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.
Quite rightly too, in the context of the time. For me personally the friendship between Rick and Sam is one of the pillars of this film. All Best, Andrew
@@HistoryGeeksDiscussMovies It's interesting that Sam gets a percentage of the bar, very unusual, unfortunately, for a man of color at that time. Sam is a gentleman, and a creative person (he's working on his own composition, as we hear in the pre-flashback scene). I've always thought that the very idea of Rick's was from Sam - it doesn't feel like something Rick himself would come up with. But Sam, we see, is already at the piano in Paris, and is friends with Rick. So the whole idea of the cafe may have been his.
Won 3 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director. Best Actor went to James Cagney in the other film by the same director, Michael Curtiz, the same year.
I'll pop in for a shout out to both Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet: they get relatively little to do here, but both, as always, make their mark. Of course they were together with Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon", and all three had great chemistry with each other. Greenstreet and Lorre would make several movies together, as a sort of informal partnership. My personal favorites of these are "Mask of Dimitrios" and "Three Strangers". "Dimitrios" also gives us Zachary Scott, doing a magnificent job. It also hijacks some great camera work from "Citizen Kane" .... and it has a couple of very pretty kitties in one scene. How can you go wrong???
@@andrewchoong2895 It's really wonderful, and one of the things I love is how Huston manages to let the characters and humor breathe while the plot barrels along. I especially love the occasional expressions Bogart allows Spade as all the nonsense whirls around (lovely touch is his looking at his hand and the internal laugh at himself after the initial interview with Gutmann). As the sister of a court reporter, I also love the tiny exchange with the recorder ("Am I going too fast for you, son?" "Oh, no, sir. I'm getting it all right." "Good man!").
@@melenatorr yes those are all really great moments, although I must confess I had forgotten about the exchange with the court recorder! It's clearly a sign that I need to watch it again! 🙂
There is a visual reference to the delicate political situation involving Vichy in the opening credit illustrations of the film which depicts the French aircraft carrier Bearn at an island on the map of the Caribbean. The French government purchased a batch of Curtiss SBC Helldivers in the U.S. and these were loaded aboard the Bearn for transport, but the government that bought them fell and the U.S. did not want to be embarrassed to have American combat aircraft delivered to the pro-German Vichy Government. The Bearn sailed to French Martinique - avoiding a U.S. attempt to intern her in New Orleans - and was interned on Martinique as a result of U.S. diplomatic pressure, and also discretely kept under observation by both the USN and RN. The aircraft were put ashore, but were soon found to have been destroyed under circumstances that have never been explained. (Whatever could have happened?) The Bearn incident was followed in U.S. newspapers at the time, so I suspect that this visual reference to the uncertainty surrounding the Vichy Government may well have been intentional.
Thanks very much indeed for pointing that out! I was aware of the complications involving the purchase of the bombers and the presence of the Bearn in US and Caribbean waters, but I never made the connection with 'Casablanca'. I also did not know that the aircraft were destroyed. A bit too convenient, really... Very interesting point about the diplomatic awkwardness with regards the Vichy government. Looking at the film from the Axis side, it strikes me as odd that in the wake of the murder of a pair of German couriers Major Strasser and his staff did not lean harder on the local administration about that and apprehending someone as high on their 'hit list' as Laszlo. I doubt the Vichy government would have been in much of a position to object, but I suppose niceties need to be observed? More importantly, cinema audiences would not have had nearly as good a story. :) All Best, Andrew
Out of the cast the only Americans were Bogart, Dooley Wilson (Sam), and Joy Page (the Bulgarian girl) who was Jack Warner’s step daughter. Everyone else was European.
Yes, and it was a combination that I feel worked very well. Thanks for the reminder that it was Dooley Wilson playing Sam, as I did forget him during the discussion! All Best, Andrew
0:33. You kept saying it was made in 1943. Actually it was made in 1942, when for America the war was just getting started. It was an Oscar-winner for 1943, which may have caused confusion.
‘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. 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. There are also many ‘adult’ themes which escaped the censors: one example is the scene between Rick and the Bulgarian bride in which Rick suggests that Renault’s ‘broadmindedness’ hints at underagesex/ménage a trois. Another is Rick’s and Ilsa’s last tryst in which it is clearly implied that they have made love. 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!!
