First Time Watching - Casablanca (1942)
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- Опубліковано 28 бер 2024
- This is VERDY CHANNEL. Today I react to Casablanca for the first time this was a really good movie.
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If you look at the bottle's label, you will see that it reads "Vichy Water." He threw away the bottle because Vichy was the puppet governent set up by the Germans after they conquered France. The French government in exile, "Free France" fought a guerrilla war against the Gerrmans, acted as spies for the Allies, or joined up with an Allied army as a French regiment.
Also, the throwing away of the bottle in disgust symbolised Renault’s allegiances. It let the audience know that, at heart, Renault was actually against the Nazis and pro-Free France.
What he said^.
Vichy was a city famous for its mineral waters. The puppet government was set there partly for the large amount of hotels that were used for governamental needs.
Which is why the idea that a letter of transit signed by General De Gaulle had any authority is ridiculous. In fact, the idea of a letter of transit signed by anyone, with no names, that can't be rescinded, is ridiculous - what government gives a blank check for any criminal who happens to get this piece of paper a free pass to escape?
@@macroman52 It's in the script.
Young people always say old movies are slow . But they gradually build up to something significant , like 'ground' on a painting . Modern movies almost always have action from the very beginning . That's just because the attention spans of many young viewers are very short . They want wow , wow , wow from the very beginning . The more you watch older movies , the more you will adapt to a slow build up , which often pays off handsomely .
This film is actually extremely fast-paced all the way through. I do know that many young people seem to have attenuated attention spans alas.
I will defend young people a bit, really their attention span is short because of mass media hyper fast presentations for decades, they get weened on it and are taught NOT to have patience and out of training expect instant gratification because that's how they are taught. Action action action, and very little meaningful dialogue. Casablanca is the opposite. That said it's a tough thing to sit through for the younger set with predominantly dialogue and little action.
@@thomastimlin1724 They are what we’ve made them, just like we were.
@@thomastimlin1724 if someone is committed to learning about the art of film, it takes time and exposure, just as it does to learn to appreciate and become involved in the worlds of painting, dance, literature, music, sculpture, etc - any art of the hundreds of art forms which humanity has developed over the centuries. Rather than only focusing on one aspect in a film, it is enlightening to notice the lighting, the contrasts, set design, camerawork, depth of field, details, subtle sound fx and music, and more, as well as the facial expressions and body language of actors, the pitch of their voices, as well as noticing the intricacy and power of the dialogue itself, not merely as bland exposition to state plot points. Gradually, a person doesn’t have to rely on periodic adrenaline rushes, or spikes of serotonin from hyper-intense or rapid action, constant editing and extreme closeups. The physical reactions from watching the type of movies that are more and more an excuse for neverending CGI and attempts to direct the audience into specific physical reactions can be as addicting as any form of chemical addiction. Time is sometimes needed to absorb a scene that just happened, and slow-moving or static visual scenes can act as unstated commentary on a character or increase the power of the set-up of a scene. Balance and variation are essential attributes of any art form, and cinema also is built on a blend of human elements which reveal that power comes from many sources, not just those that are fast-paced, loud or based on technology.
@@robertpearson8798 :Perhaps you are right, but we had a lot of help from trendy media stuff. I remember how slow commercials used to be on TV when I was a kid in the 1960's, and how they gradually speeded up over the decades, no more classic introduction themes to TV series, just noises, and right into the show.
Conrad Veidt, who played Major Strasser, was a huge silent movie star and was offered the chance by the Nazis to stay and work in Germany for them, but only if he divorced his Jewish wife. Instead, he changed his religion to Jewish on all his official documents, in solidarity with his wife, and fled to the UK.
For the rest of his career, he donated large proportions of his wages to the British War Effort. He absolutely hated the Nazis and only agreed to play Strasser as long as he had no redeeming qualities what so ever. Unfortunately, he died suddenly shortly after Casablanca was released.
Famous for _Cabinet of Dr Caligari,_ one of the first horror films
@@rhwinner Also for "The Man Who Laughs", which was the inspiration for the Joker in the Batman comics.
He kind of steals the scenes he's in. It's hard to remember that he is playing a Nazi when the actor is so charming and menacing at the same time.
@@phila3884 His very striking appearance makes it easy to see why he was a star during the silent era. His story, and the stories of many of the other actors in the film, is very interesting and inspiring.
one of the best written scripts of all time - Renault threw the bottle in the trash at the end because it was Vichy water, and Vichy was the name of the Nazi collaborator government in France so that was his symbolic gesture of siding with Free France
Vichy was the name of the capital of General Petain’s government, also known as unoccupied France. Petain was the French leader who surrendered to the Germans. And as we know, unoccupied France included the French colonies in North Africa.
Vichy France was officially neutral and never joined Germany as an ally. Not quite a puppet government but also not interested in antagonizing the Nazis.
@@MarcosElMalo2 maybe splitting hairs but mainstream historians generally consider Vichy France to be collaborators. "Vichy France (French: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 - 9 August 1944), officially the French State (État français), was the French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. It was named after its seat of government, the city of Vichy. Officially independent, but with half of its territory occupied under the harsh terms of the 1940 armistice with Nazi Germany, it adopted a policy of collaboration. Though Paris was nominally its capital, the government established itself in the resort town of Vichy in the unoccupied "free zone" (zone libre), where it remained responsible for the civil administration of France as well as its colonies.[3] The occupation of France by Nazi Germany at first affected only the northern and western portions of the country, but in November 1942 the Germans and Italians occupied the remainder of Metropolitan France, ending any pretence of independence by the Vichy government. "
Petain was sentenced to death sifter the liberation. The sentence was commuted to life in prison. Finally, in 1951, his age caught up to him and was admitted to the hospital. He had a second commutation to “confinement in hospital”. A month later, he died. His was an unusual life. During World War I, he was the hero of France. People looked up to him as an angel. But he was a reactionary and didn’t believe that the Nazi were as evil as the world found out.
