CASABLANCA (1942) REACTION | FIRST TIME WATCHING | 

This was filmed during the war. When Rick says "I bet they're asleep all over America" it is a reference to the fact that America was not in the war yet and was trying to stay neutral. Many of the cast members were refugees who had escaped Germany or other European countries when the Germans took over. Knowing that makes the singing of La Marseillaise even more emotional.

You loved Casablanca?! Mary, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The Marseillaise scene is one of the most beautiful scenes in cinematic history in my opinion. Simple, but so powerful.

The great writer Elizabeth Bear once told me that Casablanca is a perfect example of a character's struggle against himself. Rick begins the movie thinking that he wants to be left alone to drown his sorrows; in the middle of the movie, he thinks he wants Ilse. It isn't until the end of the movie that Rick realizes what he really wants: to be part of something bigger than himself.

1. Ingrid Bergman is my all time favorite actress ever. 2. This film is in my forever Top 5 3. It really was crazy that it came out during the height of the war.

Hope you like the new editing! For me it feels very fresh and try something different after all this time ^^ !

"I'm shocked! Shocked, that gambling is going on in here..." "Your winnings sir..." "Oh, thank you very much!"

I'm shocked, shocked she cut out my favorite bit in the movie. I still think the dueling anthems scene might just be the greatest scene in cinema history, the fact that so many cast members were refuges makes it hit even harder. I'm not sure but I think Casablanca might have the distinction of being the only movie that after having watched it I started it over from the beginning and watched it again.

I love the care they put into properly and effectively lighting black and white films.

Mary, you've just watched one of the greatest movies ever made. A perfect script that combines intrigue, romance, deception, honor, suspense, and even a bit of comedy, together with a spectacular cast and brilliant direction. This is the sort of film you can watch over and over and over again, discovering more each time and appreciating it even more each time. Thank you for sharing your reaction with us!

The movie was released Nov 28, 1942. Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of Vichy French Morraco occurred on Nov 8, 1942, so the theme of the movie was very timely to the audience. And remember, at the time no one knew how the war would turn out...

Easily one of the best movies ever. Outstanding cast writing and directing.

"The Maltese Falcon" for your consideration. I felt the same as you the first time watching this classic. Many, many great B & W cinema greats await your viewing. Wonderful reaction Mary!

At the end, when Louie starts to pour himself some Vichye water, stops to look at the bottle, then drops it into the trash, that was his moment of finally committing to the war effort. Vichy was the French administration that worked with the invading Germans. Kind of fun seeing Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet working with Bogart again; they had worked together in "The Maltese Falcon" 5 years earlier.

One of the greatest movies of all time. And it's interesting how in the early 1940s, movie makers didn't often use color (it existed then but was too expensive for most movies) nor special effects (think of the opening sequence with the hokey globe) which forced them to depend on lighting, camera angles and dialogue more--which produces, in this case, a masterpiece of story telling. The "letters of transit" are one of the most famous MacGuffins--they didn't exist at all but were a device to move the plot. If you've seen the first "Star Wars," I'm sure the bar scene there owes a lot to this movie. And it's full of famous quotes--"here's looking at you, kid," "we'll always have Paris," "I think this is the start of a great friendship," "Of all the the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, why did she have to wander into mine." I'm probably recalling a few of those incorrectly. First watched this movie sipping win in a bar at Iowa State University in 1979--a great place to see it. Fantastic movie, loved your reaction, nice that you put yourself in black-and-white for much of it.

I think of Rick as a kind of metaphor for pre-Pearl Harbor America - Isolationist, cynical, self-interested. "They are asleep all over America." "I'm the only cause I care about." But Rick's (and America's) idealism gets reignited and he joins the fight against fascism.

When Rick speaks of people being "asleep all over America," that could have been metaphorically true prior to America's entrance into the war, regardless of the time of day.

This is considered one of the greatest movies of all time, deservedly so.

This makes me want to recommend the german movie "M" by Fritz Lang, from 1933, in my opinion one of the best crime movies ever made. It is one of the movies that Peter Lorre, who played Ugarte in Casablanca, is best known for.

A rare film that engages every emotion, happy, sad, joy, despair, etc... and perfect for your style of appreciation. Perhaps not quite as stunning, there are still many films of this ilk which are far more rewarding than silly jump scares. Please continue in this vein, you have a way of explaining the complexities and shades of feeling better than most!

