Detailed item info | Movie description | World War II Morocco springs to life in Michael Curtiz's (THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY) classic love story. Colorful characters abound in Casablanca, a waiting room for Europeans trying to escape Hitler's war-torn Europe. Humphrey Bogart plays Richard "Rick" Blaine, a cynical but good-hearted American whose café is the gathering place for everyone from the French Police to the black market to the Nazis. When his long-lost love, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), surfaces in Casablanca with her Resistance leader husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), Rick is pulled into both a love triangle and a web of political intrigue. Ilsa and Victor need to escape from Casablanca, and Rick may be the only one who can help them. The question is, will he?
Top-notch performances include Claude Rains as the chief of the French police and the major authority figure in Unoccupied France, Peter Lorre as the doomed Senor Ugarte, Sydney Greenstreet as Senor Ferrari, and Dooley Wilson as Rick's loyal friend and the café's pianist, Sam. The mesmerizing musical score, by Max Steiner, along with the well-structured plot, flawless acting, and unforgettable dialogue makes this one of the best films of all time.
| | Credits | | Producer: | Hal B. Wallis, Jack L. Warner | | Cast: | Conrad Veidt, Curt Bois, George Meeker, Gino Corrado, John Qualen, Ludwig Stossel, Martin Garralaga, Norma Varden, Olaf Hytten, Paul Porcasi, S.Z. Sakall, Torben Meyer |
| | Details | | Sound: | HiFi Sound |
| | Notes | CASABLANCA was an original selection to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989.
"As Time Goes By," the song that became this film's anthem, not to mention theme song, was originally written for the Broadway musical EVERYBODY'S WELCOME, which opened on October 13, 1931 and ran for 139 performances. The composer, Herman Hupfeld, was also known for the song "When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba."
The film's producer, Hal B. Wallis, was awarded the Academy's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1943.
In his 1995 memoir MY AMERICAN JOURNEY, General Colin Powell lists CASABLANCA as one of his favorite films.
Additional credits: Hugh MacMullan (dialogue director), Robert Aisner (technical adviser).
Copyright 1943 Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
| | Editorial reviews | "...Absolutely sound, rock-solid in its use of Hollywood studio craftsmanship....The black-and-white cinematography has not aged as color would. The dialogue is so spare and cynical it has not grown old-fashioned..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (09/15/1996)
"...One of the most perfect Hollywood movies ever made..."
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (08/08/2003)
"Possibly the most famous film ever made, CASABLANCA has everything..."
Total Film - Ceri Thomas (07/01/2000)
"...Here Humphrey Bogart transformed himself into a romantic hero..."
Premiere - Premiere Staff (12/01/2003)
"Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart provide the chemistry that sets this apart from countless other tales of doomed wartime love affairs."
Sight and Sound - Andrea Toal (03/01/2004)
| | Awards | 1942 Academy Awards, Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Hal B. Wallis
1943 Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay: Howard Koch
1943 Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay: Julius J. Epstein
1943 Academy Awards, Best Director: Michael Curtiz
1943 Academy Awards, Best Picture
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