@@MarcosElMalo2 we are probably splitting hairs but I believe mainstream historians consider the Vichy regime to be collaborators. From wikipedia's entry: Vichy may also refer to:
"Vichy France, the French regime in metropolitan France collaborating with the Nazis during World War II....Officially independent, but with half of its territory occupied under the harsh terms of the 1940 armistice with Nazi Germany, it adopted a policy of collaboration."
@@notmyproblem88 I’ll unsplit the hair. The French Army and Navy never fought with the Germans against the allies, although they did oppose the Operation Torch landings as a matter of National Sovereignty. But they certainly did collaborate with the Nazis in a variety of ways, from providing a workforce to rounding up Jews and hunting down the resistance. You are correct and I was less correct. Is our hair unsplit?
Something that gets glossed over is that they were the legitimate French government, not a puppet government installed by Hitler’s regime. Petain was the leader before, during, and after the French surrender. The Free French were more or less rebels who overthrew Petain. It was a conflict within the greater conflict.
Most of the extras singing the French Anthem were French refugees that had fled Paris as the Germans came in.....it's why the song is so emotional
In fact there were only two native Americans--Rick and Sam--in the cast. It was full of actors from all over Europe, most of whom were war refugees (including Conrad Veidt)
@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 There were three. Joy Page the young Bulgarian bride was American, 17 years old, step daughter to Jack Warner. So she makes three. She had just finished high school.
A bunch of German anti-Nazi actors here too.
Some of the supporting cast were French, Europe was well represented: Russia, Hungary, Germany, England, Austria, Italy, even Mexico and Canada and of course not all of them were refugees. Claude Rains, for example, became a naturalized US citizen in 1939. This casting gave Casablanca its cosmopolitan vibe.
Madeleine Lebeau (Yvonne} and Marcel Dailo {the croupier) were French. He was Jewish; they got out of France one jump ahead of the German army. I suspect Lebeau wasn't acting in that scene.
@@SueProv She was awesome!!!
This is one of the greatest screenplays ever written. Every line is brilliant and moves the plot forward while defining the characters. They don't (and probably can't) make 'em like this any more. And what acting.
Humphrey Bogart was an expert chess player who, before his acting career, would hustle chess games for money in Central Park. When we are first introduced to his character he is playing chess. He is playing the black pieces and from the position of the pieces one can tell that he has played what is known as the “French Defense.”
Well, you learn something everyday.
Ahh, the "French Defense" , often followed by the "White Flag" maneuver .
A bit difficult to pull off with white chess pieces, but not impossible ! 😅
@@Robotrik1 Ignorance is a disease.
A hoary old joke, but not an accurate one. Germany began WWI and WWII as the premiere military power anywhere on Earth, and there was just no way the French could fight off their invasion either time. Yes, the French government was forced to capitulate to the invaders in order to save lives, but not the French military. They simply moved their headquarters to England and kept right on fighting. They *never* surrendered.
Here is a blurb to help today’s younger viewers better understand this movie: “Casablanca is in French Morocco. When France surrendered in WW2, it was divided in half. The Northern half under the direct control of the Germans the other half "nominally" independent under the French in Vichy. French Morocco was also under the control of the Vichy government and thus was technically independent so that the Germans had to operate with French consent. It was all a formality, of course, as the French consent was usually rubber stamped.”
As for the timing of this movie, Germany had quickly defeated France and on June 14, 1940, the German troops entered and occupied Paris. This movie Casablanca is set a year and a half later on December 1, 1941. This was a week before America is attacked at Pearl Harbo and entered the war against Japan and Germany.
I first saw this during WW2 and believe the reason that it became such an instant classic was that the theme and story truly hit a nerve with the audience members back then. Everyone there identified with the story because, in 1942, the war in Europe and the Pacific was going full blast with the outcome of both was still in doubt. Suddenly husbands and wives, young men and their lovers were being forcibly separated by the war and the draft. If your immediate family was not affected, then many of your neighbors had people either at war, killed or wounded.
An element of this film that made it so suspenseful was the love triangle between Rick, Ilsa and Victor. Normally in a Hollywood movie two of the people, the leading man and the girl are obviously meant to end up together. The third character is always shown with some flaw or attitude that makes them an unsuitable mate. In Casablanca, all three leading characters are shown to be equally heroic and desirable choices. Thus making it more difficult for the theater audience to decide who should end up flying off together and who should be the one left behind. Writing a suitable script ending that would satisfy both the Hays Office (the U.S. film studio Self-censorship Organization) and the theater audience must have been very difficult.
Cortiz got an Oscar for directing this picture. The flowing movement of the Camera, with its closeups and tracking, and the constant motion of the Actors are like a carefully rehearsed Ballet. Notice how the Actors and the movie Extras are always moving around and how the scenes smoothly flow from one event to another with few cuts and fadeouts.
Watch how the movie literally starts with a ‘Bang’ and the Camera keeps you glued to the screen leading up to the Flashback with Rick and Ilsa. The first 10 or 15 minutes seems like one long shot. It is rarely mentioned, but the Editing of the movie was excellent.
It was a good thing this was filmed in black and white. It allowed dramatic lighting, contrasting darks and shadows to help portray the ‘Film Noir’ moody effect. Filming in color during the 1940s was harder due to the extra heat generated from the lighting required. Because of the bulker cameras, the added lighting, the triple amount of film, and the expense of producing dye transfer projection prints, Technicolor demanded higher film budgets.
In 1942, this movie was well received by the Black Community. It was praised by being one of the first films that portrayed a black man not as a stereotype but as an important character in the story.
You kind of have to push by the reference to Sam as "boy" though. Great film. But it is certainly showing a bit of cringy age right there.
@@t0dd000 At the time, the term "boy" was used generally for members of a band and for men functioning in a servant capacity. For example, in "A Night at the Opera," Margaret Dumont asks a "boy" (a white man) to page Groucho. It later became a disgusting derogatory term when white southerners took to referring to any black man as "boy" with the implication that he must be a servant; not acknowledging black professionals.
