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'Casablanca' it's considered for a lot of presitigious cinema critics to be the best movie of all time. Others say it's 'Citizen Kane' or 'The godfather'. This three are the Holy Grial of Hollywood.
I suggest you both watch The Maltese Falcon (1941). It also stars Humphrey Bogart (Rick from todays reaction). In this film noir epic he plays a private detective (gumshoe) in a mystery. You both like jumping to conclusions so you both will love it.
That "shadow" scene was famous when the movie came out and has been ever since. I use it as my ZOOM background!!! But this film was most famous for the pithy dialogue.
The emotions during the dueling national anthems were real. Many of the actors were French refugees that left France before the Nazi invasion. Their emotions got the better of them singing the French National Anthem.
The German song wasn't the official national anthem, it was "die Wacht am Rhein" ("The Watch on the Rhine"), a song specifically directed against the French and originally motivated by the French desire to establish the Rhine as the border to Germany in the mid 19th century. The song was for a while sort of an inofficial anthem of the German Empire, but that was chiefly directly after formation of the Empire in the Franco-Prussian war. Now, originally, they indented to use the Horst-Wessel-Lied, since that was at the time a far more prominent "inofficial anthem" (it was the party anthem of the NSDAP and previously the anthem of the SA brownshirts), but it still had copyright in several countries, so they dropped that idea - which probably is for the better. Modern German law considers the Horst Wessel Lied as a symbol for an anticonstitutional organization and as such, distributing it is prohibited to problematic. (It had already been banned by the Allied Council directly after the war). There are exceptions for the distribution of such symbols for the arts, which is why you can flag a whole street with swastika banners when you shoot a movie, but of course having the song being sung inside a film is a bit tricky, since neighbors don't necessary know why your TV is blaring that particular song...
What's more, America hasn't joined the war back then, and it was quite possible that US would reach some agreement with the Nazis, and all those actors would be deported. Back into Nazis hands.
Conrad Veidt (Strasser) was a star of pre-war German cinema and an ardent anti-Nazi. He fled Germany with his wife, (who was Jewish). He found work in Britain and the US playing (what else) Nazis. Many of the other actors playing German officers, were either Jews or homosexuals who had fled German. The actor playing Jan (the young husband playing roulette), actually escaped from a Nazi concentration camp.
Something you may have missed, or not fully understood, was that Rick was an early enemy of the Nazis and Fascists and Ilsa knew this in Paris. Rick ran guns to Ethiopia to help them after the Italian Fascists under Mussolini invaded their country, and fought on the Loyalist side is the Spanish Civil War against the fascist Francisco Franco. Franco was receiving help from both the Italian fascists under Mussolini and from the Nazis. So he was on both of their hit lists, their "roll of honor" as Rick put it himself, when he was living in Paris, and Ilsa knew this. If Ilsa told Rick the whole truth at The Belle Aurore, that she just found out that her husband, whom she had thought was dead, was alive, sick, and hiding in Paris from the Nazis and she was going to stay to help him, Rick would have stayed and tried to help her, putting himself in considerable danger when the Germans marched into the city. He was just that kind of person. Rick HAD to leave Paris before the Germans arrived, otherwise he would be in great danger of death or being thrown into a concentration camp himself. Thus she lied to him and broke his heart to keep him PHYSICALLY safe, not flawless logic I'll admit, but a kind of logic none the less.
Good analysis. She was protecting Rick by not telling him the truth. She knew he would stay in Paris...I'm not sure if she thought he would want to help or if she was afraid he would stay if he couldn't leave with her.
A lot of info but you failed to recognize the basis of the film. When the screenplay was written, the US was neutral while Germany had invaded most of Europe (except for Poland which they had sliced up with the Soviets.) Rick represents the USA and the film was implying that it had to take a stand, like Rick did. Between the writing and filming the Japanese made that whole point moot.
The "I came to Casablanca for the waters, but was misinformed" wasn't a fail on Rick's part - he was subtly telling Renault that it's none of his buisness.
You might want to count the number of times "wet" and "dry" are mentioned in this film. Dry is associated with the desert, cynicism, and death, while wet is associated with love, idealism, and life. When Rick is waiting outside the train station for Ilsa, it is raining hard; after receiving her note, he goes inside the station to get on the train and dries up inside.
