puppet state Germany created after they conquered France. As such those in charge may have motives to undermine the Nazi's even though they have to submit to their demands at times.

Your reaction was just so so during watching it, but the wrap up you did at the end was great. Just a few comments: The director, Michael Curtiz, was Warner Bros. top director with an incredible list of films. Not to take away from the Master, Alfred Hitchcock, but sometimes the mark of a great director is one who doesn’t call attention to himself but enhances the movie. I don’t see how the ending airport sequence could have been directed better. The song in the movie is called. “As Time Goes By.” Next classic movie: you can do Humphrey Bogarts breakout role several years earlier in The Maltese Falcon, but I think your original idea of a few weeks ago on doing Double Indemnity (1944) would be great. It’s a great introduction both to the film noir genre as well as director Billy Wilder. You’ll love the suspense in it.

Casablanca (a French colony) was not German territory, but part of Petain's France (Vichy France) - which was the France state that was formally independent, but otherwise forcibly allied with Germany (and under German influence). This is why the German officers had no formal authority there, but had some actual influence - while Cpt Renault was formally in charge, but actually... had to play along, and otherwise walk a fine line. It was a stroke of genius to set the action in this "in-between" space.

Though the film was made later, it is set after Paris (June 1940) and before the US enters the war (Dec 1941). Rick and his cafe sort of represent the US -- officially neutral, but he really wants to help against the Nazis. This is why he comments in private that they are 'asleep all over America'.

Claude Rains and Paul Henreid both went straight onto film Now Voyager, another brilliant film..

My favorite Humphrey Bogart movie. Such a classic! 😊 Looking forward to your next reaction. 😊

Another excellent movie from this era is "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) directed by William Wyler. Also "The Heiress" (1949) which is another great Wyler film. If you want to see an actress give Bergman a run for her money you should watch that one. I'd also recommend "The African Queen" (1951) as another great Bogart performance. That one was directed by John Huston and filmed on location. All of these are important for a film student to watch (not sure what you're studying) and I'm glad to see you'll be getting into Billy Wilder soon with "Double Indemnity". All good stuff!

For some extra added enjoyment, appreciation and context, here is a very nice tribute from TCM for Conrad Veidt, who played Strasser, the Nazi leader. In real life, Veidt was a voluntary exile from Nazi Germany, who donated a lot of his money to the British war effort. Like many of the refugees from Europe in this movie, the story and the message meant a lot to them. Here's the tribute: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EvVJIMwVZ_Q.html Very, very tiny detail: Ingrid Bergman's last name has a hard "g" for Bergman, not a soft one; and Peter Lorre, who was an amazing actor, and who played Ugarte, has his last name pronounced "LORE-ee". Lovely reaction.

Great reaction! You should react to The Humphrey Bogart Film-Noire classic The Maltese Falcon.

What a great reaction and review! This is one of my favorites and it was such a pleasure to watch you dig into this. Your appreciation for the art of movie making and the motivations of the characters is a joy to see. I would characterize that Ilsa had dedication to Victor but passion for Rick. I think that is the brief and essential description, she loved them both in different ways. Hence her inability to decide. Louis, the police chief, was of course trading exit visas for sex and Rick was thwarting him with the young Bulgarian wife. That was such a funny exchange they had afterward. Most of the extras were actual refugees. The French girl crying during the anthem - that was real. Conrad Veidt was also a German refugee and insisted that his character have no redeeming elements. Your point about the short side stories is a good one. They are not part of the main story, yet they provide different parallel reflections to round out the environment and the forces at work. Not only do the short vignettes add to the overall action, they give our attention a break from the main cast. Judicious amounts of variety keep it interesting. If you watch The Maltese Falcon, you'll see some of these folks again. Another classic. May your move go well. Later!

You have insights and do analysis of the points of films that people of much more maturity lack. You’ve chosen the right endeavor. Good luck, and I’m still enjoying your reactions.

I was fortunate enough to see this in a theater twice. Once not long after 9/11 as a charity fundraiser for the Red Cross and last summer. Both times the audience cheered at the “battle of the anthems” before Rick’s was shut down. Incredibly powerful scene even 80 years later.

The man with the ring is a member of the resistance. The "cross" symbol in the ring is the clue -- one also saw it among the papers of the man shot at the beginning of the film.

another iconic movie set in one room that you should react to is "12 Angry Men" (1957)

Lines you'll still hear today: "Play it again, Sam" "Here's looking at you, kid" "Shocked to learn that there's gambling going on" "We'll always have Paris" "Round up the usual suspects" "Louis, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship" One of my favorites: "The Germans wore gray, you wore blue."