@@TedLittle-yp7uj Yup. But most importantly, it was commonly used in reference to any black adult male. It does not age well. There are a number of cringy moment involving Sam beyond that as well, but that's the most blatant.
The incredible thing about this movie is that the war had not ended when it was filmed
not only that usa has not entered the war when it was filmed in 41. usa entered war in december 41. rick is sort of symbol for usa and staying neutral and giving that up
The war was not going well for the Allies at the time of filming and everyone sincerely did not know how things would end- this gives an underlying tone of tension, worry and suspense which provides a realistic atmosphere.
and many of the actors were recent European refugees who had just escaped the Nazis in similar manner to the story of the film.
It's hard to think Hitler is still alive (along with millions of victims of war crimes around the world), and the future is still uncertain.
@@sitting_nut The film was shot after the US had entered the war, not 1941.
Don't apologize for getting a little emotional. It's just such genuine moments that makes watching reactions worthwhile. FYI I have followed your channel for quite a while and I stayed because your emotions are not over the top but they show on your face in such a charming way whether you are really grooving and vibing to great music, truly appreciating legendary soccer players or as now watching great movies of the past. I think I will stick around as long as you continue down this UA-cam journey you have embarked upon. There are probably many people like me that seldom comment yet follow you and derive much pleasure from your content and truly appreciate what you do.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on emotional ques that Verdy lets show. It is what makes her videos so visceral & believable & personal. It's a big part of why Verdy Channel is one of my favorite reaction tubes. To pull a quote from the move, for Verdy.. "Here's looking at you kid"
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world she had to walk into mine."
One of the greatest lines ever.
You can never go wrong with a Humphrey Bogart movie.
Bogie is what Hollywood is sorely lacking these days.
Pure class.
You should watch some other Bogie movies.
"African Queen" is another Bogie movie classic that is timeless.
And nobody ever reacts to "Desperate hours" in which I think Bogart is terrific!
@MasterBiffpudwell "You despise me, don't you?" "Well, if I gave you any thought, I probably would." One of the greatest putdowns ever uttered on film.
Finally! A young person has watched Casablanca for the first time and given their review. This is difficult for them, given the old 4x3 format and the B & W. You wouldn't know the 6-7 major acting talents of that time or much about WW2. This was made 83 years ago. The film is fast-paced, no wasted time. The sceenplay dialog is the best. The cinematography is the best, the lighting and shadows, the set design. The AFI has a listing of the 100 most memorable quotes over the past 100 years. Gone with the Wind and the Wizzard of Oz each have 3. The only movie with more is Casablanca with 6 famous quotes. The lucky thing was the timing of the movie. Made just before Pearl Harbour when the US was deciding whether to enter the war. When Lazlo says "now I know our side will win", this is great US propaganda. Shortly after, US armies entered North Africa. Roosevelt and Churchill had a meeting in Casablanca in early 1943.
That scene where they sing La Marsellaise always brings a tear to my eye and feel a fierce pride in being French. I'm not French. I'm a Scottish francophile. Thanks for reacting to my all time favourite movie greeny.
I'm an American and an Anglophile and get Teary Eyed!
_La Marsellaise_ was the anthem of the Free French opposition to the Nazis, it would have been familiar to American audiences from newsreels. This movie was not only a love story, it was a redemption story of how Rick recovered his idealism and reengaged in the fight against tyranny. That is why the music during the end credits was _La Marsellaise_ and not _As Time goes By_ .
Hiya Verdy glad to see you watching this. It is a master class in film making
One of the finest films ever made.
Casablanca is my favorite movie of all time and a true masterpiece of cinema. I've seen it hundreds of times and I never tire of it.
"Casablanca" was actually, nearly, a cluster-flick. The script, which richly deserves plaudits to the end of time, almost NEVER CAME ABOUT! Nearly every day, scriptwriters came up with new plot twists, new escapes, funnier quips, and the like; lots of reshoots of small bits of the film, some larger in scale. It was not a pretty sight, actors and stage-hands getting short-tempered because of all the re-takes. It's a wonder the film was as solid as it is.
Fun Fact: this movie came out the same week that President Roosevelt met with Winston Churchill in the real Casablanca to discuss the North Africa campaign against Hitler. The audience would have been shown news reels about it before the movie started. (Free publicity)
Classic films are not only about the plot, but above all about forgotten filmmaking techniques and outstanding acting. We don't experience anything like this in today's cinema. Films were created on a theatrical scale, and taking care to create an art in the all smallest details of the movie was something elementary for the old era. Today the acting is pale and devoid of skill, and the scripts bear no resemblance to great literary novels. Don't stop watching the classics, there is so much greatness to discover which you will no longer find in the films of our era. I don't want to impose films on you, you should choose them yourself. But if you are interested in experiencing the mastery of storytelling, I recommend one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, entitled "12 Angry Men" from 1957. You will remember that movie for the rest of your life. Every subscriber of your channel who has seen this masterpiece will agree with that.
So glad you reacted to this classic, it's one of my all time favorites. There are so many famous lines and scenes. Rick's speech to Ilsa at the end is very famous and often quoted.
Very good review for your first watch. It's so hard to get how important every line is, from the very beginning. Not one word is wasted. You caught up with the story faster than most. Now that you've seen it, you'll appreciate that they wanted to slowly set the stage for Rick's character- why was he so moody, jaded? etc., instead of just jumping to the "reunion" moment. It's actually movie magic happening here.
One of the greatest movies of all time. ❤
The other song in the scene with La Marseilles is Die Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine - not the German anthem but patriotic song warning of the danger coming from 'over the Rhine' i.e. France). Most of the people singing La Marseilles were WW2 refuges from Europe fleeing the Nazis. Lot of those emotions were not acting but real. Technically the French Territories in North Africa answered to the Govt of Unoccupied France for which the new capital was the spa town (in Southern France) of Vichy (thus the bottle of Vichy Water). Paris and the entire Atlantic Coast was directly occupied by the Germans. The Vichy Govt collaborated with the Nazis and otherwise walked very softly around them, they knew the Germans could occupy the rest at any time. They did this in Nov of 1942, after the Americans invaded and seized French North Africa (including Casablanca).