Lazslo is in some ways the real hero. He sticks to his principles yet can accept without resentment that Ilse had fallen in love with another man when he was reported dead. The most emotionally mature character. And at the same time truly heroic in his commitment to the Resistance
Laszlo and Rick are so similar in so many ways. The biggest difference is that Rick was wounded by love, while Laszlo was strengthened by love. But once Rick's wound healed, he was right back to fighting the good fight.
It has always struck me as a bit ironic that Lazlo was probably the only man that Rick ever truly admired who was with the only woman that he had truly loved.
Ladies, now that you watched Casablanca, some more context. Many people think this is the best movie ever made. EVER. And it's because of the dialogue. It's RU-vid, and you have a style, but you have to watch again without comment and listen to every line- the script is pure gold with so much nuance and extra meaning . There's a good reason why she didn't tell Rick the truth in Paris or Casablanca at first- it was to protect both men. Also the overarching theme is that Lazslo's work is so important and he wouldn't be able to function without Ilsa's love and Rick knows it. The world is more important- that's why he let her go.
Phila - I agree with nearly all of your points. I think Trixy's and Maggy's early interpretation that "Ilsa has two men wrapped around her little finger" only makes sense if one forgets context (or, to give them all the benefit of the doubt, they were doing 'reactor's work' in commenting on the film while watching... and simultaneously, the film gives viewers many plot points, many balls to keep in the air at once.) Yes, Ilsa is trying to manipulate Rick for the letters of transit, but the two key points are 1) she really did love him, and 2) Victor is the key man in the Resistance, and his life or death will impact tens of thousands of people, or more.) ...I'm among those who think that 'Casablanca' is probably the most romantic movie that we have. Among other things, in Terry Gilliam's 1985 film, 'Brazil,' the characters that are trapped in that film's bureaucratic nightmare, continuously watch the film, 'Casablanca,' whenever they can, in order to keep their spirits up (one of many good choices made, in that later film.) While the dialogue is one of the indispensable things that makes 'Casablanca' so great, I would argue that it has other things also, that would have brought the film down had they been absent: The casting, for one thing - not only of the main cast, but also the minor cast members and the background extras. I also like the set design, lighting and costumes. And the Directing... I'm reminded of the line attributed to Howard Hawks, "A good Director is someone who doesn't annoy you." ...The Direction doesn't get in the way by calling attention to itself with this or that 'memorable shot' - it just gets on with the business of telling the story in a clear, no-nonsense way (one of many solid things to be thankful for with this film.)
@@tranya327 We agree, I just didn't have time to go through everything I like about this film. The main point is I recommend multiple viewings for everyone.
Glad you guys had a chance to see this. I once had the honor of meeting one of the authors of the screenplay (Julius Epstein). The dialogue is brilliant. And look back into your history: Bulgaria was in sad shape when this movie was made in 1942. It was invaded, aligned with the Nazis, then invaded by Russia and had its alignment change to being against the Nazis. Be glad you missed that era.
@@im-gi2pg I was giving a tour of a historic theater, which was running Casablanca for its 50th anniversary, to this nice old couple who had been invited to the premier. I eventually asked what brought them there, and the woman proudly said "My husband wrote the movie." I then realized it was Julius Epstein and his wife (he was the last survivor of the three credited authors of the screenplay), and that here was the man responsible for "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship" and "Round up the usual suspects". My brilliant reply was, "Oh, then I guess you've seen it . . ."
@@carlanderson7618 and yet..it was still being re-written as they were shooting it... they weren't even sure of the ending until almost the day it was shot
Yeah, the big background of the story is World War II, with the Nazis controlling all of Europe (as well as French Morocco). They were the BAD GUYS, and the love story between Rick and Ilsa is set against that background, with Casablanca being one of the few places those fleeing Nazi rule could hope to escape.
IMO, Jenny (you know who I'm talking about) and Ilsa are both judged way too harshly by reactors. Victor Laszlo is the most heroic and selfless character. He didn't judge Ilsa or even ask for an explanation, but only asked her, "Were you lonely in Paris?", in order to sympathize with what she did when she thought he was dead and she was alone in the world. He even asked Rick to take Ilsa away from Casablanca, to save her, though it would mean he (Laszlo) would have to stay behind and die -- after he told Rick he knew they both loved the same woman, without any judgment. As happens with most reactors, it appeared you might have missed the import of Rick's conversation with the Bulgarian woman -- it was about an implied offer by Louis to give her exit visas for her and her husband if she slept with him. A brilliantly written and incredibly moving dialogue if you read between the lines of what the woman and Rick say to each other.
