So I didn’t know this while I watched but afterwards I had read that “The letters of transit that motivate so many characters in the film did not exist in Vichy-controlled France--they are purely a plot device invented by the screenwriters. Playwright Joan Alison always expected somebody to challenge her about the letters, but nobody ever did.” Also I meant S.Z Sakall… not SK! 😅 Hope you like this reaction!
Yes it was not a real thing. I never understood what "Letters of Transit" signed by De Gaul had any meaning in Vichy. We never had the internet to check these things out. After all those years pondering it, what a let down finding out years ago that it was not real. However it does not matter, because it is just a plot device, and it was very effective.
Best movie ever. The scene when Rick first sees Ilsa, I have always felt I can feel the sickening jolt to his gut and heart in the expression. Thanks for choosing this one. 👍
I love this movie. My mom’s favorite part was “I’m shocked SHOCkED to find there is gambling going on here!” “Here are your winnings Sir.” “Oh thank you. Thank you very much.” 😂 She would laugh every time.
Claude Rains is a great actor. Have you seen him in Irving Rapper’s 1942 Now Voyager (also starring Paul Henreid, with Bette Davis and Gladys Cooper) ? He is such a sympathetic doctor. Fancy he got notorious (😅) playing The Invisible Man … !
The reason that scene was so emotionally powerful was that so many of the actors and actresses in that scene were German Jews who had themselves fled Nazi-controlled Europe. The tears were real.
27:41 "Conrad Veidt, who played Maj. Strasser, was well known in the theatrical community in Germany for his hatred of the Nazis, and his friendship with Jews. (His wife, Ilona "Lily" Prager", was Jewish.) He was forced to flee his own country when he learned the SS had sent a death squad after him. Veidt only played film villains during WWII as he was convinced that playing suave Nazi baddies would help the war effort." From IMDB
Others in the German film industry also got out while they could. Among them: Marlene Dietrich, Hedy Lamarr, and the great director Fritz Lang. All settled in Hollywood, and continued their successful careers.
Veidt was also extremely vocal in support of Gay Rights, starring in one of the first sympathetic LGBTQ movies "Different from the Others". He himself was bisexual, which is another reason he was hated by the nazis as he was not only 'gay' but sympathetic to the jews AND a public figure and popular actor. A very bad combo for the nazis. Luckily he managed to get out of the country to the US.
Rick's and Capt Renauld's dialogue is so great. One of the best parts of the movie is Rick is always saying 'I stick my neck out for nobody' yet, all throughout the film, all he does is help everyone else around him.
I really appreciate your notice of the understated humor…real wit. I love these old films where duty to the greater good is more important than short term personal gain. Keep’em coming!!
It is a great line, but part of the meticulous brilliance of the film is, even though focus is on Renault closing the cafe, in the background, the look Rick gives Emil for giving it to him!
My parents, who lived through the WWII years ALWAYS cried when watching this film. They told me that the thing we forget today is that many people in the US wanted to stay out of the war & the Rick character embodied that...trying to stay neutral & not get involved. Until finally committing to the fight. That is why Casablanca meant so much to people... it was part entertaining love story & part political propaganda.
@@blueboy4244 Actually it's when Renault, who saw Rick shoot Strasser, said, "Round up the usual suspects" -- Rick never being one of them. And then Renault drops the "Vichy" water bottle into the trash.
At two points in the film there are references to the date. The story takes place between December 2 and December 6 1941. The next day was Pearl Harbor, and America threw off its isolationism and joined the war. Rick’s turn from isolationism to action resonated with Americans for that reason.
Love your reaction! Most American reactors don’t know what or where Casablanca is, what country or continent it’s in, what war this was, where Lisbon is, etc. No knowledge of history and geography. Your knowledge is refreshing!
I got to see this movie for the very first time in 1992, for it's 50th anniversary in a theater here in town, on the big screen the way movies are meant to be seen. It was amazing seeing this in an old school type movie palace. I love this movie and I still think Claude Rains steals the movie from Bogie. Every word out of Claude's lips is quotable! The script of this movie is super tight, and you can't picture anyone else in every role other than the actor that played it. Perfect script. Perfect case. Perfect atmosphere... all equal a perfect movie. I love modern action movies, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, the Alien movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.... but if I had to pick only ONE movie as the greatest of all time? Hand's down, Casablanca. Period.
I saw this twice in an old arthouse theater back in the Nineties. Long lines and packed houses both times. Ecstatic applause at the end when Rains said "round up the usual suspects." Most memorable movie-going experiences of my life. I'm glad you picked up on the subtle humor throughout; in a packed theater everyone picks up on all of those nuances, and that's why movies like this need to be seen in that setting, when possible. Nice reaction.
Casablanca has rare quality that makes it even better when you watch it a second or third or twentieth time. Earlier scenes get imbued with more emotional resonance when you already undertand their history in advance and certain events take on deeper meaning.
"The Maltese Falcon," (1941) which has been recommended in earlier comments, is considered one of the finest American movies ever made. It is a mystery film-noir based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett. It stars Bogart as private detective Sam Spade, Mary Astor as the beautiful client, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo, and Sydney Greenstreet, in his film debut, as Kasper Gutman. The screenplay was written by John Huston who also directed (his directorial debut). It was one of the first films included in the National Film Registry.
I love Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet in that film, but I think it's not half as good as Casablanca. There are better films in the genre to watch, including Double Indemnity, Hollywood Boulevarde, and even Bogart's The Big Sleep.
@@ThreadBomb No one could argue that _Casablanca_ is not a better film than _The Maltese Falcon._ Indeed, the Writers Guild of America, West voted it the best screenplay ever. In Film Noir everyone has their favorites. I'm especially partial to _The Lost Weekend_ and _This Gun for Hire._
Casablanca was showing at our local college theatre recently. I rang my girlfriend and asked if she wanted to see it. 'Ok' she said. 'What's it about'? :( When the opening credits started, she squealed, 'Oh, It's in black and white'! I was like...'shhh' while lowering myself in my seat in a 'she's not really with me' stylie. Super LOL. :)
Casablanca is my all time favorite movie. I've seen it 100 times and will still watch it from beginning to end. Every time you see it there's something new you discover.
There is a heavy weight to the group singing "La Marseillaise;" most of the extras were displaced French citizens, so the tears were authentic. Remember, this was filmed in 1941, right at the first half of the war. Additionally, the anthem is one of the most vicious, proclaiming they're coming to slit the throats of the sons of the enemy and they'll water their fields with the enemy's blood. Sooooo, to be singing this during the war was ballsy af.
From IMDB: "Director Michael Curtiz's Hungarian accent often caused confusion on the set. He asked a prop man for a "poodle" to appear in one scene. The prop man searched high and low for a poodle while the entire crew waited. He found one and presented it to Curtiz, who screamed, "A poodle! A poodle of water!"
@@auapplemac1976Absolutely! And one of my favourite shots was during the duel between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone. Their duel momentarily moves offscreen, and the camera doesn't follow them, the their silhouettes come into view as they fight, before they duel their way back onscreen. It's just a moment, but I freaking love it. 👏😄
For S.Z. Sakall, this film hit all too close to home. He was from a Hungarian Jewish family and fled Europe with his wife to the U.S. when the Nazis began invading countries. Sadly, several of his relatives and friends died in concentration camps.
The movie, itself, takes place during the first week of December in 1941... Dec-7 of that year was "The date that will live, in infamy!" - Pearl Harbor attacked by the Japanese and the U.S. entered the war against Japan (they were neutral up until then).