So many great old movies. Especially of the 1930s-50's NOIR genre.
I’m shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on here!
Your winnings sir.
Oh thank you very much. Everyone clear out. 😆
One of the many great lines in this classic. You often hear the "shocked, shocked" phrasing to this day yet sometime those speaking incredibly do not know from hence it comes! "For a price, Ugarte, for a price" is another favorite of mine. I invoke lines from 1942's "Casablanca" all the time. You stated it was a 1943 film, and in January 1943, it did indeed go into wide US release, timed to the Casablanca Conference of Chruchill, Stalin, and FDR. But the original release in NYC was in late November 1942, rushed out just after the Allied invasion of Casablanca and North Africa in WW II. It won three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Also, there film is fast-paced throughout--and superbly written, photographed, lit, acted, and directed. Orders of magnitude better in quality than virtually any "more modern" motion picture. "12 Angry Men" is another standout serious film, from 1957.
‘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, but, actually, the film is one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda ever made.
Made in the bleakest times of WW2, 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 its 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.
Rick’s initial selfishness, (‘I stick my neck out for nobody’ and ‘the problems of the world are not in my department…’), is a metaphor for USA indifference. It must be remembered that the events and politics are harder to comprehend and put into perspective for current audiences than for those living through WW2, not knowing who the victors would be.
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. 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.
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, together with comedic elements and contemporary, social commentaries. Even the support actors make major contributions to the enjoyment. There are also many ‘adult’ themes which escaped the censors: one example is the scene between Rick and the Bulgarian bride which suggests Renault was willing to be involved in underage sex/ménage a trois. Another is Rick’s and Ilsa’s last tryst in which it is clearly implied that they have made love.
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.
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. Also, ‘Love for Sale’ is played during the dialogue when the Bulgarian girl tells Rick about her ‘offer’ from Renault.
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 Balkan problem , (still ongoing), is 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 significance of Letters of Transit is a metaphor for the might of America’s power and resources and must be delivered to the right side.
Victor often tells Isla that he loves her but she never reciprocates, except for saying ‘ I know’. She tells Rick she loves him several times.
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 and Japanese domination and when the outcome looked very bleak.
The facial close-ups used throughout the film speak a thousand words: but particularly note Ilsa during ‘La Marseillaise’ when her expressions eventually show her admiration of Victor’s power and her realisation that this must be preserved at all costs.
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
In any case... there is so much alcohol!!!! On this note, please watch out for glasses knocked over and glasses set upright…
The Bulgarian couple keeps appearing many times as a symbol 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.
Please imagine what hope the dialogue must have projected when Ilsa states that she’ll wear the blue dress again when Paris is liberated. Nobody then knew when this would be.
The quotes from the film are now embedded in popular culture and are mostly said by Rick. However, Captain Renault has some of the best lines: e.g. when asking Rick why he had to leave America, he says, ‘I’d like to think you killed a man: it’s the romantic in me’ ; a gunshot to his heart would be his ‘..least vulnerable part..’; when told where the Letters of Transit were hidden in the piano, ‘’…it’s my fault for not being musical…’: on making the bet with Rick, …’make it 10,000 - I’m only a poor corrupt official…’
The end-product is a combination of superb screenwriting/ direction/acting and every other production aspect combined with a modicum of unpredictable luck. As I’ve said, ‘Casablanca’ requires multiple viewings and gets better with age and even its theme song, ‘As Time Goes By’ serendipitously reflects this!!
The reason why so many of us think this is the greatest film ever made... It's actually simple in a way. Go back in your memory to the scenes you've just watched and then ask yourself; how many ways of loving someone have you just seen displayed in this film? Including the ending. Louis the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Beginning to end.
Great reaction / review. Perhaps you and others have a different opinion of love being displayed now.
As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.
Thank you, Verdy -
I enjoyed watching this with you.
Something I always like to point out to reactors:
Yvonne is something of an opportunist. Once it's over between she and Rick, she takes up with one of the Germans. As a Frenchwoman, this marks her as a collaborator, the absolute worst of the worst. _Everyone_ would detest her.
Indeed, it's what causes the minor fight that Rick breaks up. In French, the policeman angrily tells Yvonne that she's not French for taking up with the German. The German understands French and takes offense.
At the end, the French officer spits out (in French): "Dirty Boche. Someday we'll have our revenge!"
"Boche" is a pejorative, about the same as "Kraut." Yvonne is aware that he's probably talking about her as much as the German.
When the Germans begin singing together, there's a shot where Yvonne can be seen starting to feel bad about her situation.
When Lazlo gets the band to play "La Marseilles," Yvonne flips. In fact, the camera focuses on her at a very specific moment in the song.
The lyric she's singing translates to "They're coming right into our arms" (referring to the enemy). It's at that point that Yvonne realizes that bringing the enemy right into her arms is precisely what she's doing, and she begins to weep in shame.
At the end, there's a shot of her shouting, "Vive la France!" indicating her change of heart, returning to a French loyalist.
It's a small character arc for a near-background character. You only know the depth of it if you're both knowledgeable of the political situatuon and speak French. As a Francophile, I'm both.
However, it's a detail that shows just how much care was taken with _Casablanca_ . It didn't need to be in the film at all, but they took the time to include it.
And a bit of trivia: the actress who played Yvonne, Madeleine Lebeau, was the last cast member of _Casablanca_ to transition to Valhalla.
Greatest movie of all time and it's not even close.
The most important aspect of this film for a modern viewer to remember is that it was filmed during the War when Nazi Germany puppet Vichy France ruled over Casablanca. It's literal telling is in a "present day" form. The Allied invasion of Northern Africa under Operation Torch would later liberate Casablanca in late '42. Furthermore, the film's script which was originally for a play was the most anyone in Hollywood had ever paid to that date for an unproduced play.