It's hard to get all the nuance and implications of the brilliant script on first viewing- especially when you are making a reaction video and feel the need to chime in every couple of seconds! I was going to give them a hard time about it, but just suggested that they watch it again (without reacting) so they could get all the dialogue.
Having watched several female reactors watch this film, what's fairly obvious is that as intellectually and emotionally complex women are, they have a fairly simple and straightforward code of conduct. And if you break the "Girl Code", you are persona non grata in the eyes of women. On top of this, if you add a desirable male in the mix (like Forrest, Rick or Victor) there is an element envy involved.
Ilsa, yes. Jenny was criminally "toxic" and destroyed everything around her. It's a waste of everyone's time to bother with people who are broken beyond repair and they inevitably die within a few years (speaking from experience here).
The great writer Elizabeth Bear once told me that Casablanca is a great example of a character in conflict with himself. Rick is confused about what he wants: initially, he thinks he wants to be left alone; then he thinks he wants Ilsa. Finally, he realizes that what he wants is to be part of something bigger than himself. In this context, it is important to remember that this is a war movie, produced *during* World War II: the message, “The problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world” is really at the very center. The Nazis are a hideous danger, the entire world is at risk, and we all have to make sacrifices.
26:37 "I am shocked! SHOCKED!" This is the origin of that meme, a meme far older than the Internet. And still funny. And yes, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" also comes from this film.
You would have no clue but there are so many famous quotes from this movie that went right over your heads. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." "Here's looking at you Kid." "Round up the usual suspects." etc. "i think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." No one ever said "Play it again Sam," that is a common misquote. "He said "Play it! If you can play it for her you can play it for me."
@@rs-ye7kw, that was particularly poignant because until Ilsa explained to him the night before about why she had left him, his time with her in Paris was something he wanted to forget, but was unable to. Now he could hold onto it as a good memory.
7:55 -"Where were you last night? -That's so long ago, I don't remember. -Will I see you tonight? -I never make plans that far ahead." Those are my favourite lines. :)
I enjoy both your channels. Great seeing you collaborate on one of the top 5 movies of all time. There is such a back story to this film. It was filmed in 1942, just prior to the U.S. invading French Morocco to support Great Britain against the Nazis in Northern Africa. When France surrendered to Germany, the collaborating French government was located in Vichy (unoccupied southern France), this is why they showed Captain Renault throwing the bottle of Vichy water in the garbage can as he was making the decision to join the French Foreign Legion in the fight against the Nazis, and to cover for Rick and take him with him to join the fight. Most of the extras in the film, particularly in Rick's Cafe, were Europeans who had gotten out of Europe just prior to the war or in the early years of the war to escape the Nazis. This makes the dueling anthems scene all the more powerful, because the crowd at the cafe was full of people who had escaped from Nazi controlled Europe and probably still had family and friends living under Nazi occupation. By all reports, the tears were real and the emotion basically not coming from acting, but from the heart. Conrad Veidt, who played Maj. Strasser, was a German actor with a Jewish wife, and they had emigrated to the U.S. to get her out of Nazi Germany. He agreed to play the role so long as the character would be unsympathetic and unredeemable. In effect as negative a characterization of a Nazi officer as they could put on the screen. One of my all time favorite films. I still watch it once or twice a year. I hope you two check out older movies from the 30's - 60's, there are some truly great performances and stories in there, as well as some of the greatest actors who ever lived.
And yet they seem to be under the impression that it was a comedy. I suspect they were misled by someone, and was simply playing to what they perceived to be the film’s fan base.
Someone else suggested a certain “weed.” I obviously can’t speak to that, but indeed, something is way off with them. Maybe if enough people comment on here about it, they will post an explanation.
@@TommygunNG I hadn't thought of that! OTOH, it could just be that they're very young. I don't know their ages but I do recall when I was around 14 years old my best friends and I would quite often collapse into hysterical giggles over nothing much - with no aid from herbal substances; probably a teenage hormonal thing. 😀
I can’t speak to the weed theory, but these young ladies are older than that. They drink and have OnlyFans channels. Whatever the reason - and will never know unless they explain - this was certainly anomalous.
Fun Facts, Magy: The actor Sydney Greenstreet (Signor Ferrari) was an inspiration for Jabba The Hutt, and Peter Lorre (Ugarte) was an inspiration for Cad Bane’s voice. Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser) was in a film called The Man Who Laughs, where his character has a big scary grin, which inspired the look of The Joker!