On a cold rainy Saturday afternoon I was "snoesig" under the blankets and it randomly appeared on TV. I was bowled over and immediately entered my list of top 10 movies.
I liked your comment on how Dooley didn't look like he was playing the piano...he wasn't but he was a musician. He was a talented drummer and well known but he didn't play piano. But a friend of his did and coached him on how to fake it. I think any close ups of his hands on the keyboard were actually those of his friend.
So, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” “Play it again, Sam” (Though that’s not the actual line in the film) and “Round up the usual suspects” were a few more oft quoted lines from this film. I’m sure there are a couple more I missed.
I lived your reaction, this is truly a classic in every way one can define a film. It had an incredible cast, very topical for the time and incredibly well directed and written. I was fortunate enough to see this on the big screen during a Humphrey Bogart film festival in the late 60's. It was a great experience. The audience was went crazy when the song battle took place and fans were standing and applauding at the end. Truly a memorable experience. Should you watch this film again you will certainly recognize more quotes. Thank you for reacting to a true classic.
That is a good catch btw. Never realized that the singer playing the piano didnt actually play it. He was actually a drummer and a singer according to wikipedia and someone else actually did the actual piano playing.
A bit of historical context. When the Nazi's conquered France, they allowed southern France to be self governed. It was called the Vichy government and their President was Philippe Petain. The allies thought them to be traitors for their compliance with the Nazis. In the beginning when the guy with the outdated papers gets shot, he dies next to a picture of Petain, and in the end, Louis discards a bottle of Vichy water out of disgust with the Vichy government.
Peter Lorre (pronounced Lorrie) is a high point for me. He was so elegantly sleazy. Another great film with Bogart, Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet is "The Maltese Falcon". It too has one great quote and is classic film noire. I read somewhere that the writers didn't know how to end the film. Sure, Rick shot the Nazi, but how does he get away? Then they both looked at each other and said "Round up the usual suspects!" A brilliant twist that show which side Captain Renault has chosen.
‘Casablanca’ is renowned and is justly acknowledged as one of the most romantic films of all time but it is much more than the tale of a love triangle. Of course, it shows that the power of love can affect the human psyche, as demonstrated by Rick’s metamorphosis. This film has so many levels to it that it takes many viewings to appreciate them. The main theme is not romance but self-sacrifice as the film’s message to the world at war is to give up the personal agenda for the common cause. It reminds wartime audiences, many of whom have loved ones fighting abroad, that their situation is the same as that of Rick, Ilsa and Victor. The screenplay is so intelligently written. It is a masterpiece of complexity, containing subliminal political opinions and messages all carried along on a thrilling plot with brilliant one-liners, comedic elements, and contemporary, social commentaries. Basically, the film is politically motivated because it is a plea to America to join the war. Please note that the action takes place in December, 1941. This is the the first non-musical movie to use music almost as an another protagonist, (which Tarantino does now). For example, ‘As Time Goes By’ is a valuable recurring theme and, in Paris, Rick and Ilsa dance to ‘Perfidia’ which means untrustworthiness. Michael Curtiz’s direction is multi-faceted: Documentary, Film Noir, German Expressionism, Flashback etc. He is the master of creating the plot via seamlessly connecting a series of rapid-fire vignettes. POINTS OF INTEREST AND NOTES FOR SUBSEQUENT VIEWINGS. Rick’s initial selfishness, (I stick my neck out for nobody’), is a metaphor for USA indifference. It must be remembered that the events and politics are hard to comprehend and put into perspective for modem audiences than in the actual time when the film was made. The script is a 'State of the Union' address, both for home and foreign policies. There are references to Civil Rights as embodied in Sam and, of course, the debate about America’s involvement in the conflict. Each character represents a country e.g. Two Japanese plotting . The Italian on the tail of the German. American indifference. French collaborators, the British robbed by foreign policy. Even the Balkans are mentioned via the Bulgarian couple. 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. There is subtle direction. For example, Ilsa wears black and white clothes and is cast in shadows and in a mirror which portrays the ambiguity of her role. 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 we need to put it in perspective in terms of world events full of Nazi domination. The facial close-ups used throughout the film speak a thousand words: but particularly note Ilsa during ‘La Marseillaise’ when her expressions show her admiration of Victor’s power and her realisation that this must be preserved at all costs. In any case... there is so much alcohol!!!! POINTS TO WATCH ‘It’s December, 1941 in Casablanca: what time is it in New York?... I bet they are asleep all over America’. PEARL HARBOUR ‘Even Nazis can’t kill that fast’ CONCENTRATION CAMPS The Bulgarian couple keep appearing as symbols of hope and determination. In the bar room fight over Yvonne, Rick attacks the German only and not the Frenchman. 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.
The director was Michael Curtiz, pronounced Cur-teez. He was born before WWI in what was then Austro-Hungary. He did a lot of action pictures, including about a dozen with Errol Flynn and with Humphrey Bogart. He was quite prolific, directed about 3 dozen films (silents) in Hungary before he came to America.
Conrad Veidt was married to a Jewish actress and hated the Nazis. He and his wife left Germany so she would not be harassed. One piece of trivia...Ilsa left a note in Paris telling Rick she was not going with him. Veidt left a note in his hotel after he and his wife left, telling the Gestapo where they were headed and why. He had a great sense of irony. Sadly he passed away shortly after this film, dying of a heart attack while playing golf.
It's crazy to think of what hard lives some of these actors lived. Humphrey Bogart was 10 years younger than me when he filmed this and he looked 10 years older. Every scene with him smoking I keep thinking about how he was dead just 15 years later of esophageal cancer. Your mid-50s is just way too young to die.
A Jimmy Stewart classic/suspense thriller you should watch the Alfred Hitchcock "Rear Window". It is a great study in holding your audience with a minimal movie set. Remember this is set in a New York setting before the advent of air conditioning or TV so the neighborhood can become a very intimate area.
@@nagaslrac I think Dial M for Murder was Hitchcock's only foray into 3D. This might have been planned for 3D, but it wasn't filmed that way. He needed smoother camera movement than 3D could provide at this time.
The reason this film has so many well known quotes is the same reason you found so many of the lines subtly humorous...the screenplay for this movie is fantastic! Obviously the cast is great and the direction is extremely good, but the script for this movie is beyond ridiculous. If they ever remake this movie I might just have to riot!
One solution to keep pausing is to go back a few seconds after resuming the play... Then you can still see the whole scene and its emotional impact fully.
🤠 This has always been in my top 5 films of all time. I'm so happy you chose to react to it, and since you seemed to appreciate the movie as much as I do, you have a brand new subscriber in Texas! 👍
Excellent. One of my all-time favorite movies. I also really appreciate "The Third Man" 1949 for conveying the impact of WWII on European civilians and the beautiful b&w cinematography and powerful performances.
One reason the movie was popular is that Rick's arc paralleled America's. During the 20s and 30s the US was largely isolationist. From the beginning of the war in 1939 to the 1941 Japanese attack on Hawaii, our country refused to get involved. The horrors of Naziism, and the Holocaust, and Europe's fight for its freedom, inspired our country to join the war against Germany, as much as Japan's attack. The script of the movie arrived at Warner Brothers studio 8 December 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Liked how things worked out for Louis and Rick at the end. That earlier line about how Louis could understand why women fall for Rick. Heavy stuff in 1942.