This was filmed before the end of WWII, can you imagine? No one knew who would win, the Allies or the Axis.
Wasn't long after America finally realised there was a war going on.
@@ianhampton1208 The US had been supplying Britan with everything from warships to trucks before the attack on Pearl Harbor. My dad was an Army Air Force volunteer a year and a half before the US entry. He joined after watching horrifying images from the Blitz. He knew there was a war going on. Read a book before you shove the Union Jack in our faces.
Touched a nerve it seems. Of course the Americans had form for this, having only entered the Great War, aka the First World War 1914-1918 in 1917. 😂
Hence the famous British reaction to the American military headquartering in the UK after joining the effort in WWII: "Pushy Americans, always late for every war! Overpaid, oversexed, and over here!" Fowler, the old RAF chicken, said it in the movie Chicken Run, but he was merely repeating it.
During the 1920s - 30s Americans' attitude was largely isolationist, due to disillusionment with World War 1. After the first war the US failed to support the League of Nations, predecessor to the UN. The movie came out just as Americans were losing their isolationist opinions and becoming engaged in the fight against fascism. Rick's character arc in the movie mirrors this change in opinion, one reason for the popularity of the film.
I've heard about this movie just about my entire life.
Since the late 60's. I like movies, and always planned to watch it. Finally got around to it about 10 years ago. It didn't blow me away. Certainly didn't give me that "This is one of the best movies ever made" feeling. But a few weeks ago I decided to watch it again. Thought maybe a 2nd viewing would bring out things I missed the first time. Turns out it did. I understood the plot better, for one thing. But I think I was more relaxed and in a "movie-watching" mood the 2nd time. I love the classics. The acting is better, usually. There was a special atmosphere in the air a few decades ago. And Black & White adds to that feeling. I believe Casablanca contains and portrays a unique time in American and World History. Despite the terrible actions of an evil ruler and his followers, there was a decency and innocence that was pervasive in most of the world back then. Especially in America.
But not to miss the obvious, I enjoy a good love story. And Casablanca envelops us into two of them.
The reason for showing the bottle at the end is because it is labeled a product of Vichy, which was the part of divided France ruled by Marechal Petain on behalf of the nazis, and nominally ruling the colony of French Morocco at the time. Capt. Renault, being at heart a free French loyalist hated Vichy and what it stood for, so discarded the Vichy bottle with obvious disgust.
Vichy was also a spa town famous for its water.
Very pleased to see you do this, many reactors shy away from the classics…especially black & white. This is a shame really as there are so many great films to be taken in. I think most were better than what today offers. Casablanca is one of those great ones. Script, cast & the lighting really sets the tone, something color could not do (same as “12 Angry Men”) . Keep doing classic film, I’m all for it.
Casablanca is an excellent first choice if you want to explore the " Film Noir' genre. Especially if it is your first Humphrey Bogart movie. "The Maltese Falcon" is my favorite Bogart movie. Although, Lauren Bacall does not appear in either of the aforementioned movies. The movies featuring Bogart & Bacall together, are some of the best in the "Film Noir" genre. "The Big Sleep" "Dark Passage" "Key Largo" are all great suggestions, if you want to continue your journey into "Film Noir" and/or Humphrey Bogart movies.
Now that you have done a reaction to the movie Casablanca... As a tie in to your music reaction videos. You will have to do a reaction to Dooley Wilson's (Sam the piano player) rendition of "As Time Goes By"
I loved your stoic view of this movie, I could see your face change as the movie unfolded. This movie is so great that I watch it over and over, it stands the test of time.
I only noted how often the Bulgarians appeared on a rewatch years after my first watch. I also only caught Rick's meaning of Renault being "broad minded" on that later rewatch.
That line always made me laugh. Very risky to slip that in back in 1942. 😄
A great double feature is “Casablanca” followed by “Play it Again Sam” by Woody Allen. Really fun to watch back to back. Glad you enjoyed Casablanca, it is an amazing film. One of the best for sure!
If you want to make it a hat trick, throw in The Cheap Detective, which parodies not only Casablanca, but also The Maltese Falcon and a number of other Bogart films.
One major reason Casablanca is so important, it has the longest standing peace treaty with the United States having been signed when the colonies were a country for barely 3 years.
It is still absolute in the leadership of Morocco!
One of the best endings in the history of cinema.
A few other movies you might consider:
Comedy: Arsenic and Old Lace, and Harvey
Dramedy: The Thin Man, and Torchy Blane (1st movie)
Drama: Baby Face
Peter Lorre fled Germany, in America he became somewhat of caricatured actor. He was in a German noir movie called "M" directed by Fritz Lang. We'd call it an art house film. A very good movie but maybe not for everyone.
M rivals Hitchcock’s best as one of the greatest crime thrillers ever made. Amazing storytelling with an unforgettable ending. Peter Lorre was also great in The Maltese Falcon as yet another shady character. Of course The Maltese Falcon is the other greatest Bogart film.
Casablanca, Morocco. Much of that cast and most the extras were actually refugees who had fled Germany and/or Nazi occupied territory. Cafe' is literally "coffee", but also can mean 'restaurant' and/or 'night club'. Remember, when this was filmed and shown in theaters, the outcome of the war was not yet known. Renault threw away the bottle of Vichy Water, as it symbolized the Vichy government that was in collaboration with Nazi Germany - Morocco was governed by that same Vichy, so Renault is becoming a resistance fighter against the Nazis, as is Rick.
tears are traditional - if not compulsory at the end of this wonderful movie. Now that you have opened the box I hope that you will discover other classic movies.
Ingrid Bergman is one of the GOATs, as is her daughter Isabella Rosellini.
And her granddaughter Elettra Wiedemann
The sting with Paul Newman and Robert Redford is another great movie.