5:16 The reason for the glut of diamonds is because when Jews were being expropriated, they realized that loose diamonds were something they could procure and use for money which were easy to hide on oneself and hard to be discovered in a search. Without the diamonds they carried with them in their flight to safety, many more would not have survived.
One of my favorite reactions on this video was when the police chief expressed his shock that gambling was occurring at Rick's, and was immediately offered his winnings. Your laughter in unison was priceless. 😄😄😄
The scene where the patrons of the bar sing Marseillaise, the French national anthem, 25:19 takes on a whole new meaning when the lyrics are translated and understood. It is a call to arms and making the enemy's blood run in the street. English subtitles are readily available. I assume there is a Bulgarian translation available.
Casablanca is full of famous quotes. And has inspired many different movies and cartoons between it’s set and story. Every performance is spot on everyone shines and nobody steps on the other’s toes trying to over perform . Rick represents America being undecided to join the fight in WW2 . Probably the best movie .
This is a classic movie. You need to watch it again. The husband was an underground leader being tortured in a concentration camp and was said to be dead. Ilsa and Rick got together after that news came out. Life was cheap. Many died. The Vichey French were pro-Nazi. Casablanca was not taken over by the Germans yet. Ilsa did not meet Rick at the train because she heard her husband was alive. She loved both men. Bogart was a great actor. He played Rick well. Thank you girls for watching this movie.
For some reason, they seem to have gotten the idea that it was some sort of comedy. Reactors always play to a item’s fan base. So they were jocular in their responses. They simply did not appreciate what the film was. A rewatch, with a reading of a basic synopsis beforehand, is definitely advisable
@@TommygunNG The movie does have some classicly funny lines, and telling 20 something year old girls not to act like 20 something year old girls is kind of pointless. They saw the story without as much of the historical context as people of at least my generation have, having been born less than 20 years after the end of the war it was still a fairly fresh social memory, our parents were involved in it for god's sake. World War 2 ended almost 80 years ago now, for these girls it's something that maybe their grandparents knew but more likely their great grandparents lived through. They saw the movie as the plot, the direction, dialogue, and the acting not the in broad historical context. And they still liked it and saw the masterful way it was done, kudos to them I liked their reaction. I've seen Casablanca enough times to know what was skipped, I didn't watch this to see the movie again, I watched it to see how they reacted to it.
They were jocular even before they started the movie. They were forcing laughter at elements early on that were only mildly light, let alone being amusing. I thought when the first person was shot, it would jerk them into understanding that maybe this wasn’t a comedy. And yes, 20-somethings are capable of understanding a serious movie is serious. Both of these have done serious movies. One person who suggested they might’ve been on the wacky tobaccy. I won’t speculate on that. On a related note, I have long-held that reactors should read at least a very basic description of a movie before watching. Most people who see movies in theaters don’t go in blind. They know in some general sense what they were going to be seeing.
Trixy Blue: “Aaaww……I almost feel sorry for the Germans❗” Magic Magy: (stops slurping her juice box, looks slowly to her right): “Whaaaahhht❓❗” 🤣🤣🤣💜💜🍸🍸
'Welcome back to the fight' is the key quote of the film.. not only is Rick letting Ilsa go with Laslo, he also knows that doing so will help the war effort.
"This time I know our side will win." A fairly obvious message to America in the first year of US involvement in the war, at the time of movie release. That first year was largely discouraging for the many who remembered the horrors of the first world war, which was barely 20 years before.
I’m glad to see other people picked up that obvious point. From the way they talked at the beginning, I suspect somehow they were given that impression by whoever recommended it then they did as reactors always do - they played to what they thought was the film’s fan base. It’s sad they didn’t see it for what it is.
And, it is why reactors should at least read the briefest of synopses about a film before viewing. The people who went to see it in theaters or whatever would’ve had some idea what it was about beforehand. That’s why they would choose to go see it!
@@TommygunNG TBH I think the main reason for this giggling is the double light-spiritedness of the two very young reactors. One girl will usually (i hope) first get curious on the whats and whys seeing something unusual. Unfortunately, two will giggle it down ( IDK, they see showing interest as a loss of face, don't want to look boring in the eyes of the other). And it was their first joint viewing. Wrong movie to start reacting together.