In regards to "the little stories" it appears that you didn't fully grasp what was being said between the lines by the young bride (married 8 weeks). She was letting Rick know that she had agreed to sleep with Captain Renault if her husband couldn't raise the money for the visas to leave Casablanca. Rick thought back to his relationship with Ilsa and decided to use his crooked roulette table to allow the husband to win the needed money. Another clue for us that Rick is a good and noble guy. Captain Renault realized that Rick had ruined his plan to have fun with the young lady. However, being a man of the world he isn't petty and angry at Rick. He just let's him know that he'll let it slide but he expects Rick to help ensure the blonde is left broke the next night so she will have to "show her gratitude" to Captain Renault for helping her.

I highly recommend your watch Hitchcock’s Notorious 1946. It stars Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, and Claude Rains. A Mata Hari spy story and one of Hitchcock’s best.

The line with the old German couple going to America is: What watch? 10 watch. Such watch?! Karl understands that they are using the word "watch" and "time" interchangeably, since the German word "uhr" can refer to the time or the timepiece. Hence his remark that they will get along beautifully in America.

Great reaction… as always. Just FYI… it’s pronounced Ingrid BERGman (with a hard G like iceBERG) and Peter Lorre (like LORREY - not Lore).

Every word out of your mouth unconsciously sung the praises of Michael Curtiz. Look him up. Study him. True Art doesn't call attention to itself.

Thanks for reacting to my favorite movie. I worry, though, that during your commentary, you end up talking over some crucial dialogue and understanding of the story. The pacing is drawn taut and there's nothing wasted. Every scene is gold.

And it's pronounced as Lor 'Ryl; the E is long, not silent. Peter Lorre. The song is 'As Time Goes By"

Notice at the end, there is a bottle of Vichy water. Vichy was the capital of the German part of France. When Renault picks it up, he throws it in the trash. Vive la France!

‘Casablanca’ is renowned and is justly acknowledged as one of the most romantic films of all time but it is much more than the tale of a love triangle. Of course, it shows that the power of love can affect the human psyche, as demonstrated by Rick’s metamorphosis. This film has so many levels to it that it takes many viewings to appreciate them. The main theme is not romance but self-sacrifice as the film’s message to the world at war is to give up the personal agenda for the common cause. It reminds wartime audiences, many of whom have loved ones fighting abroad, that their situation is the same as that of Rick, Ilsa and Victor. The screenplay is so intelligently written. It is a masterpiece of complexity, containing subliminal political opinions and messages all carried along on a thrilling plot with brilliant one-liners and memorable quotes, comedic elements together with contemporary, social commentaries. Basically, the film is politically motivated because it is a plea to America to join the war. Please note that the action takes place in pre-Pearl Harbour, December, 1941. This is the the first non-musical movie to use music almost as an another protagonist, (which Tarantino does now). For example, ‘As Time Goes By’ is a valuable recurring theme and, in Paris, Rick and Ilsa dance to ‘Perfidia’ which means untrustworthiness. Michael Curtiz’s direction is multi-faceted: Documentary, Film Noir, German Expressionism, Flashback etc. He is the master of creating the plot via seamlessly connecting a series of rapid-fire vignettes. There is subtle direction and cinematography. For example, Ilsa wears black and white clothes and is cast in shadows and in a mirror which symbolise the ambiguity of her role. POINTS OF INTEREST AND NOTES FOR SUBSEQUENT VIEWINGS. Rick’s initial selfishness, (I stick my neck out for nobody’), is a metaphor for USA indifference. It must be remembered that the events and politics are hard to comprehend and put into perspective for current audiences than for those living through WW2. The script can be considered as a 'State of the Union' address, both for home and foreign policies, in which there are references to Civil Rights, as embodied in Sam and, of course, the debate about America’s involvement in the conflict. Each character represents a country e.g. Two Japanese plotting; the Italian on the tail of the German; American indifference; French collaborators; the British robbed by foreign policy. Even the Balkans are mentioned via the Bulgarian couple. Quite evidently, Rick’s actions symbolise the USA in its change in policy from isolationism to participation and ‘….the beginning of a beautiful friendship…’ is the USA and Europe joining forces to fight Nazism. The ‘La Marseillaise’ scene is the pivotal moment in which both Ilsa and Rick realise that saving Victor is more important than their own personal relationship. It also comes in just as Rick and Victor are about to argue over Ilsa but both drop the issue when they hear the music. This scene is rousing now but imagine how it must have felt for audiences right in the middle of the war when Germany seemed invincible and modern viewers need to put it in perspective in terms of world events full of Nazi domination. The facial close-ups used throughout the film speak a thousand words: but particularly note Ilsa during ‘La Marseillaise’ when her expressions show her admiration of Victor’s power and her realisation that this must be preserved at all costs. In any case... there is so much alcohol!!!! POINTS TO WATCH ‘It’s December, 1941 in Casablanca: what time is it in New York?... I bet they are asleep all over America’. PEARL HARBOUR ‘Even Nazis can’t kill that fast’ CONCENTRATION CAMPS ‘I don’t buy or sell human beings..’ CIVIL RIGHTS The Bulgarian couple keep appearing as symbols of hope and determination. In the bar room fight over Yvonne, Rick attacks the German only and not the Frenchman. Captain Renault dumps the bottle of Vichy water to represent his rejection of the Nazi- collaborating French Government which was located in Vichy. Just one example of the excellent and complex scriptwriting occurs immediately after the roulette scene. The girl thanks Rick for letting her husband win and Rick replies, ‘He’s just a lucky guy’, which, on the face of it, refers to the gambling, but, in Rick’s mind, means that the husband is ‘lucky’ because his partner truly loves him.