The bottle specifically had "Vichy" on the label. Vichy France was the name of the government under occupation. That is why Renault throws the wine out at the end - he has chosen to remain loyal to a free France.
The bottle in the end? That takes a moment to explain.
France had capitulated to Germany. In return the Germans left the south of France unconquered. The unoccupied France had it's Government in Vichy and they fully cooperated with Germany. Some because they didn't want the rest of France to be occupied, some because they thought the German's were there to stay. So places like Casablanca where theoretically French soil, but fully cooperated with Germany's demands. At the same time they had to follow their laws. So Lazlo was safe because he was in French soil, but couldn't leave as Louis would not give him an exit visa because of the Germans.
The bottle Louis throws into the trash is 'Vichy Water' and with this he expresses his thoughts about his own government.
Which gives his motives in the movie an interesting twist. I think he hates what his position made him into. Beginning with him being corrupt and everything else. If he arranged for a transfer for himself, it wouldn't be better for him either. Essentially he was trapped in Casablanca like everyone else and survived as best as he could.
A bit of trivia- Ingrid Bergman said that she thought she photographed better from the left side. See how many times, especially the closeups, that that happens.
She wasn't alone in that. I think you'll find most classic film actors/actresses of the time had a "best side"
Gracias verdy por ver casablanca! Excelentes actores y una gran historia! Forever! 🇦🇷😃🖐️
Casablanca was the only film where so many powerful actors came together for one movie. Every actor in the movie was signed to different studios and never interacted with each other except at award shows. It was a nightmare trying to get them together. Most of them only did one day on set and maximized their scenes. Hence why the guy was killed in the bar as his day was up. He would make other films for his studio though. It’s kinda the same of Hollywood now as studios don’t interact with each other much except during award shows, other than sharing services like props, editing houses, foley studios, and vfx offices. Those services are independent companies and every studio has to go through a limited number of them hence why they are shared. It’s not uncommon for those guys to work on a Disney movie one day and a universal movie the next day. Or a Warner movie one day and a UA movie another day. It’s quite normal. Oddly Casablanca was edited in the studio and some of the cuts were baffling as there was over six hours of unused footage that could have been used but the extra footage was destroyed. The lost scenes were mostly extended scenes of the bar, the market, the piano, and two versions of the plane scene.
The movie Metropolis was even worse as most of film was lost thanks to fire. Reels do exist but they were badly degraded by silver nitrate and couldn’t be recovered. Only a single copy was finally recovered that was mostly intact. From that copy we managed to salvage most of the dance scene and part of the robot reveal but not all of it. Metropolis is a silent film from Germany that was the best of its day but collectors are still searching archives and theaters for an undamaged copy for the full movie as it’s so hard to find and finally finish the movie in its glory.
At the end, Louie and Rick are running off to Brazzaville. “There’s a Free French garrison in Brazzaville.” Brazzaville is over 3000 miles away from Casablanca in central Africa.
remember, this movie was made in 1942, the outcome of the war was not certain and the story was a hope for all!!
This a really good movie but it's a movie that a person needs to have feel for the times. The movie was made in those times. Verdy I'm sure you know what France suffered during those times. The more a person understands and feels about what was happening in the World at that time, the more they feel the stress of that time. The worry, the hate, the brutality, the fear. It was a war like no other and all tales didn't end up happy like Casablanca. I always tried to keep in mind what it was like then.
I'm much older than you and my Grandfather told me what it was like living in USA during WWII. You couldn't purchase tires, gasoline was rationed, certain products and metals were unavailable. Certain foods were difficult to find and USA had it easy at home. Other countries had it much worse. The Jewish people suffered unimaginable. Hitler to this day is effecting World.
Good one, Verdy! This is such a good movie. Thank you for sharing it. 🙂
The last surviving cast member was Madeline LeBeau (1923-2016), who played Yvonne. The tears on her face singing the Marseillaise were very real. She actually did flee Paris when the German army occupied the city and became a refugee in a torturous route which involved Lisbon, Chile, Mexico and Canada before making it to the US. La Marseillaise is, in my opinion, the best national anthem in the world.
A great movie. Originally thought of as a average movie, after it was made it won the Oscar for best picture. Casablanca is in Morroco and was a French territory in that time.
That was a great reaction to a great film. I'm sure that you will watch it again and pick up even more interesting bits and will enjoy the film even more
Great job.
What makes this movie so great is the fact that most of the extras were actual refugees from that time period. The other thing is the script was literally being written almost daily as they shot it without an ending . The ending was written very late in the shooting of this movie. So many reactions are actually real as the actors were exposed to the dialogue. Using some stock footage, they created a masterpiece that holds up. I have seen it in an actual big theatre thanks to the tcm channel. It is great when you and two hundred people all react the same way at the same time proving the director and story had it right.
36:13 He threw it away because it was "Vichy" water, the name the Germans gave to occupied France.
It wasn't the Germans who called it Vichy France, everyone did. Vichy was a place in France where the government of unoccupied France was based after Paris was occupied. Although it was nominally independent, in reality, it was essentially a collaborationist government under constant threat of military intervention by the Germans. This is why the Germans could not simply arrest Lazlo in unoccupied, Vichy controlled, Casablanca but had to work through Captain Renault. Nevertheless, Renault, as an official of the Vichy government, was obliged to co-operate with them whether he liked it or not.
@@sirderam1 thanks for the correction! had that info wrong. In the end the meaning of the scene doesn't change: Vichy was not the real France!!!!
Nice reaction here in what is my favorite movie of all time. Your emotional reaction was consistent with that of millions of others.
As other comments point out Casablanca was under the control of what came to be known as Vichy France under General Petain. The Germans created a small section of France as Unoccupied France. They allowed it to be "neutral", but it was really under the control of the Germans. It's capital was Vichy. Some overseas colonies of France were put under the control of Vichy, and they even had a navy. That is why the Germans ultimately control Captain Renault in Casablanca, but they have to put up a show that his authority comes from the Vichy government. At the end Renault throws off his attachment to Vichy (and tosses the Vichy water in the trash) and joins the Free French side. He and Rick are going to join together in the war effort against Germany.