They’ve done joint viewing before, albeit one of them had already seen the film. (I believe it was Empire Strikes Back.) And they were way too jocular during their intro. There are other reactions on here with multiple females or nothing like this happens. Something got them down the road to thinking this was supposed to be comedic. Both of done reactions to dramatic films before, even war films. I know Trixy has done old films, and I’m sure Magy as well. There was nothing “unusual” to see here. And they are professionals at this. They don’t care how they look to each other. Look again at their intro. I knew something was off from the beginning. And during the film early on, when the one fellow was found with expired papers, they were laughing it up. I thought maybe the fellow being shot would shock them into thinking, “Oh, this might be a serious film.” It ended there laughing for a second, but that was it. No, there’s more to it than two girls getting the giggles. Scan down the comments here. Normally, Trixy will “heart” quite a few comments which are praising or informative. I’m not sure she has done so to hardly a single one. Hopefully that means they’re seeing what they did. Something is off.
The reason the young couple wants to leave Bulgaria is by that point in the war the country was aligned with Germany. They were escaping the Nazis, just like the other refugees in Casablanca. I think Trixy was too hard on Ilsa. She really wasn't able to tell Rick why she couldn't leave Paris with him. First, as she explained later, Rick would have put himself in danger by trying to help Victor. But on top of that, she really couldn't tell anyone what she was up to. Victor's whereabouts were a secret, as was her relationship with him. If she told anyone about it, she would be putting Victor in even more danger than he already was. She was in an impossible situation. Most of the actors in Casablanca were European, and many were war refugees themselves. Madeleine Lebeau, who played Yvonne, is a case in point. She and her husband (who played the croupier) left France to escape the Nazis. First they went to Lisbon, where it took them two months to get visas to Chile. But the ship they took stopped in Mexico, where it was discovered that their visas were forged. Eventually they were able to get temporary Canadian passports, which they used to go to the U.S. The similarity of Yvonne's story to her own was not lost on Lebeau. Her tears during the playing of La Marseillaise were real.
Ilsa couldn't let anyone know she was married to Victor, because it would give the Nazis leverage over him. They just had to threaten to torture or kill her, and he'd be under tremendous pressure to give in and betray the Resistance. As long as people thought she was just a girlfriend, there was less danger.
I'm so glad you did this film! I think that there are two key "missing" elements in this story that the film does a very good job of including, but as time and history go by become harder for new viewers to fully appreciate. One is the exact scenario at that stage of WWII, with France defeated, a part of France having agreed with Germany to be semi-independent but really a puppet of the Nazis -- that's Vichy France and Renault is an official in that government. That's why he works with the German officers even though he's supposedly working on neutral territory. But the constant humor you talked about is partly his way of signaling in sneaky ways that he is not really on board with the Nazis. And in the end of course he finally stops trying to appear neutral and just goes for the anti-Nazi, Free French side. The other point is related, and that's how dangerous the situation in any part of Europe was at that time for anyone fighting the Nazis. So Elsa really believed it would be dangerous to tell Rick her whole story ... dangerous for Rick and for her husband Victor Lazlo. Secrecy at that time and place was super important. And because people like Lazlo and Rick really believed the Germans weren't just ordinary enemies but threatening to the entire world, they would absolutely put their own personal interests aside. Rick for awhile became selfish and neutral, after a life fighting for freedom, (in Spain and Ethiopia), because of the heartbreak from Elsa. But her not telling him at the time was just a super tragic collision of interests. She could have saved Rick a lot of personal heartache, and kept him in the fight too, but telling him in that time and place could have easily put him, Victor, and the whole cause in danger. It was a no-win situation ... or at least she honestly believed it was.
Yes, on first viewing it's hard to grasp Ilsa's dilemmas, and the script masterfully doles out the missing facts until see Ilsa in a different light later in the film. It's fun to see now (after 20+ viewings) how many people find her an unsympathetic character at the beginning.
True. But I'm 52 years old, and I don't know the exact real world 'stage' the movie is set in. Them, being young, and living overseas is pretty interesting just how much they got into the story. So that was nice.
S.Z. Sakall, who played the headwater Carl, was a Hungarian Jew who'd been working in Vienna. When the Nazis took over in 1933 he fled back to Hungary. When Hungary joined the Axis in 1940 he and his wife fled to America. Most of his family, including all three of his sisters and his wife's brother and sister, died in concentration camps. When this film was made, in 1942, this wasn't history, it was current events.