Just wanted to give a shout out to the great Claude Rains, who stole every scene. Great character actor who was in many other classic films: Notorious, Lawrence of Arabia, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Now, Voyager, etc.

Another great black and white movie released just after WWII is called, "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946). The theme of the difficulty veterans often have in returning to civilian life was often repeated in the Vietnam era, but "Best Years" was the first of its kind and decades ahead of its time. Won seven Academy Awards.

A couple of things: „round up the usual suspects“ was winked to in: The usual suspects“. Also, a large majority of the actors were actually Europeans that actually fled Europe and thus gave the: La Marseillaise, the strength it had.

This movie is a timeless classic. The "La Marseillaise" scene in the cafe is one of the greatest ever IMO. It still makes me emotional.

You've opened the door just enough to see the treasures within. Keep going, follow the actors, let them lead you to a lifetime of real enjoyment. Watch a few more Bogart movies. High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen and, just for fun, Beat the Devil. Excellent reaction, as usual.

One of the greatest film noirs is "Out of the Past" (1947), with Robert Mitchum, and the greatest femme fatale of them all, Jane Greer. The snappy, biting sarcastic dialogue of many 40s films is legendary.

Few can master the art of movie making. Here was a grand convergence of talent.

I’m curious whether the complexities of Vichy France and occupied France are familiar today in Europe. I mean, I’m sure people in Western Europe today know more about it than most Americans do. But it was such a morally unsatisfying, humiliating, and ideologically troubling episode that it might also be a topic people just prefer not to discuss. I ask because understanding what Vichy France was, and what it means that Renault represents it and in the end rejects it, (dropping the “Vichy water” bottle into the trash), is another key to the Casablanca story. You can appreciate the movie pretty well without knowing about all that, but it helps a lot if you do.

The line "Round up the usual suspects " inspiration for the move by the same name

Casablanca is one of the all-time greats, and now that you've seen it, you're going to start seeing little references to it everywhere. When I finally saw it, I was amazed at how many lines I recognized from Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Is this not the BEST MOVIE? I have seen Casablanca innumerable times, and it always surprises me with it's depth, characterization, lighting, acting. Just a superb, top notch film. There are a ton of classic, B&W films out there that I know you'd love.

The story and the dialogue are so perfect because - in their own way - everyone in the movie is "right" (except for the Germans, of course). So well done.

Since people are now recommending classic black & white movies, may I add: "The Maltese Falcon (1941)" "The Thin Man (1934)" "Harvey (1950)"

Find a good Bogart and Bacall flick, they had amazing screen chemistry. To Have And Have Not is a classic.

I can't watch them singing the French national anthem without tearing up.

Absolute perfect casting, even the minor roles.

Mary welcome to the club!!! I've seen Casablanca at least 35 times, it gets me every time`! the sing off in ricks is so emotional because most of the character actors had already fled Europe because of the war! they felt every word of the song! the actor who played major Strasser was a famous German actor whose wife was Jewish, so they all had a personal stake in the war and the film!!!! btw, just love watching movies with you!!!! see you at the next movie

Yes! Brilliant movie. Please, more classics! Old hollywood is the best hollywood.

Classic film full of great dialogue and characters. Great reaction. The director of photography was Arthur Edeson who did 'Frankenstein', 'Maltese Falcon' and other beautifully shot films.

I watch this movie over and over and over, it is something you never get tired of. I have watched every review of this movie and it amazingly is fresh. It is an incomparable jewel of cinematic wonder, and will live forever in the hearts and minds of those blessed enough to experience this masterpiece.

This is one of my favorite classic movies. I'm glad you liked it. You might look into more Humphrey Bogart movies. I'd suggest The Maltese Falcon.

During the singing of The Marseillaise when you said you had goose-bumps...the picture of Yvonne appears (Rick's 'girlfriend' at the start of the movie). She has tears in her eyes while she sings. She was Madeleine Lebeau, she was a French 19 year old girl when Casablanca was filmed. She fled France with her husband in 1940, leaving Europe from Lisbon and going to Chile, Canada and eventually the US. To be 17 years old and to have seen war and the fall of your country, to run for months and to end up far from home trying to make a new life. I always think of her (and the many other refugee members of the cast) while watching this great movie. When she passed in 2016 she was the last credited cast member of Casablanca living. Thank you Ms Lebeau, Vive la France!