Great summary. Of note, Gen Petain is the general on the poster the man is shot in front of at the beginning of the movie. An important political point of this film being filmed during the war is that the letters of transit were signed by General De Gaulle. De Gaulle was the leader of the Free French movement fighting against the Germans and against the Vichy government. His signature would have been worthless. The papers would have been signed by Petain for Strasser to transport Lazlo back to Germany all according to law. The film makers didn't want to acknowledge the Vichy government and Petain so the script has them signed by the leader of the forces fighting against Vichy and Germany.
@@user-zx9jq4pv1w The idea that the papers were signed by De Gaulle comes from faulty captioning. Lorre actually says Weygand (pronounced Veyganh) who was the minister of war in the Vichy government. Not only would De Gaulle's signature have been worthless, it would have gotten you killed, as the man carrying Free French papers was killed. The script of Everybody Comes to Rick's (the original play) says Weygand, the original script of Casablanca in the Warner's Archives says Weygand, and everybody making the film would have known the name Weygand and what it signified, If you zoom in on Lorre's face, you will see that his lips form the letter V. If the original audience had thought he said De Gaulle, the movie would have been laughed out of the theatres. By the way, the French language captioning gets it right.
@@TedLittle-yp7ujFascinating, it is funny the problems of international ears hearing accents from around the world. A number of places online argue about the pronunciation but the few alleged scripts online I've come across do say Weygande. One blog discussed how many de Gaulle proponents come from the Anglo-phone world where they mishear the French pronunciation of Weygande and place the most known WW2 French name in its place. I have for ages but Lorre's pronunciation certainly isn't ending with French -L but -n. Half a century watching this film and having that convoluted theory. I'll have to watch this again.
It's an "American Cafe" because of the Jazz music. Not something one would normally hear in Casablanca in 1940.
My dad landed at Casablanca as a US Army soldier with Eisenhower's army in 1943. On liberty, neither he nor his buddies found any swank nightclubs there. 1:40 Yes, La Marseillaise has one of the greatest melodies every written. 6:15 I don't think THIS Senor Ferrari would fit in a Ferrari.
Great film. My favourite Casablanca fact is the use of 'forced perspective' in the final scene. Set at Casablanca's airfield but actually shot on a soundstage, the plane and and background was painted, but to make the distance/perspective appear real, the characters you see were played by dwarves (yes, really) to look like people further away than they were.
For many years Bogart was know for his “gangster” rolls. His breakout film in that genre was The Petrified Forest”- 1936 also staring Betti Davis an Leslie Howard it’s a gem.
It's a minor point, to be sure, but just enough enough people mis-read this as to require a clarification. "Bros" is the abbreviation for "brothers". So, effectively, it's Warner Brothers. Also, in this context, cafe does not translate as coffee, but as a small restaurant or nightclub.
Excellent reaction. You offer a somewhat French perspective on a movie which, like you said, had 'so much French in it'. That is special.
Ferrari was a man before a car. The Germans wouldn't have abided by the French Vichy document of transit. There were no Germans at the airport until they made the phone call. They could have all left on the plane. After Major Strasser was shot they still could have all got onto the plane.
The manshot at the beginning of the film is member of the resistance against the Nazis. You'll see the same French symbol in the ring of another character.
One of my all time favorite films.
He’s the head of the underground
Great movie 😊
Great movie. Other great Humphrey Bogart movies include African Queen, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Woody Allen did a movie, Play it Again Sam, where he gers dating advice from Bogarts ghost.
Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Excellent! Casablanca is a classic that holds up extremely well to repeated viewings. It was made during the darkest year of WWII when the Nazis were at the peak of their power. Had they won the war they most likely would have rounded up the entire cast for internment and worse. Humphrey Bogart starred in several films bearing heavy dramatic weight from WWII, including Key Largo, about a war veteran forced to face down gangsters in a hurricane. Key Largo would be a good old film to react to. Ingrid Bergman starred in another WWII related film the year after Casablanca, the film adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, which is set during the Spanish Civil War when the Nazis attacked Spain. She plays opposite to Gary Cooper. The film is almost three hours long so it ran with an intermission. For Whom the Bell Tolls would also be a good old film to react to. And it's in color too.
musical tear jerkers from that era, Gunga Din, the bag pipes are playing Bonnie Prince Charlie as they march into
an ambush. Gone With the Wind, a slow version of Dixie, while Scarlett crosses the railroad yard, with hundreds of dead or dying rebels as the camera pans up to view the Stars and Bars. Stage Coach with John Wayne, each time the coach pulls out of town, the music motif plays, which would become The Lost Highway, covered by Hank Williams.
They actually filmed two endings for the movie, the one that was released, and one in which Rick did leave with Ilsa. They wanted to make sure the real ending didn’t get leaked before the movie’s release, that’s a whole next level to preventing spoilers.
No, they had two endings scripted. They filmed it as you see it. Then decided not to bother with the ending with Rick leaving with Isla, so that was never filmed. With the Hayes Code censorship the only way Rick would leave with Isla is if Strasser shot Victor. Because there was no way they would allow a married woman to run off with another man. That's why the dialog is so excellent, because they couldn't say a lot of things due to censorship. So they had to imply a hell of a lot.
To this day As Time Goes By is the main opening theme of all WB intros & outros with an exception of a few.
One other thing about this movie. The people had to really act and tell a story without CGI. Plus, most furniture used in movies that had to be built was made a little smaller so the actors seemed taller to enhance them on the big screen. The outfits designed to tell the story helped so much, plus the subtle humor. It is a classic. They even made a cartoon called Carrotblanca with Bugs Bunny as Rick. Good luck on your exams.
Regarding the bottle of Vichy Water that the French Captain kicked, showed his distain for Vichy France, or German occupied France (mostly Northern and Western France). The French Vichy Government of Philippe Pétain collaborated with the Germans and was unpopular. French Morocco was unoccupied France, never invaded by the Germans, but they tried to control it from a distance until the Allies arrived.