Casablanca is a huge reference for the Naked Gun writers. One of them said: "When I'm writing lines for Leslie Nielsen, I'm thinking of Humphrey Bogart." A couple of scenes have been directly referenced in The Naked Gun 2 1/2 and Hot Shots 2!
I think that writer was probably referencing Bogart's detective movies over Casablanca. The Naked Gun (and Police Squad) was a riff on film noir cliches (including the 1958-1963 TV series Naked City).
If you've never seen a movie before and you're doing a reaction to it then it's possible that you pause the movie to comment on something without realizing you are pausing it at exactly the wrong moment because it's right in the middle of a bigger moment. I don't see any way around that. Since you haven't seen the movie yet, how can you know what spots are the ones to pause in and which spots shouldn't be paused? I think it's just part of a reaction video. This movie is fantastic, even after all this time. I think it's very subversive for the time it was made. Earlier in the movie Renault comments that if he were a woman he'd be in love with Rick. Then at the end he and Rick walk off together and it feels right. That's some slick filmmaking. My two favorite moments are Renault's moments. One, "I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to discover gambling" then he gets handed his winnings. Then later "Round up the usual suspects', haha he's shameless.
I prefer a reactor pausing to talking over the movie and missing a lot of key dialog. Some reactors miss entire plot points because they babble over important scenes.
@@garyglaser4998 That happens a lot with comedies. There's a funny bit, the reactor starts talking while an even funnier bit plays out and they miss it.
The movie is set in 1941, just prior to Pearl Harbor, when the US was still neutral. France had fallen, the Germans had occupied the Atlantic coasts of France, and had established a puppet government over the rest of France and the French colonies. This is why Casablanca was a place where Germany didn't rule, but had a great deal of influence. Production began in January 1942, less than two months after the US entered the war, and it was released in November, just a week or so after the US landings in North Africa and the capture/liberation of Casablanca. Most of the extras portraying the multi-national mix of refugees from Nazi tyranny were, in fact, refugees from Nazi tyranny, having fled to the US only a year or so before. Madeleine Lebeau, who played Yvonne, was a French actress whose husband was Jewish. They'd fled Paris in 1940, after the German invasion, spent two months in Lisbon, eventually obtaining Chilean visas - that were discovered to be forgeries when their ship was stopped in Mexico. She and her husband managed to obtain temporary Canadian passports, with which they were able to enter the US. Her husband played Emil the croupier.
Conrad Veidt (the actor who played Major Strasser, the head German) and his wife, who was Jewish, left Germany when the Nazis came to power. He donated lots of money to help in the war effort. Casablanca was the last film of his to be released in his lifetime. He died of a heart attack while playing golf in 1943. When he took the role in Casablanca he insisted the character have no redeeming qualities, as he wanted to make sure any nazi wasn't seen as anything other than an absolute villain.
The term "boy" was pretty common at the time and not just directed at blacks. If you watch The Maltese Falcon, you'll see they constantly refer to a young man as "that boy" or "the boy". In some gangster movies you'll see "Me and the boys were thinking of coming over there." and similar phrases. In modern time you see a similar treatment of "The Girls". And "You guys" can now refer to mixed gender, male or female groups.
This was such a fantastic reaction; this and "Singin' In The Rain" reaction makes me really hope you continue to hit on these older eras from time to time. Your understanding of this particular period made watching this reaction a joy. Have you seen "CITIZEN KANE"? There are many movies that get called "the best" or "the greatest", but that one actually has been topping those lists since before I was born, and for good reason! Would LOVE to see your reaction to that one. Love your channel, thanks for sharing your discoveries with us!
More Humphrey Bogart greats that you should add to your watch list: The African Queen; The Treasure of Sierra Madre; The Maltese Falcon; To Have and Have Not; The Big Sleep; Key Largo; The Caine Mutiny; Sabrina; We're No Angels; and High Sierra (this was Bogart's breakout role after which received top billing).
Great movie. Applaud your appreciation of the subtle humor and dialogue in this film. Love your reaction and insight. I hope you continue to post reactions. You are a charming young lady. Really enjoyed this post.
The perfect date movie! That's one reason why it's been so popular over the years! Suggestion for another reaction video: see Bogart (again) and Lauren Bacall (whom he married in 1945) in the 1947 thriller DARK PASSAGE. It's a very unusual classic film for a modern audience, and I'd love to see your reaction to it!
It was hugely smart of you to pick this movie. No other reactor has, to the best of my knowledge, picked this movie. Next chose, Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest.
1st time I saw this I was 10 and it was pouring rain out side and my mom was watching it I sat on the floor by her and really enjoyed it. After that anytime it would we would always watch it on a rainy day at least once a year it was her favorite movie and she loved bogart. Now I still wait for a rainy day and watch and think of her loved the reaction
Correct about your guess about what happened in Paris: in fact, in one of the flashback scenes, Ilsa answers Rick's question by telling him she was married but the husband was dead. One of the wonderful things about this movie is the strong parallel between Rick and Victor: they are very much the same, and it's no mystery why Ilsa loves both of them. And yes, next time you watch this movie, watch Victor during the first meeting between Rick and Ilsa and you will see him add 1+1 right there. Watch that last moment between the three principals: the final decision is left to Ilsa - Victor asks her if she's ready, and it's clear what he actually means, and it's clear what her answer "Yes, I'm ready" means. The tie at the end is between all three characters. Everyone has a development, including Renault, who changes from "simple corrupt policeman" to patriot. Very minor point: Peter Lorre's last name is pronounced "LORE-ee". As noted below, Conrad Veidt was strongly anti-Nazi. One of his most absorbing roles is a dual one: he plays twin brothers in "Nazi Agent", and I highly recommend it.
Favourite film. Favourite Actor. So many great and quotable lines. It has Claude Rains and Conrad Veidt in it, I mean...what's not to absolutely love about this film. I'm also convinced the only reason Rick allowed Ilsa to leave with Laszlo was because he had fallen for Louis...as the kids say, "don't @ me".
29:18 "He chose to let her go. At the end it was more about the friendship between the two men" No, the theme of the movie was Rick's recovery of idealism for a better world. It was mentioned that before he met Ilsa Rick had fought for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, and run guns for the antiFascist side in the Ethiopian war - he fought fascism. Ilsa's apparent betrayal made Rick temporarily cynical and self-centered. But notice he still helps the refugees fleeing the Nazis. His admiration for resistance fighter Victor Lazlo, and discovery that Ilsa left him to remain true to Lazlo, her husband, who she idealizes but does not love, awakens his idealism, and motivates him to give up Ilsa so she can go with him to America. Having recovered his political values, he and Captain Renault leave to join a Free French battalion and fight the Nazis. Notice as they walk off "La Marseillaise" plays, the anthem of freedom.
Probably the best film ever made, and my favorite of all time. The casting was perfect, great writing and on and on. Espically when you know the background regarding the making of the, stuff such as the fact alot of the script was written each night, and the cats had to learn it the following day just before shooting, etc. Fun fact, famously, Ingrid Bergman was taller the Bogey, and spent the film with her knees bent. This film has spawned many many homages and parodies. There is a great Bugsy bunny cartoon called We Will Always Have Carrots. The UK Sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf had an episode based on this, and ofc there is Woody Allen's homage that actually starts with the end of Casablanca, called Play it Again Sam.
You have such an aesthetic voice to my senses Ash. And I've seen one of your reaction before and I never understood why I haven't came back to watch again sooner.