Hi Mary... as always, marvelous reaction... by the way, the movie was released on 1942 (just few months after Pearl Harbour and the US just entered the 2nd World War) and not 1946 (one year after the end of the war)... I think that this is quite important to completely understand the movie... for example, most of the extras/crew (including the nazis and the "Vichy french") were europeans (Polish, French, etc...) refugees. So, singing the "Marselleise" and shouting "Vive la France!" was quite most "powerful" and mooving that you might think...

I love the old classics. They have a very different style compared to more recent films. Perhaps you'll be able to slip one in from time to time.

I could say so much about this wonderful film, but your reaction was lovely! This is a movie to be re-watched many times. I also get emotional when Yvonne with tears in her eyes cries out "Vivre La France!" It seems to be a turning point in her character. The part of Ilsa was played by Ingrid Bergman. She was correctly considered one of the most beautiful women of cinema. I loved her in Bells of St Mary's and Anastasia. Rick was played by Humphrey Bogart. He has played many iconic roles. This is considered his best. Another of my favorites is "To have and have not".

Dr. Strangelove for another black and white movie?

You might also enjoy Carol Reed’s post-war masterpiece The Third Man with Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. There’s no romance, but plenty of twists and turns, and a fascinating look at Vienna immediately after the war.

I have some Humphrey Bogart recommendations. The Maltese Falcon In A Lonely Place The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre

This was a work of fiction. It was based on a play called Everybody Comes to Rick's, with a similar plot. It surely reflected real events of the time.

"Welcome back to the fight" ... Thank you for your reaction and appreciation of classic films. Please ... don't stop.

4 Black and White 1940s films you might like: Notorious (1946) The Third Man (1949) White Heat (1949) Hangmen Also Die! (1943)

Classic b&w films are some of my favorites. **Night of the Hunter (1955) - personal favorite; visually stunning film of 2 children running for their lives **Some Like it Hot (1959) - comedy; 2 male musicians join an all-girl band, to stay alive **Arsenic and Old Lace (1943) - comedy; nephew discovers his elderly aunties are serial killers **The Great Dictator (1940) - comedy,satire; Jewish filmmaker ridicules Hitler to his face, for real. No dramas, there are too many. These are great movies that may not be suggested by others.

Rick's back and forth with the Germans at the table are just fantastic. Bogart plays off the perfect mix of uninterested, non-committal, and despising, all the while being charming in his way. "Are my eyes really brown?" "Well, there are certain sections of New York I wouldn't advise you to try to invade." Perfectly sound advice there.

I love watching this movie work its 80 year old magic on a new generation. Timeless.

Great reaction! I said it before, and I'll say it again, Casablanca is one of the greatest screenplays ever written!

The editing was really good in this one. I loved the shift to black and white and the part where you are sipping your drink.

Mary - you can't go wrong with Bogart - "the Maltese Falcon", "the African Queen"(my personal favorite) ,"Sahara" and others are all winners for reviewing ..... just sayin'

Rick: Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade. That line always got a pretty good reaction in theaters in New York. :-)

I'm so happy that you're watching this. It's my all time favorite. I love this movie. Yes, it's dated, but it's almost a hundred years old, so of course it is, but the performances are SO good all the way through, and Ingrid Bergman is so beautiful, and that script! Truly a masterpiece.

I still get a smile on my face when Renault tosses that bottle of Vichy water in the trash and kicks the can.. Hell yeah!..

Welcome aboard! This is one of those great classic films that make up our common culture. So many younger people have missed out, but with some nudging they can be brought into the fold too. There are many more as well, even Cold War era films like "The Day The Earth Stood Still."

Thank you for sharing. Here is a list of potentials 'Key Largo', 'The African Queen', 'Seabiscuit', 'Broken Trail', 'The Fountain', 'The Big Sleep', 'Roman Holiday', 'Once Upon a Time in the West'. There are way more but this is a good start. :-)

This is my favourite movie and I've lost count of how many times I've seen it. I know so much of the dialogue off by heart. It's a masterpiece, for so many reasons. So glad you enjoyed it too ☺.

So many classic and famous quotes from this movie, "Here's Looking At You, Kid", "We'll Always Have Paris", "I Think This Is The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship" and those are just from the last few minutes of the movie!