I love this film, and I enjoyed your reaction to it. As someone else mentioned, no one expected much to come of this film. The story is that Ingrid Bergman really wanted to do "For Whom the Bells Toll" and was annoyed that the studio made her do this "little film" first. Since you enjoyed Casablanca, let me suggest that you take a look at "The Third Man."

I think you would really enjoy "To Have and Have Not" with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It's basically Casablanca in the Caribbean (kinda) and is great.

You should check out Peter Sellers: A shot in the dark and his Pink panther movies and also The Party

"Here's Looking At You, Kid' and "This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship" was two of this movie's more quotable lines. Since I was a kid; Weekend afternoons were when all the old Black and Whites use to play. I fell in love with Humphrey Bogart movies, and Lauren Bacall, the woman who would become Bogart's last wife. They starred together in several movies; including my second Bogart favorite (this being the first), To Have and To Have Not. That's where the famous line; "All you have to do is put your lips together, and blow" comes from. "Play it again, Sam" is one of the most Misquoted lines from older movies. Rick never said that; he just said to Play it. You Played it for her, You'll play it for me, Now Play it. Those smaller stories; you are talking about, shows Rick's character, and builds on the person he truly is. So the end of the movie; Rick's actions make sense, as we see what he is willing to do for people in need.

Other famous lines: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...she walks into mine." "Round up the usual suspects." "We'll always have Paris." everyone involved thought of this film as just another job, nothing special, they had no idea it would become a classic.

Don’t overlook the directing here: it’s phenomenal precisely because it makes everything look easy. Few films are so perfectly constructed as “Casablanca.” Remember, directing is about more than camera movement. It’s being able to have a complete vision for a film and then being able to execute that vision practically. Curtiz was a master director because he knew how to do just the right thing not only for a given scene, but for the movie as a whole. Michael Curtiz was the Spielberg of his time. Had a remarkable hit record for entertaining movies that are deeper than they at first appear, and also has a lot of variety in his filmography. Solid storytelling chops. He also helped define the adventure genre with several Errol Flynn classics: check out “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938) which is still the best Robin Hood movie.

The directing was special young man the way the camera moves around the cafe and the lighting which you mentioned often. This is more than a time capsule this was a course in how a movie is out together and the acting is amazing. And the comedy mixed in. You really missed the mark .

Great reaction to a genuine classic. Some of the greatest and most famous lines in movie history in this film.

You are correct about Sam not playing the piano. Dooley Wilson was a drummer as well as a singer.

Referring to the scene with the German couple that confused you: don’t feel bad. It is a bit confusing. They want to speak English because they want to leave their past behind and so proud having learned the language. The only problem is “what watch” and “such much” are just German phrases translated into English. It’s a very cute and real scene when you consider how many immigrants arrived in America during the war. Also I’m really getting a kick out of watching your reaction videos. So many people, especially younger people, pay more attention to newer action/franchise films than the great old ones. Though I’m not a patreon, might I suggest Christmas in Connecticut or It Happened on 5th Avenue when the holidays roll around?