Great review! I think you have almost cornered the market on reacting to (real) classic films. There are almost no reaction videos to classic B&W films. Keep up the great work!
I first saw Casablanca around 1976 when I was in college. My roommate got tickets to a special showing at the George Eastman House in Rochester, so I got to see it in a real theater on a big screen. Loved it then and love it even more now. If you can find a DVD copy, the film reviewer Roger Ebert did an amazing commentary track for it. The more I learn, the more I appreciate it and its historic context.
I first saw this film in a cinema, the applause that broke out in the theater when Captain Renaud directs his men to "round up the usual suspects" after the Major is shot was pretty amazing. Claude Rains as the Captain is my favorite hypocrite. I belueve he won the Academy Award for supporting actor that film year.
This film is simply the greatest love story ever. I'm so glad you watched this in what will be the first of many viewings. This film helped change Humphry Bogarts standing as an actor. Before this film he was always cast as as the heavy and not as a romantic lead. For another intense crime/psychological film you should watch "M" from 1931, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre. Harvey, Arsenic and Old Lace and Some Like It Hot are all comedy films to watch. Carry On!!
I would suggest another Bogart movie to watch. It's a dark comedy about 3 escapees from devil's island helping a family at Christmas using their particular skills and a "friend" named Otto. Rude Man: "What are you staring at?" Jules: "At You, I've never seen anyone like you." Bogart: "I have, but not at Christmas"
The most well-known quotes: Rick Blaine: Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. Rick Blaine: We'll always have Paris. Capt. Louis Renault: Round up the usual suspects. Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.' Rick Blaine: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Rick Blaine: Here's looking at you, kid. Rick Blaine: And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart. Capt. Louis Renault: That is my "least" vulnerable spot. Ilsa: Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time. Capt. Louis Renault: I'm shocked, shocked that there is gambling in this establishment. Waiter: Sir here are your winnings Rick Blaine: If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. Rick Blaine: It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Rick Blaine: I came to Casablanca for the waters. Capt. Louis Renault: Waters?! We're in a DESERT! Rick Blaine: I was misinformed.
The German Major knew that if he let Laszlo leave on that plane he was a good as dead anyway. So he went for it. It was the only hope he had at that point.
You mentioned in particular your appreciation of the character played by S.Z. Sakall. May I suggest Christmas in Connecticut, a wonderful 1945 movie starring the adorable Barbara Stanwyck. Sakall plays a similar character to that in Casablanca but his role is much more prominent in Christmas in Connecticut. Sydney Greenstreet also has an enjoyable role too. This is a screwball comedy (check Wikipedia for more info on this subset of romantic comedy). You also said that you liked the witty dialog in Casablanca. Christmas in Connecticut has witty dialog times ten.
You should check out "To Have and Have Not." It's kind of a Casablanca-in-the-Caribbean, and the first movie to pair Humphrey Bogart with Lauren Bacall. I'd also recommend "The Best Years of our Lives" (1947). In my opinion it's one of the finest movies ever made.
This is one of my favorite movies. When Rick was reading the note, the rain was washing the ink away. That may be because it was written with a fountain pen. I use it all the time. I fit it with a refillable ink cartridge and use an ink well. The pen was before the ball point pen and writes smoother than a pen.
I love this movie. Conrad Veidt doesn't get the cinema credit he deserves...he's fantastic in the silent film The Man Who Laughs. There's some scenes in that movie that just breaks your heart.
Almost all the credited actors in the movie were expatriates from Europe. The lovely blonde girl at the beginning was actually French and was married to the actor who played the croupier in the casino. She was also the last credited actor in the film to pass away in real life in 2016, almost 74 years after the film came out. Only three of the credited actors were native born Americans, Humphrey Bogart, Dooley Wilson and Joy Paige (who played the dark haired newlywed from Romania.) The actor who played her husband was Helmut Dantine who was from Austria and a fervent anti Nazi. Because of his accent he knew he would be cast as Nazis in movies often but only took such roles if the character was totally evil...he wouldn't play a "sympathetic Nazi."
So I didn’t know this while I watched but afterwards I had read that “The letters of transit that motivate so many characters in the film did not exist in Vichy-controlled France--they are purely a plot device invented by the screenwriters. Playwright Joan Alison always expected somebody to challenge her about the letters, but nobody ever did.”
Also I meant S.Z Sakall… not SK! 😅 Hope you like this reaction!
Totally awesome! This movie doesn't get enough UA-cam love.
That’s called a McGuffin
"Letters of transit" is like a visa
Where do you live? Where are you from?
Yes it was not a real thing. I never understood what "Letters of Transit" signed by De Gaul had any meaning in Vichy. We never had the internet to check these things out. After all those years pondering it, what a let down finding out years ago that it was not real. However it does not matter, because it is just a plot device, and it was very effective.
"He looks suspicious." Looking suspicious is Peter Lorre's greatest talent.
He looked (and sounded) even more suspicious in "M."
Best movie ever. The scene when Rick first sees Ilsa, I have always felt I can feel the sickening jolt to his gut and heart in the expression. Thanks for choosing this one. 👍
You're right. Also notice his expression when she tells him "God bless you" at the end. The same thing she said in the letter, and he feels it.
I think most of us have had a life altering relationship with a lover. I think people will feel it in their guts when they watch that scene forever.
There's a few classic lines you didn't talk over 🤔
I love this movie. My mom’s favorite part was
“I’m shocked SHOCkED to find there is gambling going on here!”
“Here are your winnings Sir.”
“Oh thank you. Thank you very much.”
😂 She would laugh every time.
My favorite also, never underestimate the great Claude Raines.
So do I : these lines are such fun 😂
It’s also my dad’s favorite line
Claude Rains is a great actor. Have you seen him in Irving Rapper’s 1942 Now Voyager (also starring Paul Henreid, with Bette Davis and Gladys Cooper) ?
He is such a sympathetic doctor.
Fancy he got notorious (😅) playing The Invisible Man … !
@@francoisevassy6614My three favourite performances of his are in Casablanca, Now Voyager, and Notorious (where he again worked with Ingrid Bergman).
I gave a friend an old piano for his makeshift bar. The first thing he did was make up letters of transit to place in it, just in case.
Your friend has good taste.
I always thought that rick's Girlfriend was the finest woman in the movie
Today it would be vaccination papers.
That's wonderful!
That's great.
As a French, the part when they sing the national anthem over the Germans always gets me.
The reason that scene was so emotionally powerful was that so many of the actors and actresses in that scene were German Jews who had themselves fled Nazi-controlled Europe. The tears were real.
I'm Swedish and that scene gets me emotional too.
@@academyofshem i did not know that, thank you for telling me something new that i didn't know before :)
Big time.
With France occupied at the time, that show of support the La Marseillaise scene portrayed meant something to many people in both countries.
27:41 "Conrad Veidt, who played Maj. Strasser, was well known in the theatrical community in Germany for his hatred of the Nazis, and his friendship with Jews. (His wife, Ilona "Lily" Prager", was Jewish.) He was forced to flee his own country when he learned the SS had sent a death squad after him. Veidt only played film villains during WWII as he was convinced that playing suave Nazi baddies would help the war effort."
From IMDB
Conrad Veidt was also the original inspiration for the Joker in The Man Who Laughs.
I may be wrong, but I think he also would only take the part if Strasser was killed.
He was in the horror classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari".
Others in the German film industry also got out while they could. Among them: Marlene Dietrich, Hedy Lamarr, and the great director Fritz Lang. All settled in Hollywood, and continued their successful careers.