About the Norwegian Berger's ring portraying the Cross of Lorraine: something almost identical was done to identify Underground resistants in BELGIUM during the First World War. Marthe McKenna (nee Marthe Cnockaert, 1893-1969) was a Fleming who spied on the Germans on behalf of the Belgian government and British intelligence. Couriers identified themselves by having two safety pins (for holding baby diapers) attached to their shirt beneath their lapel. The "safety pin men" would flash the symbol for just a second to identify themselves. The Germans learned of the "recognition signal" sometime around 1915 and their counter-spies (infiltrators) copied the symbol, so Belgian-British intelligence ordered their people to cross the safety pins and beware anyone using the old symbol. Some of these "vampires," as they were called, were murdered by the true "safety pin men." I can't help but wonder if they inspired the post-WWII James Bond stories; certainly Ian Fleming would have heard the tales. I wondered, wouldn't the Germans simply check under everybody's lapel? The stories are told in McKenna's "I Was a Spy!," published in London in 1932 with a foreword by Winston Churchill. So I guess the stories are trustworthy. Marthe Cnockaert married an Englishman after WWI and settled in Britain. BTW, does anyone know what the French and Flemish would be for "safety pin man." I was trying to find references to their activities in original Belgian sources.

Thanks for this great reaction! I can also recommend "To be or not to be" from Ernst Lubitsch.

This was great! More b&w movies, please! THE MALTESE FALCON, HIS GIRL FRIDAY, CITY LIGHTS, THE BIG SLEEP, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS...

When I see these movies I see world were more serious, living more slow motion, more simple, less complicated thoughts even in war, hard to forget someone or something.

one of the greatest movies ever, along with 'the third man' - both black & white!!

One of the 5 best movies ever made with each character playing the part of the the nation they come from. That's why there are two very different types of French person as part of France (Vichy) was collaborating and part very much not. It's also why Captain Reneau throws a bottle of Vichy water in the bin at the end signifying his choosing to be on the allied side. Great reaction Mary, you really nailed it while moving perfectly in time with the movie 👍

It was actually released in 1942.

This movie is a classic among classics. Great reaction!

One of the all time greats 😁

I enjoyed your reaction. This is one of our favorites. Another of our romantic favorites is Random Harvest also released in 1942. Great Movie!

NOW you are watching movies I watched on TV when I was a teenager and my parents would say watch this it's a good movie! Bogart, Peter O'Toole, Spencer Tracey, Katherine Hepburn, Hepburn and Tracey! So many classics, so many golden age actors.

Many of the actors had fled Europe because of the war. Madeleine Lebeau, who played Yvonne, is a case in point. She and her husband fled France ahead of the Germans with the intent of going to Chile, but when they got to Mexico it was discovered that their visas were forged. They were stuck in Mexico for a while, until they were able to obtain temporary Canadian passports and used those to go to the U.S. The similarity of her situation to Yvonne's wasn't lost on her. Her tears during the singing of La Marseillaise were real. Casablanca was based on the play Everybody Comes to Rick's. It was written before the U.S. entered the war, which happened at the end of 1941. The movie was filmed in 1942, but the story was set before then. Many Americans were opposed to their country being in the war, seeing it as a European problem they wanted to stay out of. When Rick said, "I'll bet they're asleep all over America," it was an ironic commentary on American isolationism (by the writers, not by Rick himself, who meant it literally). Thank you for this reaction to one of the greatest films ever made.

Please watch THE NEVERENDING STORY!

Fun fact, Ingrid Bergman spent her early career in small roles in German cinema working for UFA, the Nazi run studio. Peter Lorre was one of the brilliant talents of German cinema, his career making turn as a serial killer in M made him a superstar and one of Hitlers favourite actors. He took the compliment, backed out the door and didnt stop backing up till he hit Hollywwod. The guy gave up top billing to be a character actor in foreign language films just t avoid his biggest fan. If you look around the room in the Marsaellaise scene virtually every actor is a refugee from the Nazi conquest of western europe, the exception is Claude Raines who was British and got his voce inflections (and blindness in one eye) from a poisin gas attack in WW1

I saw this Film in the 1980s. It became my favorite movie. I have seen it again dozens of times including a special showing at an antique theater on a big screen. It is still my favorite Movie.