I was lucky that I had grandparents who survived two world wars. That's near to ten years of war or occupation put together. Their stories were like the ones in this movie. I'm so happy that you enjoyed it. Fleeing the enemy or being occupied by him is something that would change your life too. It's not downplayed in this movie. Selling ones family's jewels just for a ticket to safety, well, that's already terrible. Having to live under German rule and trying to survive hunger and the violent nature of the occupier, that's even worse
Ilsa's conflict is that she truly loves Rick. But she greatly admires Victor's work with the French Resistance. She loves Victor, too, but she mostly admires him. She is totally loyal to him and his efforts to fight the Nazis. She will sacrifice anything to help Victor, even her love for Rick. You kept asking why she didn't just tell Rick, while they were still in Paris, that she had found out Victor was still alive. One of the crucial aspects of Victor and Ilsa's relationship was that they kept each other's secrets and protected each other at all costs. His French Resistance work demanded secrecy. When she thought Victor was dead, she fell deeply in love with Rick. Once she found out Victor was still alive, she immediately went back to keeping her mouth shut about anything to do with Victor.... to protect his work. To protect their efforts to fight the Nazis. All of these characters are people of very high moral integrity. All three of them are willing to sacrifice their own desires in order to do the right thing. She is so torn-up about having to choose between these two men, she tells Rick: "You have to think for both of us." And he does. He does the noble thing. He gives the letters-of-transit to Victor and Ilsa. He has said he only cares about himself. Not true. He is willing to give up the woman he loves, to protect her, to keep her safe, but also to help Victor in his war efforts. Rick also greatly admires Victor. One of Rick's most famous lines is "The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." They all care more about doing the right thing than they care about their own happiness.
You two are incredibly cute together. This movie is one of my favorite films. If you're interested in more Bogart, I'd recommend The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. They're also black and white.
This film is a classic because it's both very much OF its time (USA had stayed out of the war and was very isolationist - this came out shortly after Pearl Harbor & USA officially getting into the war). It's also a timeless story of love, intrigue, the desperation of all the refugees fleeing occupation of their homelands etc. Even the smallest characters are interesting and the writing is so sharp and funny. Every little part of this movie works to make a really satisfying whole. Casablanca stands up to repeated viewings because there's SO much going on - even in the background characters - that there's always something new to find. Thanks for watching this over 80 year old movie! It's always fun to see new folks discover it. 😁
A double bonus! Wonderful. I've been watching both your channels now for some time. Great to see you both team up for this classic of classic movies. Casablanca is almost always voted at the top of film lists as one of the most popular ever.
Now that's refreshing to see how the young generation reacts to this. Y'know, back in the days, Ilsa's role was meant to be sympathetic, because women are just irrationally and emotionally unstable (as was common knowledge then) and Rick is actually the bad guy for being all emotional instead of toughening up and do the manly thing (because that's what men do, as was common knowledge then). But Trixy being like "Dude, this woman is toxic" nicely shows how much we've progressed since then. Thank you both for shedding a new light on this timeless classic and also my favourite movie. One still learns something new every day...
You ladies are adorable, it was fun watching you experience my all time favorite movie. This movie started as a manuscript for a play called, ‘Everybody Comes to Rick's. The author was vacationing in Vienna just as Germany was annexing Austria. He visited a night club where refugees had dueling national anthems. As he wrote the play things in Europe changed quickly and eventually became a pro French resistance peace. Then Warner Brothers purchased the story for a record setting amount of money despite it never being produced as a play. The making of Casablanca was chaos, they didn’t even have a script until the night before the last day of shooting; where Louie says, “Round up the usually suspects.” The producers called the writer and said the ending doesn’t work, you have to write something else. So the writers arrived on set, looked at the producers and director and said, “You have to have Rick and Louie look at each other before he says ‘round up the usual suspects’.
Hmmm, if Ingrid Bergman told me to do whatever, I would certainly do it! This one of the best movies of all time. Fun fact: At the end, when Capt. Renault picks but a bottle of Vichy water, he is making a political statement. When France surrendered in WWII, it was divided into two parts, the northern and sea coast sections which were ruled directly by the Nazis and the rest which a puppet French government controlled for the German. The capitol of the French section, Vichy France, was the town of Vichy. It was chosen because it had lots of tourist hotels for people who “came to drink the waters”. By throwing the bottle away, Renault was siding against the Nazis. I love this movie and I love seeing two of my favorite commentators see it for the first time!