Veidt was also extremely vocal in support of Gay Rights, starring in one of the first sympathetic LGBTQ movies "Different from the Others". He himself was bisexual, which is another reason he was hated by the nazis as he was not only 'gay' but sympathetic to the jews AND a public figure and popular actor. A very bad combo for the nazis. Luckily he managed to get out of the country to the US.
Rick's and Capt Renauld's dialogue is so great. One of the best parts of the movie is Rick is always saying 'I stick my neck out for nobody' yet, all throughout the film, all he does is help everyone else around him.
I really appreciate your notice of the understated humor…real wit. I love these old films where duty to the greater good is more important than short term personal gain. Keep’em coming!!
Perhaps the biggest quote I use is, "I'm shocked...shocked!"
I use that one all the time myself.
It is a great line, but part of the meticulous brilliance of the film is, even though focus is on Renault closing the cafe, in the background, the look Rick gives Emil for giving it to him!
My parents, who lived through the WWII years ALWAYS cried when watching this film. They told me that the thing we forget today is that many people in the US wanted to stay out of the war & the Rick character embodied that...trying to stay neutral & not get involved. Until finally committing to the fight. That is why Casablanca meant so much to people... it was part entertaining love story & part political propaganda.
yes...the key line of the whole film is when Lazlo says to Rik: 'welcome back to the fight'
@@blueboy4244 Actually it's when Renault, who saw Rick shoot Strasser, said, "Round up the usual suspects" -- Rick never being one of them. And then Renault drops the "Vichy" water bottle into the trash.
At two points in the film there are references to the date. The story takes place between December 2 and December 6 1941. The next day was Pearl Harbor, and America threw off its isolationism and joined the war. Rick’s turn from isolationism to action resonated with Americans for that reason.
Love your reaction! Most American reactors don’t know what or where Casablanca is, what country or continent it’s in, what war this was, where Lisbon is, etc.
No knowledge of history and geography.
Your knowledge is refreshing!
I got to see this movie for the very first time in 1992, for it's 50th anniversary in a theater here in town, on the big screen the way movies are meant to be seen. It was amazing seeing this in an old school type movie palace. I love this movie and I still think Claude Rains steals the movie from Bogie. Every word out of Claude's lips is quotable! The script of this movie is super tight, and you can't picture anyone else in every role other than the actor that played it. Perfect script. Perfect case. Perfect atmosphere... all equal a perfect movie. I love modern action movies, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, the Alien movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.... but if I had to pick only ONE movie as the greatest of all time? Hand's down, Casablanca. Period.
What funny Ingrid Berman said it was being written as they did it
The real happy ending for a love story here is that Capt. Renault got to walk off into the fog with the man he loved.
I saw this twice in an old arthouse theater back in the Nineties. Long lines and packed houses both times. Ecstatic applause at the end when Rains said "round up the usual suspects." Most memorable movie-going experiences of my life. I'm glad you picked up on the subtle humor throughout; in a packed theater everyone picks up on all of those nuances, and that's why movies like this need to be seen in that setting, when possible. Nice reaction.
Casablanca has rare quality that makes it even better when you watch it a second or third or twentieth time. Earlier scenes get imbued with more emotional resonance when you already undertand their history in advance and certain events take on deeper meaning.
"The Maltese Falcon," (1941) which has been recommended in earlier comments, is considered one of the finest American movies ever made. It is a mystery film-noir based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett. It stars Bogart as private detective Sam Spade, Mary Astor as the beautiful client, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo, and Sydney Greenstreet, in his film debut, as Kasper Gutman. The screenplay was written by John Huston who also directed (his directorial debut). It was one of the first films included in the National Film Registry.
I love Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet in that film, but I think it's not half as good as Casablanca. There are better films in the genre to watch, including Double Indemnity, Hollywood Boulevarde, and even Bogart's The Big Sleep.
@@ThreadBomb No one could argue that _Casablanca_ is not a better film than _The Maltese Falcon._ Indeed, the Writers Guild of America, West voted it the best screenplay ever.
In Film Noir everyone has their favorites. I'm especially partial to _The Lost Weekend_ and _This Gun for Hire._
Casablanca was showing at our local college theatre recently. I rang my girlfriend and asked if she wanted to see it. 'Ok' she said. 'What's it about'? :(
When the opening credits started, she squealed, 'Oh, It's in black and white'!
I was like...'shhh' while lowering myself in my seat in a 'she's not really with me' stylie.
Super LOL. :)
Don’t worry about stopping the movie to look something up, etc. ‘Curiosity’ is a refreshing aspect of your reactions, and you display it quite well.
Casablanca is my all time favorite movie. I've seen it 100 times and will still watch it from beginning to end. Every time you see it there's something new you discover.
There is a heavy weight to the group singing "La Marseillaise;" most of the extras were displaced French citizens, so the tears were authentic. Remember, this was filmed in 1941, right at the first half of the war.
Additionally, the anthem is one of the most vicious, proclaiming they're coming to slit the throats of the sons of the enemy and they'll water their fields with the enemy's blood. Sooooo, to be singing this during the war was ballsy af.
As a matter of fact, the only American born cast members were Bogart, Wilson (Sam), and the Bulgarian girl that Bogart helps.
Curtiz was one of the most talented directors of his time. Other classics include Captain Blood (1935), Robin Hood (1938) and The Sea Hawk (1940).
From IMDB: "Director Michael Curtiz's Hungarian accent often caused confusion on the set. He asked a prop man for a "poodle" to appear in one scene. The prop man searched high and low for a poodle while the entire crew waited. He found one and presented it to Curtiz, who screamed, "A poodle! A poodle of water!"
Robin Hood was a spectacular! The color alone deserves an Oscar.
@@auapplemac1976Absolutely! And one of my favourite shots was during the duel between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone. Their duel momentarily moves offscreen, and the camera doesn't follow them, the their silhouettes come into view as they fight, before they duel their way back onscreen. It's just a moment, but I freaking love it. 👏😄
Absolutely.
For S.Z. Sakall, this film hit all too close to home. He was from a Hungarian Jewish family and fled Europe with his wife to the U.S. when the Nazis began invading countries. Sadly, several of his relatives and friends died in concentration camps.
His nickname was "Cuddles "...
Casablanca was released in 1943 while the war was still going on. WW2 ended in 1945.
The movie, itself, takes place during the first week of December in 1941... Dec-7 of that year was "The date that will live, in infamy!" - Pearl Harbor attacked by the Japanese and the U.S. entered the war against Japan (they were neutral up until then).
On a cold rainy Saturday afternoon I was "snoesig" under the blankets and it randomly appeared on TV. I was bowled over and immediately entered my list of top 10 movies.
I liked your comment on how Dooley didn't look like he was playing the piano...he wasn't but he was a musician. He was a talented drummer and well known but he didn't play piano. But a friend of his did and coached him on how to fake it. I think any close ups of his hands on the keyboard were actually those of his friend.
Bogart is my favorite actor. I'd recommend The Maltese Falcon. If you watch it, then I'll have more to recommend.
It's always refreshing to see a young UA-cam reactor discover that they actually made great movies back in the olden days.
"Here's Looking at you Kid" is one of the most quoted
I always related to the morose Rick in regard to when you lose someone.
"I remember Paris, the Germans wore grey, and you wore blue."
That last line of hers saying "God bless you". Cuts deep because you can tell she meant she loved him, but couldn't say it outright.
"God Bless You" is also how she ended the note in Paris.
So, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” “Play it again, Sam” (Though that’s not the actual line in the film) and
“Round up the usual suspects” were a few more oft quoted lines from this film. I’m sure there are a couple more I missed.
Last line in the movie: “This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!”
"We'll always have Paris"
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, and she walks into mine."
There are 6 quotes from the the AFI top 100 quotes of all time
"I stick my neck out for nobody"
And Rick's entire airport speech to Ilsa...
I lived your reaction, this is truly a classic in every way one can define a film. It had an incredible cast, very topical for the time and incredibly well directed and written.
I was fortunate enough to see this on the big screen during a Humphrey Bogart film festival in the late 60's. It was a great experience. The audience was went crazy when the song battle took place and fans were standing and applauding at the end. Truly a memorable experience. Should you watch this film again you will certainly recognize more quotes. Thank you for reacting to a true classic.
This was a favorite movie of my parents, so I saw it many times growing up. I think it holds up very well for a classic.
That is a good catch btw. Never realized that the singer playing the piano didnt actually play it. He was actually a drummer and a singer according to wikipedia and someone else actually did the actual piano playing.
A bit of historical context. When the Nazi's conquered France, they allowed southern France to be self governed. It was called the Vichy government and their President was Philippe Petain. The allies thought them to be traitors for their compliance with the Nazis. In the beginning when the guy with the outdated papers gets shot, he dies next to a picture of Petain, and in the end, Louis discards a bottle of Vichy water out of disgust with the Vichy government.
You are such a warm and lovely person. It was magic to watch a film with you... I will subscribe.
Peter Lorre (pronounced Lorrie) is a high point for me. He was so elegantly sleazy. Another great film with Bogart, Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet is "The Maltese Falcon". It too has one great quote and is classic film noire.
I read somewhere that the writers didn't know how to end the film. Sure, Rick shot the Nazi, but how does he get away? Then they both looked at each other and said "Round up the usual suspects!" A brilliant twist that show which side Captain Renault has chosen.
I adore this film. It’s definitely in my top 10-20 movies. I’m really happy you decided to react to it.
‘Casablanca’ is renowned and is justly acknowledged as one of the most romantic films of all time but it is much more than the tale of a love triangle. Of course, it shows that the power of love can affect the human psyche, as demonstrated by Rick’s metamorphosis.
This film has so many levels to it that it takes many viewings to appreciate them. The main theme is not romance but self-sacrifice as the film’s message to the world at war is to give up the personal agenda for the common cause. It reminds wartime audiences, many of whom have loved ones fighting abroad, that their situation is the same as that of Rick, Ilsa and Victor.
The screenplay is so intelligently written. It is a masterpiece of complexity, containing subliminal political opinions and messages all carried along on a thrilling plot with brilliant one-liners, comedic elements, and contemporary, social commentaries. Basically, the film is politically motivated because it is a plea to America to join the war. Please note that the action takes place in December, 1941.
This is the the first non-musical movie to use music almost as an another protagonist, (which Tarantino does now). For example, ‘As Time Goes By’ is a valuable recurring theme and, in Paris, Rick and Ilsa dance to ‘Perfidia’ which means untrustworthiness.
Michael Curtiz’s direction is multi-faceted: Documentary, Film Noir, German Expressionism, Flashback etc. He is the master of creating the plot via seamlessly connecting a series of rapid-fire vignettes.
POINTS OF INTEREST AND NOTES FOR SUBSEQUENT VIEWINGS.
Rick’s initial selfishness, (I stick my neck out for nobody’), is a metaphor for USA indifference. It must be remembered that the events and politics are hard to comprehend and put into perspective for modem audiences than in the actual time when the film was made. The script is a 'State of the Union' address, both for home and foreign policies. There are references to Civil Rights as embodied in Sam and, of course, the debate about America’s involvement in the conflict.
Each character represents a country e.g. Two Japanese plotting . The Italian on the tail of the German. American indifference. French collaborators, the British robbed by foreign policy. Even the Balkans are mentioned via the Bulgarian couple. 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.
There is subtle direction. For example, Ilsa wears black and white clothes and is cast in shadows and in a mirror which portrays the ambiguity of her role.
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 we need to put it in perspective in terms of world events full of Nazi domination.
The facial close-ups used throughout the film speak a thousand words: but particularly note Ilsa during ‘La Marseillaise’ when her expressions show her admiration of Victor’s power and her realisation that this must be preserved at all costs.
In any case... there is so much alcohol!!!!
POINTS TO WATCH
‘It’s December, 1941 in Casablanca: what time is it in New York?...
I bet they are asleep all over America’. PEARL HARBOUR
‘Even Nazis can’t kill that fast’
CONCENTRATION CAMPS
The Bulgarian couple keep appearing as symbols of hope and determination.
In the bar room fight over Yvonne, Rick attacks the German only and not the Frenchman.
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.
The director was Michael Curtiz, pronounced Cur-teez. He was born before WWI in what was then Austro-Hungary. He did a lot of action pictures, including about a dozen with Errol Flynn and with Humphrey Bogart. He was quite prolific, directed about 3 dozen films (silents) in Hungary before he came to America.
18:11 is one of my favorite all time movie quotes: "You would find the conversation a trifle one-sided." lol
If you want to see Peter Lorre's film debut, take a look at Fritz Lang's 1931 German masterpiece "M". It will knock you for a loop!
A brilliant but disturbing movie.
10 mins of screen time but he stole the movie. and the speech at the end still one of the best acting i've ever seen
That's a superb film. For such an early sound movie it feels very modern.
First saw M in hospital was pissed people kept coming in the room interrupting.
Lorre was the goddamn mizzan.
Conrad Veidt was married to a Jewish actress and hated the Nazis. He and his wife left Germany so she would not be harassed. One piece of trivia...Ilsa left a note in Paris telling Rick she was not going with him. Veidt left a note in his hotel after he and his wife left, telling the Gestapo where they were headed and why. He had a great sense of irony. Sadly he passed away shortly after this film, dying of a heart attack while playing golf.
It's crazy to think of what hard lives some of these actors lived. Humphrey Bogart was 10 years younger than me when he filmed this and he looked 10 years older. Every scene with him smoking I keep thinking about how he was dead just 15 years later of esophageal cancer. Your mid-50s is just way too young to die.
A Jimmy Stewart classic/suspense thriller you should watch the Alfred Hitchcock "Rear Window". It is a great study in holding your audience with a minimal movie set. Remember this is set in a New York setting before the advent of air conditioning or TV so the neighborhood can become a very intimate area.
I second this
Filmed in 3D.
@@nagaslrac I think Dial M for Murder was Hitchcock's only foray into 3D. This might have been planned for 3D, but it wasn't filmed that way. He needed smoother camera movement than 3D could provide at this time.
@@fabrisseterbrugghe8567 In the mid 90’s a local cinema played it in 3D. I doubt it had some kind of post production 3D treatment but maybe.
@@nagaslrac It could also be that Dial M... was the only one he _completed_ in 3D. Certainly that apartment set begged for that kind of depth.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this classic film with you and loved your running commentary. Looking forward to more.
The reason this film has so many well known quotes is the same reason you found so many of the lines subtly humorous...the screenplay for this movie is fantastic! Obviously the cast is great and the direction is extremely good, but the script for this movie is beyond ridiculous. If they ever remake this movie I might just have to riot!
One solution to keep pausing is to go back a few seconds after resuming the play... Then you can still see the whole scene and its emotional impact fully.