I really liked your reaction, when it comes with black and white background.

Germans were singing "Watch on the Rhine". Not their national anthem but a quintessential German song.

Should America become more involved in the Germany's Eastern invasion and occupation. That was the question of the day, and in a similar circumstance, that is a recurring question today. Don't recall if you have reacted to The Big Sleep (1946) or The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).

This genre is Film Noir. And a perfect example. Dark themes. Full light, dark shadows and silhouettes.

You totally missed read one of the most important scenes in the movie. The Bulgarian girl was asking if Renault would keep his word about giving them their exit visas, if she slept with him. It changes Rick.

I had to laugh at all the shots of Rick standing a few inches over Ilsa because, in reality, Ingrid Bergman was taller than Humphrey Bogart. Ah, classic Hollywood. When men's egos were even more brittle. ;-)

This film was made during and is about WW II. Of the three Oscars one was for the screenplay.

I think you might enjoy the film Key Largo starring the legendary screen duo of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It's one of my favorites. I'm so glad you are discovering and enjoying these classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I hope you will consider going back even earlier to the 1930s.

Here are a few older films you might like: The Devil and Daniel Webster (aka All That Money Can Buy) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Angels with Dirty Faces The African Queen The Maltese Falcon Key Largo

Ingrid Bergmans tears can act better than a lot of so called actors today... :)

Marocco was part of Vichy France. It later co-operated with the Germans by necessity. In these old films, they put a fine gauze in front of the lens which gave them this soft and glittering look.

Correct, the magnificent Claude Rains was in "Notorious", with Ingrid Bergman .... and Cary Grant!

Not Nazi occupied France, but "Vichy France" the southern portion and all the colonies. "The Franco-German Armistice of June 22, 1940, divided France into two zones: one to be under German military occupation and one to be left to the French in full sovereignty, at least nominally." A French government was set up in the town of Vichy, under Field Marshall Petain of the French Army. [Note what happens to that bottle of Vichy water at the end of the movie - mineral water from underground spring near Vichy had been bottled and sold since 1855]

Conrad Veidt, who plays the detestable Major Strasser in this film, is a person who deserves to be better known. He had been acting since 1917, and one of his first films was 'Different From The Others', the first pro-homosexual movie ever made. It was so sympathetic to gay people that it was deemed dangerous to the general public and was only permitted to be seen by doctors and scientists. Veidt plays the gay main character. (He is believed to have been bisexual himself). He starred in many of the most famous of the silent horror films, 'The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari', 'The Hands of Orlac', 'He Who Laughs' (the movie that gave us the iconic look of the Joker in the Batman comics), and plenty more. He was hugely famous in Germany, and rose to become the highest paid actor in that country. In 1933 he had recently married a Hungarian Jewish woman (his third wife, and apparently his soulmate). The Nazi government was attempting to purge the film industry of all Jewish influence, so all people involved in film had to fill out a racial questionnaire. Where you had to write your race, Veidt wrote "Jew". He wasn't Jewish, he just did it out of solidarity for his wife and Jewish friends. Because he was such a big star, the Nazis gave him the chance to retract that. They said he could keep his career if he divorced his wife and publicly supported the Nazi government. He refused, and never worked in Germany again. He and his wife fled to England, where Veidt perfected his English and got plenty more acting roles. He bought 5000 Christmas presents to be distributed to children living in air-raid shelters in London during the blitz. When he left England to move to Hollywood, he gave his entire life savings to the English war effort (they were not doing well at the time). Because of his accent, Veidt knew that he would mostly be playing Nazis. He was fine with that, but stipulated that the characters must always be flat-out villains, totally irredeemable. He moved to Hollywood with the deliberate intention of making movies that would motivate America to enter the war. Like Casablanca. Besides all of that, Veidt was just an unusual and interesting person. He had been a psychic medium for a number of years in his youth. He was a vocal feminist and a gay ally. In Nazi Germany! When people say 'oh, well, times were different, everyone was sexist/racist/homophobic back then' trying to excuse something said by one of their idols, you can point to Veidt to debunk that statement. P.S. Ollie, have you ever watched a silent film? I don't recommend starting with German Expressionism, but there are plenty of silent films that I think you would enjoy.