There's a reason why war movies made around this era were much more like actors throwing themselves to the ground, than actually dying, is that the war was going on AT THE TIME. WWII was still in full swing in 1943. There was PLENTY of real surplus to use as props, costumes etc and the purpose of cinema was to give the war weary a feel good 90 minutes of escapism, telling a story that will connect with everyone alive at that time, no matter where they were. The post war movies were also able to employ a LOT of Vets as extras. They don't need to act like Vets. They ARE Vets. They were also deeply patriotic.
One of the funnier jokes I've heard while watching this movie is at that closing line. "Louis, i think think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." "And so it was. Rick and Louis eventually bartered passage from a post-war Morocco and were able to settle into a comfortable life in Greece, where they opened a small pie bakery on the island of Mykonos. Lazlo and Ilsa's plane soon crashed into Gibraltar after takeoff." This classic movie is one of those layered and juicy narratives that has such levels of enjoyment to it, the dialogue, the setting, the intrigue, the romance, there's almost something for everyone, but its also an interpretive experience for the first time, especially when watched with someone else, gets you talking about the ideas. I really dig that, and you two were a lot of fun to enjoy the flick with. I'll have to sub and catch more of this ✨🪙
Claude Rains is awesome in this. He gets many of the best lines. And he keeps it even closer to the vest than Bogart does. You don't realize he's also gone over until "round up the usual suspects". But he telegraphs very early he's waiting for a chance, but needs the "patriot" in Rick to come out first.
I think part of the difficulty in processing the movie aside from it being black-and-white, etc. is that it looks like the two of you are talking over much of the dialogue (don't get me wrong- I love listening to your thoughts; but unless you're hitting the pause button, you're missing so much of the story). So much of the "action" is in the dialogue which is drawn taut- nothing is wasted. Brilliant lines. The conversations move the story along. A lot of the questions you two have are answered in the movie; but you're missing key information as you talk. So I sincerely hope you rewatch this without having to entertain us, your audience. This movie is where many cliches and pop culture references come from. It's my all-time favorite Hollywood movie.
From the beginning, it seems someone gave them the false impression that it was supposed to be some sort of shallow comedy. Then, they played to what they perceived to be the film’s fan base. They’ve both done other dramatic film reactions. They should know better - if they’d known what the film actually was.
Unexpected, never heard before comments on this Classic movie: "I almost feel sad for the Germans," and "Bro's before Ho's." Definitely memorable. Thanks ladies.
Wow, Blue, "Casablanca" is my favorite movie and I had a blast watching it again (at least in part) with you and Magy. I think you both pretty much "got" the movie, though there's even more to appreciate when you know more of the backstory and history of the era. The dialogue is extremely important to understanding the film's message, so you'd probably appreciate it even more if you give it repeated viewings. I wouldn't worry about comments that have been left here about you two having too much fun and laughing through so much of the movie, there's a LOT of intentional humor in the dialogue (much of it pretty cynical, which would appear to appeal to you in particular, Blue). Although it's a serious story with serious implications regarding what was going on at the time as well as the complexities of the human heart, it was made as entertainment. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being entertained while watching it. I see that you and Magy have collaborated on other reaction videos, and hope that you'll continue to do so. Although I'm an older gentleman, I've never had a family of my own, so I've missed out on the joy of introducing movie classics to the young. Your videos give me considerable vicarious pleasure, for which I thank you.
This movie would mean so much more to you if you knew it's historical context. Made in 1942 when the Nazis controlled most of Europe and America had just gotten into the war a few months before, there is a strong patriotic sense throughout.
Several of the actors in the movie had fled from the Germans. The "Crying Woman" during the singing scene was one of them. She and her Jewish husband fled Paris just before the Germans marched in and made their way to Lisbon and eventually to Hollywood. Her husband was also in the movie, the man running the roullette table I think. The movie itself was released just a few weeks after General Patton's troops had liberated the actual Casablanca from the Germans and Italians. The man with the puppy eyes was Peter Lorre. He usually played creepy characters and villains. The man who owned the Blue Parrot was Sydney Greenstreet. These two and Bogart also starred together in "The Maltese Falcon", another classic.