Thanks so much for sharing all these splendid points! A great deal of food for thought, and I think most of us who love the film need no prompting to watch 'Casablanca' again. All Best! 😊
I have to challenge one of your statements. Concentration camps were not known as death camps when this film was made. This is obvious throughout the film. The holocaust had not yet been discovered. The first liberation of a death camp was in 1944, two years after the film was made. Concentration camps were found in every country as political prisons(as many Japanese Americans and German Americans can testify). This film was innocent of the true horror of the time and this is why concentration camps are referred to so casually.
In the comments on the ‘quotable’ lines from this movie, I wonder if there is one more that is overlooked. When Ugarte is accosted by the French Moroccan police at the Roulette table, he asks them if he could ‘Cash in his Chips’. I wonder if this line is to forecast his inevitable fate with the police. Was this film dialogue the origin of this phrase or was this already a cliché at the time?
That is a really good one, thanks. I had never considered the portent behind Ugarte's use of the phrase 'cash in his chips', but it does make a lot of sense in context. I can't remember the title of the book, but I remember seeing the phrase used in a novel published sometime in the first decade of the 20th Century. Whether it is much older than that I have no idea. All Best, Andrew
There's a surprising little moment when someone speaks Cantonese in the film. Two things leaped out when I watched a few weeks ago after a far-too-long hiatus. The first is trivial. For all the ordering of food and drink, no one does much eating or drinking. The other is unfortunate. Ilsa asks about Sam and refers to him as "boy". I don't think a European would use the word in that particular way. I wonder if Bergman objected to saying it or perhaps she wasn't aware of it. Dooley Wilson was a drummer and singer. He had his own band in the 20s and performed in London and Paris. He was also in "Stormy Weather" (1943) with Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, Fats Waller, and the Nicholas Brothers.
You’re right the reference ‘boy’ has been discussed widely after the movie came out. Especially in more recent times. I’m afraid, the term was not so unusual at the time. In a way, I find it good when we discuss these terms or phrases used in old movies. It shows that times have changed for the better. Apart from the racism, one can argue that there is also quite a bit of sexism going on. But again, we have to remember we’re watching this decades later. And although we’re not moving quick enough when it comes to approaching equality on any front, we are at least moving… You’re right about the food and drink, actually. Hadn’t thought about that 🙂 All best, Jane
Rick and Louis represent their Nations in microcosm. Rick was the idealist who sees freedom crushed by fascism in Ethiopia, Spain and France while his country (the supposed beacon of liberty) remains "asleep" and in spite of his sacrifices, and becomes the cynic who will "stick his neck out for nobody". And Louis who follows his orders from Vichy, making the best of the humiliation of defeat....but note the medals Louis wears...Great War Service. Great War Victory, and the Legion of Honor (France's highest award for valor) perhaps he also was once "a rank sentimentalist".
Conrad Veidt, who played Strasser, should be better remembered. Here's a lovely TCM short about him: th-cam.com/video/EvVJIMwVZ_Q/w-d-xo.html He was, in his way, a hero, who left us too soon.
Yes indeed, a lovely micro-scale expression of the relief millions must have felt that the US, with all its resources, was weighing in for the Allied cause.
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.
Quite rightly too, in the context of the time. For me personally the friendship between Rick and Sam is one of the pillars of this film. All Best, Andrew
@@HistoryGeeksDiscussMovies It's interesting that Sam gets a percentage of the bar, very unusual, unfortunately, for a man of color at that time. Sam is a gentleman, and a creative person (he's working on his own composition, as we hear in the pre-flashback scene). I've always thought that the very idea of Rick's was from Sam - it doesn't feel like something Rick himself would come up with. But Sam, we see, is already at the piano in Paris, and is friends with Rick. So the whole idea of the cafe may have been his.
@@melenatorr Nice thought. I agree, I don't think Rick would have been where he is when we meet him in the movie without Sam.
Maybe they met in Spain, in the International "Lincoln" Brigade
Won 3 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director. Best Actor went to James Cagney in the other film by the same director, Michael Curtiz, the same year.