Great thoughts at the end. I think Ilsa loves Victor but perhaps in a different way. Another great Bogart movie is "Key Largo" and a war-time movie without Bogart I think you would love is "Stalag 17" 🎥 💓 🍿

"Ugarte" = Peter Lorre. He was among many expatriates who left Europe ahead of the Nazis.

The script was constantly being rewritten as filming progressed, so even Ingrid didn't know how the love triangle would resolve, and which man she would end up with. As a result, we are kept in suspense, with no clues from the actors as to which way it's going, right up until the final denouement.

Thanks, Ollie! 🌴 If you'd like to see another good one with Humphrey Bogart, I suggest THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951). A really influential one, as in the title became a common term, which co-stars Ingrid Bergman would be GASLIGHT (1944).

1:10 "If there are famous lines, I don't know what they are...." Oh, my sweet summer child. Short of _Hamlet...._

Poor Rick had to learn the quintessential G-Funk truth the hard way: G's up, (garden tools) down. I personally like the music from the flashback scene.

The thought process behind pick pocketing, is that if you distract your marks attention, you will not notice even someone putting one's hand in your pocket, lifting your wallet...it has worked for generations.

You are completely right about the piano playing. The actor portraying Sam was a drummer and did not know how to play the piano. I read that they had someone actually playing set up near him, but out of camera range, so he might be able to mimic the hand movements. Obviously, that didn't work out too well!

I bet you would also enjoy the original Classic: The Adventures of Robin Hood. Claude Reigns plays the villain in that excellent film.

This movie was based on a play called "Everybody comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. "As Time Goes by" written by Herman Hupfeld was included in the play but Max Steiner who did the score of the movie did not like it. He was overruled. Funny though... hard to imagine the movie without it. Great reaction to an amazing film.

26:25 He's saying he's a heartless man.

I think you are right about the directing not being that special, but sometimes all a director needs to do is not get in the way of the wonderful cast and script. You DID marvel at how something that is set mostly in a cafe seemed so vibrant and interesting at all times. And the use of light and shadow wowed you a few times. Directors weren't as flashy and didn't have as many tools at their disposal as they do today, but give credit where it is due. 🙂👍

Peter Lore (guy who gave Rick the papers) was a german actor who escaped Nazi Germany where he was famous for the critically acclaimed but controversial 1931 Fritz Lang movie, “M” I think you’ll like the post WWII drama A Brief Encounter (1946) or early films: Grand Hotel (1932) The Petrified Forest (1936) You Can’t Take it With You (1938) (also, Ingrid Bergman’s last name is pronounced with a hard G like berg in iceberg)

"As Time Goes By" Those "cliches" were not cliches when this was made!

Beautiful n intelligent film. The Usual Suspects got its title from this movie

There is still Hope as Everybody of Any Age-Loves/Appreciates One of the Best Movie Classics made of "Casablanca" "Here is Looking at You" Forever!

Perhaps the best/most successful movie to ever come out of the "studio system" of Hollywood's golden age. Expectations were mixed and it became a hit and took home three Oscars: "Picture", "Director", and "Screenplay" out of eight nominations total.

THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!

Many of the minor cast members were actually refugees from Europe. Definitely first instance of the "beautiful friendship" line. You missed, "Play it, Sam", "Round up the usual suspects" and "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." Bergman is pronounced with a hard "g". You should do Billy Elliot. Cheers!

Curtiz made some great films but he had a rotten temper. Bogart and Henreid were doing a scene together with some extras when one of the extras made an error. Curtiz began to curse and embarrass the extra viciously. Bogie and Henreid looked at each other in disgust and walked off the set and refused to come back and told the studio they weren't coming back until Curtiz apologized to the extra. When Curtiz finally apologized the two actors finally returned.

An entertaining watch after this: Woody Allen's "Play it Again Sam."

The song you like that Sam sings, "As time goes by" is also the sonic logo for Warner Bros - it sounds incredible with a full orchestra rendition. Take a listen.

Michael Curtiz: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Mildred Pierce, White Christmas, Angels with Dirty Faces Humphrey Bogart: The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of The Sierra Madre, The Big Sleep, The African Queen, The Harder They Fall

About America being "asleep": it was reference to US isolationism pre-Pearl Harbor.

Nothing in specific is amazing in this. But when you put it all together it's amazing. Lightning in a bottle

People never mention how much Ivon look like Ellsa

Not special? Are you kidding me. This is known as the second greatest film ever. Right behind citizen Kane! Come on the whole movie is outstanding. Man I can't believe it didn't hit you as much!