The 'Third Man' is another great film noir film , based in immediate postwar Vienna.
Good catch noticing how often the Bulgarians are established before they interact with Rick. When I visited Casablanca, it was just somewhere to get lunch between Rabat and Marrakesh.
The song that the nazis were singing was "Die Wacht am Rhein" [The Watch on the Rhine]
"Bros." is short for "Brothers".
Nice to see you again lady. This picture was from 1943, when all of this was still current events, still going on. Daring movie to do. (25.10....rick arranged for her husband to win.)
The Actor who played Major Strasser hated Nazis and wanted people to hate his character.
Ooo, that's a tough act to follow. "On the Waterfront" Marlon Brando
Verdy-Some really great B & W movies worth seeing:
1) Meet John Doe (1940) Even though this movie is 84 years old, it's interesting that nothing has changed with the media and the political parties.
2) Ball of Fire (1941) Hollywood used this movie the template for the TV series Big Bang Theory.
3) Remember the Night (1939) Hollywood stole some ideas from this movie for the movie "Pretty Woman."
4) The Maltese Falcon (1939) Perhaps the greatest detective movie ever and you will see several actors in this (Bogart, Greenstreet, Lorre) that were also in Casablanca.
…and more recently “Paper Moon” (1973) by Peter Bogdanovich. A wonderful film starring Ryan O’neal and his daughter Tatum who won an Academy Award at age 10 for her role, making her the youngest recipient of an Oscar.
Another WW2 B&W award-winning film: "The Best Years of Our Lives," with Frederic March, Dana Andrews, and Myrna Loy. It's based in 1945, is NOT a war-action film, but a view into the "return to normalcy" of three American veterans.
More in tune with today's political atmosphere, and a partner move with "Meet John Doe," is Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
Good choices. Here are mine:
1) It Happened One Night (1934), A romantic comedy starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
2) My Man Godfrey (1936), another romantic comedy, this one starring William Powell and Carole Lombard (Powell's ex-wife and Gable's then-future wife).
3) The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), a supernatural romance, a young widow, her daughter, and their maid move into a haunted house.
4) The Thin Man (1934), William Powell (again) and Myrna Loy as a famous detective and his heiress wife, based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett, who also wrote The Maltese Falcon. It inspired five sequels.
5) Out of the Past (1947), a noir film starring Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. Very, very noir.
6) Mrs. Miniver (1942), the story of a family on England's southeastern coast during WWII. It won 6 Oscars.
@@htim8997 Some thoughts:
1) The Ghost and Mrs. Muir-as a child, I absolutely loved this TV show, but I didn't see the movie until decades later. The movie was depressing, start to end and telegraphed the ending, ten minutes into the movie.
2) Mrs. Miniver-won 6 oscars, but....
a) one has to keep in mind that, often, the oscars are just people slapping each other on the back.
b) I get that the family had to move to an area not likely to get bombed, but that was the very thin plot line of this movie. Was there a great romance here? No. Was there great sacrifice? Not really.
Here's looking at you, kid! Great reaction!
Bergmans face. ❤️
A classic movie. Have it in my collection 👍
Humphrey Bogart was such a stud and one of the finest actors of the 40s, you should checkout Brief Encounter - 1945
There was no doubt you would enjoy the scene with La Marseillaise. There are many emotional scenes in the movie, but that is one of the most emotional for me. I've no doubt the tears streaming down the beutiful face of Madeleine Lebeau, who plays Yvonne, are real. She fled Paris along with her Jewish husband just ahead of the German occupation, through Lisbon, incidentally, though she never went to Casablanca. Still, the film must have felt almost biographical to her.
Another excellent black and white movie, and probably one of the best comic movies ever, is HIS GIRL FRIDAY, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. It's hilarious, and quick patter.
"Warner Bros." sigh. "Bros." is the abbreviation for Brothers. The film company was founded in 1923 by four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner.
Speaking of abbreviations, I have noticed that some people doing reactions just say "co" when they see "Co." in a title. Apparently they never learned that "Co." is the abbreviation for company.
Thank you for sharing! It was a little choppy, the clips from the movie, and hard to follow. But it was great fun, and one of my favorite movies.😊❤
getting a brace put on her teeth...in real life her husband was a dentist they were both living in my town Rochester, NY where the film for this movie was made
Mr. Costello means the physical film, presumably at Eastman Kodak. The film was shot in Hollywood CA, and at Van Nuys airport nearby--in daylight, because of crazy WW II restrictions. I just now got, after scores of times watching this outstanding film, the "inside baseball" connection, from you, between Ilsa Lund "having a brace put on my teeth" and Ingrid Bergman's real Swedish husband being a dentist! I catch some nuance or other almost every time I watch the film.
I liked your reaction to Rick's brush off speech to Ilsa. Also, for a long while Ingrid was considered a stunningly beautiful woman, but years later another woman from Sweden (Essy Peirson) came along (see Mission Stardust) and while she is not as good an actress, her voice and inflections are perfectly Ingrid. As for looks, Essy is, for my money, much prettier.
You did fine young lady. Many of the funny things went over your head perhaps like Captain Renault closing the night club, shocked to find gambling going on, and the man comes up and says "Your winnings sir." Seems everyone laughs the loudest at that line. A side note many of the supporting actors were refugees from other countries because of the bastards, uh, Nazis. Many were French, especially French film actress Madeleine Lebeau [1923-2016] who played Yvonne. Those were real tears she shed during the singing of "La Marseillaise. " She is my favorite, I would fall in love with her over Ilsa for sure. Ms Lebeau was last living cast member of Casablanca when she passed away. She was very beautiful. if you're French / Canadian, you're my neighbor, I'm in Michigan. To talk with me, just yell across the lake lol.
Rick could not go to USA for some reason only hinted at so he was stuck abroad