I agree with those saying that Casablanca is a war movie with a love story in it, not a love story with a war in the background. Ilsa is a war hero for supporting both men who are war heroes. The choices people make in this movie are because of life and death, not love. They all put the war effort first. By the end of the movie you can see that there was no love triangle -- Ilsa only loved Rick, but she chose to stay with her husband because her duty was more important to her than love, and Rick agreed. Casablanca is a unique movie from a unique time.
Casablanca in spanish mean white house, yes but it is also the name of an actual morroccan city. I love how both of you were so invested in the movie and trying to figure out Ilsa's motives. Now this line "usual suspects" makes me think, have you girls seen the movie Usual Suspects from 1995? I think you would like it
Keep in mind that movie came in 1942, Europe was occupied by Nazi Germany, USA are fresh into the war... that's what make that movie a litteral time capsule!
Yes, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" came from this movie. Also, "We'll always have Paris" and "Here's looking at you, kid." I'm not sure that last one is original to this movie, but this is the movie that made it memorable, at least. It might be original. Oh yeah, and "Play it again, Sam" is also well known, even though Rick never actually said those words. He just told Sam "If you can play it for her, you can play it for me. Play it." Somehow it got changed in people's memories. It's sort of like how Captain Kirk in _Star Trek_ never even once said "Beam me up, Scotty," yet this fake line became a major meme. He said things like "Scotty, three to beam up" or "Lock onto our coordinates; energize" many times, but never said "Beam me up, Scotty." People still believe he said it, though.
Great movie. Funny how relation between women and men haven't changed much over the years. Another great old movie from 1935 is The 39 steps. Early Alfred Hitchcock spy movie with kind of funny dialogs.
Two pretty young girls watch one of the most romantic movies of all time - and you are more taken with the bromance between Rick and the policeman? What has the world come to? Seriously, the film is so good that it can be viewed in so many ways, yours being just as valid as any other. Great job, ladies. Please work together again soon.
Here's looking at you kid and I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, two iconic lines. Glad y'all got around to watching this great classic movie. Really enjoyed your reactions.
You guys certainly understood most of it and I absolutely loved your reaction, would love to see you do some more together!!! Here's lookin at you kids!!! 😜😊👍
3 men are credited to have written this but I’ve heard 5 men involved. Some of of it was written at the last minute. That usually spells disaster but this time, perhaps the best screenplay in film history! A nearly perfect movie ❤🎉. Casablanca is in northwest Africa (Magy: “keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer “ Godfather part 2 ). Ps: the main reason Rick let Lisa Lund leave was bc of WW2. Rick told us “I was born in NYC;” Also look at the year: 1942. Those are the clues
There's a really good book "We'll Always Have Casablanca" which explains the mess behind the scenes. Which makes it all the more miraculous that this movie is as great as it is.
A lot of people have been credited with a similar saying about keeping your enemies close. The exact line you describe is indeed from Godfather II. However one of the first iterations of the phrase is from Sun Tzu in the Art Of War 2,400 years ago, also Plato said something very similar. There are even people who say it is similar to a quote in the Christian / Jewish Bible. I also heard that a lot of the script was written and given to the actors just before it was filmed, basically they just made up the story as they went along. No one knew until it was almost complete whether Ilsa would get on the plane with Lazlo
"Play it again, Sam," “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine,” "here's looking at you kid," "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." I'm 66 years old, and an avid movie fan. I don't know of any movie that has as many notable quotes as Casablanca.
Nobody would watch this film with me. Tried for the longest time. Glad for you two and for RU-vid. I finally got to watch it with someone. Some points I agree with Magy, some points I agree with Blue. All points I'm glad some good folk reacted to it. Thank you.
You all did so well - the dialogue in older movies can be subtle and this is one of the best at weaving wit into serious dialogue. You may enjoy some of the screwball comedy of the time; consider His Girl Friday and…keep’em coming!
I'm a real Motor-Mouth, a fast talker and even I had a hard time keeping up with "His Girl Fraday"! It was one of the first movies where the dialogue was specifically written as to have characters talk over each other!
I 've enjoyed watching both of you react to films individually in the past. It's great that you are friends and that you got together for a reaction. I regret however that I was irritated by this reaction. I think you might both have benefitted from less talking and more listening. You can always chat about the film when it is over. Apologies to two lovely ladies, but there it is.
Similar thoughts here. It was as if they’ve been given a false impression that the movie is supposed to be a comedy, and they played to that for the movies fans.. Even their intro was far too jocular. It’s been a few days since this was released. I do hope they are reading these comments, and perhaps will post some thing by way of explanation.