Great reaction Mary. This is a great movie i saw in once back in the 60's at a cinema revival theater. The theater was packed and it was great to experience it as part of a large audience, everybody was clapping at the end. It's amazing how much then director and editor fit into an hour and 42 minutes. Please react to more classics.

On the total opposite end of the genre of black and white films is “The Women” from 1939, one of my favorite of the classic comedies. I’d definitely use it as a palate cleanser for some light-hearted fun!

You should watch The Maltese Falcon next. It's another great film and it has many of the same cast members as Casablanca.

I have so many favorite black and white films " African Queen" or "Bringing up Baby". Enjoy

This is my favourite film. I watch it every year, during the Christmas season. Never fails to make me smile and cry. Glad you enjoyed it.

Humphrey Bogart was famous but not for any romantic roles, until Casablanca. This story might be apocryphal, but I like to believe it's true: I learned that he once said of this film, "When you have Ingrid Bergman in your arms looking up at you like that, it's hard NOT to be romantic."

Peter Lorre is the stuff of legends. Even Al Stewart gave him a most prominent nod in his chart topping 1977 smash hit: The Year of the Cat.

One of my favs movies of all times. Bogart always a great actor, he shaped so many clichés in the American movie industry and Bergman in a not easy roll as a woman between love, loyalty and a cause greater than her. She, Ingrid Bergman, was the mother of Isabella Rossellini.

So glad you watched this, it's a great classic. You'll find that it gets even better and better with more viewings -- when you can closely watch the characters, knowing what will happen. It's a wonderful film.

Loved your reaction & you really need to watch Humphrey Bogart in African Queen & Treasure of Sierra Madre, also Key Largo. Bogart was great in just about everything he did.

There are so many great classics from the silver screen era. Several have been mentioned already, and here are a few more: My Man Godfrey, Meet John Doe, It Happened One Night, His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby.

Director Michael Curtiz deserves more credit than he ever gets. He was never associated with any one specific movie genre, so he seems to have largely been forgotten. But he directed lots of great movies and deserves more recognition for them.

All your reactions are excellent, but this one is truly exceptional with many memorable comments.

This is widely recognized as a cinematic classic, top 10 easily. We actually have the Germans to thank for the lighting techniques, they came from German Expressionism and were a hallmark of the film noir period of the '40s and '50s. Speaking of which you'll want to see the pinnacle of film noir, the 1941 "The Maltese Falcon" which also stars Humphrey Bogart and has Sidney Greenstreet (the fat man) and Peter Lorre (the little guy who stole the papers). It's based on a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett with dialogue to die for.

Great review. Cassablanca is one of the greatest movies ever made. In America "Here's looking at you Kid" and "Louie, this is the start of a beautiful friendship" have become 2 of the most recognizible movie quotes everyone knows where they came from. The actor who played Rick,Humphrey Bogart, only got the part because so many of Hollywoods leading men were actually unavailable because of militiary service for the war effort. Prior to this movie he was not viewed as a romantic leading man. Mostly he played a Hard boiled detective or a gangster. Only after this movie did he start getitng cast as the romantic lead in some films. If you like him and this style of film you should check out "The Maltese Falcon" another excellent film noir film from the same period.

I am glad that you appreciated the "sing-off" in the cafe. 23:02. I'm an American..and it still gets me every time I watch it.

Impossible not to love this movie. The day it does not hold up is the day Humankind has drowned in cynicism. The actress crying during the Marseillaise wasn't acting, she was an actual refugee that had to leave France to escape the war.

That projected background scene behind Rick and Ilsa as they were driving during the Paris flashback was the first background scene in the movie Airplane! as Rex Kramer was driving to the airport. Yes, this is an amazing classic. And now you've heard the origin of a lot of movie references as well.

Excellent reaction. Thank you. ("A stain in my eye" would probably be "a cactus needle in my boot" or "a burr in my saddle" out here in Arizona.

Wonderful film. Perfect reaction. You asked for a recommendation so now that you've seen Casablanca, you now must see the absolutely tremendous NOTORIOUS also with Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains plus Cary Grant and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It's a great pairing if you were to have a double-feature with friends.

so glad you got here - one of the best films ever made - great dialogue and you picked up on most of the ironies. more of the classics please👍👍