🤠 This has always been in my top 5 films of all time. I'm so happy you chose to react to it, and since you seemed to appreciate the movie as much as I do, you have a brand new subscriber in Texas! 👍
Good to see someone reacting to classics.
You missed out on " here's looking at you kid". Actually said it twice.
One of my top five favorite movies. I love that you reacted to this.
Excellent. One of my all-time favorite movies. I also really appreciate "The Third Man" 1949 for conveying the impact of WWII on European civilians and the beautiful b&w cinematography and powerful performances.
Better than Citizen Kane.
One reason the movie was popular is that Rick's arc paralleled America's. During the 20s and 30s the US was largely isolationist. From the beginning of the war in 1939 to the 1941 Japanese attack on Hawaii, our country refused to get involved. The horrors of Naziism, and the Holocaust, and Europe's fight for its freedom, inspired our country to join the war against Germany, as much as Japan's attack. The script of the movie arrived at Warner Brothers studio 8 December 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The greatest movie of all time. Full Stop.
Liked how things worked out for Louis and Rick at the end.
That earlier line about how Louis could understand why women fall for Rick.
Heavy stuff in 1942.
Casablanca is a huge reference for the Naked Gun writers. One of them said: "When I'm writing lines for Leslie Nielsen, I'm thinking of Humphrey Bogart." A couple of scenes have been directly referenced in The Naked Gun 2 1/2 and Hot Shots 2!
I think that writer was probably referencing Bogart's detective movies over Casablanca. The Naked Gun (and Police Squad) was a riff on film noir cliches (including the 1958-1963 TV series Naked City).
More than awards, during the '60's, whenever people did a list of the greatest films of all time, it was Number One for many years...
If you've never seen a movie before and you're doing a reaction to it then it's possible that you pause the movie to comment on something without realizing you are pausing it at exactly the wrong moment because it's right in the middle of a bigger moment. I don't see any way around that. Since you haven't seen the movie yet, how can you know what spots are the ones to pause in and which spots shouldn't be paused? I think it's just part of a reaction video. This movie is fantastic, even after all this time. I think it's very subversive for the time it was made. Earlier in the movie Renault comments that if he were a woman he'd be in love with Rick. Then at the end he and Rick walk off together and it feels right. That's some slick filmmaking. My two favorite moments are Renault's moments. One, "I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to discover gambling" then he gets handed his winnings. Then later "Round up the usual suspects', haha he's shameless.
I prefer a reactor pausing to talking over the movie and missing a lot of key dialog. Some reactors miss entire plot points because they babble over important scenes.
@@garyglaser4998 That happens a lot with comedies. There's a funny bit, the reactor starts talking while an even funnier bit plays out and they miss it.
@@garyglaser4998 agreed. That's exactly what she's doing: talking over important dialogue.
The movie is set in 1941, just prior to Pearl Harbor, when the US was still neutral. France had fallen, the Germans had occupied the Atlantic coasts of France, and had established a puppet government over the rest of France and the French colonies. This is why Casablanca was a place where Germany didn't rule, but had a great deal of influence.
Production began in January 1942, less than two months after the US entered the war, and it was released in November, just a week or so after the US landings in North Africa and the capture/liberation of Casablanca.
Most of the extras portraying the multi-national mix of refugees from Nazi tyranny were, in fact, refugees from Nazi tyranny, having fled to the US only a year or so before.
Madeleine Lebeau, who played Yvonne, was a French actress whose husband was Jewish. They'd fled Paris in 1940, after the German invasion, spent two months in Lisbon, eventually obtaining Chilean visas - that were discovered to be forgeries when their ship was stopped in Mexico. She and her husband managed to obtain temporary Canadian passports, with which they were able to enter the US. Her husband played Emil the croupier.
Conrad Veidt (the actor who played Major Strasser, the head German) and his wife, who was Jewish, left Germany when the Nazis came to power. He donated lots of money to help in the war effort. Casablanca was the last film of his to be released in his lifetime. He died of a heart attack while playing golf in 1943.
When he took the role in Casablanca he insisted the character have no redeeming qualities, as he wanted to make sure any nazi wasn't seen as anything other than an absolute villain.
The term "boy" was pretty common at the time and not just directed at blacks.
If you watch The Maltese Falcon, you'll see they constantly refer to a young man as "that boy" or "the boy".
In some gangster movies you'll see "Me and the boys were thinking of coming over there." and similar phrases.
In modern time you see a similar treatment of "The Girls". And "You guys" can now refer to mixed gender, male or female groups.
This was such a fantastic reaction; this and "Singin' In The Rain" reaction makes me really hope you continue to hit on these older eras from time to time. Your understanding of this particular period made watching this reaction a joy. Have you seen "CITIZEN KANE"? There are many movies that get called "the best" or "the greatest", but that one actually has been topping those lists since before I was born, and for good reason! Would LOVE to see your reaction to that one. Love your channel, thanks for sharing your discoveries with us!
I'm 66 and have seen Casablanca more than 50 times, as it's my favorite movie. Cool to see someone so much younger appreciate it.
More Humphrey Bogart greats that you should add to your watch list: The African Queen; The Treasure of Sierra Madre; The Maltese Falcon; To Have and Have Not; The Big Sleep; Key Largo; The Caine Mutiny; Sabrina; We're No Angels; and High Sierra (this was Bogart's breakout role after which received top billing).
Great movie. Applaud your appreciation of the subtle humor and dialogue in this film. Love your reaction and insight. I hope you continue to post reactions. You are a charming young lady. Really enjoyed this post.
The perfect date movie! That's one reason why it's been so popular over the years!
Suggestion for another reaction video: see Bogart (again) and Lauren Bacall (whom he married in 1945) in the 1947 thriller DARK PASSAGE. It's a very unusual classic film for a modern audience, and I'd love to see your reaction to it!
Dark Passage seems to be their least popular collaboration and I can't fathom why.
It was hugely smart of you to pick this movie. No other reactor has, to the best of my knowledge, picked this movie. Next chose, Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest.
Yeah. We need more older classic reactions. Enough with jaws andnthe godfather. I want someone to hit some james cagney classics too.
1st time I saw this I was 10 and it was pouring rain out side and my mom was watching it I sat on the floor by her and really enjoyed it. After that anytime it would we would always watch it on a rainy day at least once a year it was her favorite movie and she loved bogart. Now I still wait for a rainy day and watch and think of her loved the reaction
Correct about your guess about what happened in Paris: in fact, in one of the flashback scenes, Ilsa answers Rick's question by telling him she was married but the husband was dead.
One of the wonderful things about this movie is the strong parallel between Rick and Victor: they are very much the same, and it's no mystery why Ilsa loves both of them. And yes, next time you watch this movie, watch Victor during the first meeting between Rick and Ilsa and you will see him add 1+1 right there.
Watch that last moment between the three principals: the final decision is left to Ilsa - Victor asks her if she's ready, and it's clear what he actually means, and it's clear what her answer "Yes, I'm ready" means. The tie at the end is between all three characters. Everyone has a development, including Renault, who changes from "simple corrupt policeman" to patriot.
Very minor point: Peter Lorre's last name is pronounced "LORE-ee".
As noted below, Conrad Veidt was strongly anti-Nazi. One of his most absorbing roles is a dual one: he plays twin brothers in "Nazi Agent", and I highly recommend it.
Favourite film. Favourite Actor. So many great and quotable lines. It has Claude Rains and Conrad Veidt in it, I mean...what's not to absolutely love about this film. I'm also convinced the only reason Rick allowed Ilsa to leave with Laszlo was because he had fallen for Louis...as the kids say, "don't @ me".
Another classic! Really appreciate the historical info you give at the start, great job Ash!
29:18 "He chose to let her go. At the end it was more about the friendship between the two men"
No, the theme of the movie was Rick's recovery of idealism for a better world. It was mentioned that before he met Ilsa Rick had fought for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, and run guns for the antiFascist side in the Ethiopian war - he fought fascism. Ilsa's apparent betrayal made Rick temporarily cynical and self-centered. But notice he still helps the refugees fleeing the Nazis. His admiration for resistance fighter Victor Lazlo, and discovery that Ilsa left him to remain true to Lazlo, her husband, who she idealizes but does not love, awakens his idealism, and motivates him to give up Ilsa so she can go with him to America. Having recovered his political values, he and Captain Renault leave to join a Free French battalion and fight the Nazis. Notice as they walk off "La Marseillaise" plays, the anthem of freedom.
One of my fave Bogart movies, The Caine Mutiny being another
And African Queen. And Treasure Of The Sierra Madre....Maltese Falcon...The Big Sleep
@@wrybreadspread The Big Sleep
@@luvlgs1
Better than The Maltese Falcon, I think.
Probably the best film ever made, and my favorite of all time. The casting was perfect, great writing and on and on. Espically when you know the background regarding the making of the, stuff such as the fact alot of the script was written each night, and the cats had to learn it the following day just before shooting, etc. Fun fact, famously, Ingrid Bergman was taller the Bogey, and spent the film with her knees bent. This film has spawned many many homages and parodies. There is a great Bugsy bunny cartoon called We Will Always Have Carrots. The UK Sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf had an episode based on this, and ofc there is Woody Allen's homage that actually starts with the end of Casablanca, called Play it Again Sam.
Always a truly great movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well done. Thanks for sharing.
You have such an aesthetic voice to my senses Ash.
And I've seen one of your reaction before and I never understood why I haven't came back to watch again sooner.
Wow, thank you! you're the best :)
Omg just found this channel and see that you reacted to Casablanca and Singin' in the rain. So glad to see classic reactions.
Great review! I think you have almost cornered the market on reacting to (real) classic films. There are almost no reaction videos to classic B&W films. Keep up the great work!
Let's take a vote, doesn't our host look like the young girl Rick helped
She looks like an Actress you just can't place!
@@jamesalexander5623 look at the girl Rick help in the Casino, if it wasn't for black and white I thought she was Northern African
I first saw Casablanca around 1976 when I was in college. My roommate got tickets to a special showing at the George Eastman House in Rochester, so I got to see it in a real theater on a big screen. Loved it then and love it even more now. If you can find a DVD copy, the film reviewer Roger Ebert did an amazing commentary track for it. The more I learn, the more I appreciate it and its historic context.
I first saw this film in a cinema, the applause that broke out in the theater when Captain Renaud directs his men to "round up the usual suspects" after the Major is shot was pretty amazing.
Claude Rains as the Captain is my favorite hypocrite. I belueve he won the Academy Award for supporting actor that film year.
This film is simply the greatest love story ever. I'm so glad you watched this in what will be the first of many viewings. This film helped change Humphry Bogarts standing as an actor. Before this film he was always cast as as the heavy and not as a romantic lead.
For another intense crime/psychological film you should watch "M" from 1931, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre.
Harvey, Arsenic and Old Lace and Some Like It Hot are all comedy films to watch.
Carry On!!
“M” is such an amazing film! Lorre is incredible.
Bogart's career had been rising for a few years, and what really made him a star was The Maltese Falcon, released the year before Casablanca.
I would suggest another Bogart movie to watch. It's a dark comedy about 3 escapees from devil's island helping a family at Christmas using their particular skills and a "friend" named Otto. Rude Man: "What are you staring at?" Jules: "At You, I've never seen anyone like you." Bogart: "I have, but not at Christmas"
'We're No Angels'.
The most well-known quotes:
Rick Blaine: Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
Rick Blaine: We'll always have Paris.
Capt. Louis Renault: Round up the usual suspects.
Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'
Rick Blaine: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Rick Blaine: Here's looking at you, kid.
Rick Blaine: And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart.
Capt. Louis Renault: That is my "least" vulnerable spot.
Ilsa: Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.
Capt. Louis Renault: I'm shocked, shocked that there is gambling in this establishment.
Waiter: Sir here are your winnings
Rick Blaine: If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
Rick Blaine: It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.
Rick Blaine: I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Capt. Louis Renault: Waters?! We're in a DESERT!
Rick Blaine: I was misinformed.
Brilliant reaction. Thanks
The German Major knew that if he let Laszlo leave on that plane he was a good as dead anyway. So he went for it. It was the only hope he had at that point.
My high school yearbook quote was "The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." (How silly! LOL.)
"Here's looking at you, Kid."
You mentioned in particular your appreciation of the character played by S.Z. Sakall. May I suggest Christmas in Connecticut, a wonderful 1945 movie starring the adorable Barbara Stanwyck. Sakall plays a similar character to that in Casablanca but his role is much more prominent in Christmas in Connecticut. Sydney Greenstreet also has an enjoyable role too. This is a screwball comedy (check Wikipedia for more info on this subset of romantic comedy). You also said that you liked the witty dialog in Casablanca. Christmas in Connecticut has witty dialog times ten.
You should check out "To Have and Have Not." It's kind of a Casablanca-in-the-Caribbean, and the first movie to pair Humphrey Bogart with Lauren Bacall. I'd also recommend "The Best Years of our Lives" (1947). In my opinion it's one of the finest movies ever made.
I agree with "To Have and Have Not.", it's a great little flick.
This is one of my favorite movies. When Rick was reading the note, the rain was washing the ink away. That may be because it was written with a fountain pen. I use it all the time. I fit it with a refillable ink cartridge and use an ink well. The pen was before the ball point pen and writes smoother than a pen.
I love this movie. Conrad Veidt doesn't get the cinema credit he deserves...he's fantastic in the silent film The Man Who Laughs. There's some scenes in that movie that just breaks your heart.
At last someone is watching one of the greatest love stories on film.
Other Bogart movies to watch:
To Have and Have Not
Key Largo
The Maltese Falcon
The Big Sleep
Highly recommended!
I agree with all of the above titles. Dark Passage is also a good one…quite underrated, in my opinion.
African Queen, Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Barefoot Contessa
Sabrina
One of the top 10 movies ever made. Classy choice!
Song had been lying around among Warners' song properties since the early 1930s, written by one Herman Hupfeld. "As Time Goes By".
"that boy playing the piano". Notice how we see that these days, back then? An everyday thing.
Almost all the credited actors in the movie were expatriates from Europe. The lovely blonde girl at the beginning was actually French and was married to the actor who played the croupier in the casino. She was also the last credited actor in the film to pass away in real life in 2016, almost 74 years after the film came out. Only three of the credited actors were native born Americans, Humphrey Bogart, Dooley Wilson and Joy Paige (who played the dark haired newlywed from Romania.) The actor who played her husband was Helmut Dantine who was from Austria and a fervent anti Nazi. Because of his accent he knew he would be cast as Nazis in movies often but only took such roles if the character was totally evil...he wouldn't play a "sympathetic Nazi."
"Carl's" offscreen nickname was "Cuddles". Perfectly reflected his personality.