Fantastic! Thanks so much!
That other film was:
"Yankee Doodle Dandy".
You didn't know that James Cagney was an amazing dancer?
There is also a Warner Bros. "Making-of" documentary about "Casablanca". It's on youtube -- search for "casablanca accidental classic".
I'll pop in for a shout out to both Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet: they get relatively little to do here, but both, as always, make their mark. Of course they were together with Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon", and all three had great chemistry with each other. Greenstreet and Lorre would make several movies together, as a sort of informal partnership. My personal favorites of these are "Mask of Dimitrios" and "Three Strangers". "Dimitrios" also gives us Zachary Scott, doing a magnificent job. It also hijacks some great camera work from "Citizen Kane" .... and it has a couple of very pretty kitties in one scene. How can you go wrong???
Hear hear! I'm especially with you when it comes to 'The Maltese Falcon', which has got to be one of my favourite classic films :)
@@andrewchoong2895 It's really wonderful, and one of the things I love is how Huston manages to let the characters and humor breathe while the plot barrels along. I especially love the occasional expressions Bogart allows Spade as all the nonsense whirls around (lovely touch is his looking at his hand and the internal laugh at himself after the initial interview with Gutmann). As the sister of a court reporter, I also love the tiny exchange with the recorder ("Am I going too fast for you, son?" "Oh, no, sir. I'm getting it all right." "Good man!").
@@melenatorr yes those are all really great moments, although I must confess I had forgotten about the exchange with the court recorder! It's clearly a sign that I need to watch it again! 🙂
Re the way Max Steiner uses motifs: Ilsa often gets a striking chord when she enters and we see her from a distance.
There is a visual reference to the delicate political situation involving Vichy in the opening credit illustrations of the film which depicts the French aircraft carrier Bearn at an island on the map of the Caribbean. The French government purchased a batch of Curtiss SBC Helldivers in the U.S. and these were loaded aboard the Bearn for transport, but the government that bought them fell and the U.S. did not want to be embarrassed to have American combat aircraft delivered to the pro-German Vichy Government. The Bearn sailed to French Martinique - avoiding a U.S. attempt to intern her in New Orleans - and was interned on Martinique as a result of U.S. diplomatic pressure, and also discretely kept under observation by both the USN and RN. The aircraft were put ashore, but were soon found to have been destroyed under circumstances that have never been explained. (Whatever could have happened?) The Bearn incident was followed in U.S. newspapers at the time, so I suspect that this visual reference to the uncertainty surrounding the Vichy Government may well have been intentional.
Thanks very much indeed for pointing that out! I was aware of the complications involving the purchase of the bombers and the presence of the Bearn in US and Caribbean waters, but I never made the connection with 'Casablanca'. I also did not know that the aircraft were destroyed. A bit too convenient, really... Very interesting point about the diplomatic awkwardness with regards the Vichy government. Looking at the film from the Axis side, it strikes me as odd that in the wake of the murder of a pair of German couriers Major Strasser and his staff did not lean harder on the local administration about that and apprehending someone as high on their 'hit list' as Laszlo. I doubt the Vichy government would have been in much of a position to object, but I suppose niceties need to be observed? More importantly, cinema audiences would not have had nearly as good a story. :) All Best, Andrew
Out of the cast the only Americans were Bogart, Dooley Wilson (Sam), and Joy Page (the Bulgarian girl) who was Jack Warner’s step daughter. Everyone else was European.
Yes, and it was a combination that I feel worked very well. Thanks for the reminder that it was Dooley Wilson playing Sam, as I did forget him during the discussion! All Best, Andrew
0:33. You kept saying it was made in 1943. Actually it was made in 1942, when for America the war was just getting started. It was an Oscar-winner for 1943, which may have caused confusion.
You're quite right, thanks for catching that one! All Best, Andrew
‘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.
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.
There are also many ‘adult’ themes which escaped the censors: one example is the scene between Rick and the Bulgarian bride in which Rick suggests that Renault’s ‘broadmindedness’ hints at underagesex/ménage a trois. Another is Rick’s and Ilsa’s last tryst in which it is clearly implied that they have made love.
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!!
Thanks so much for sharing all these splendid points! A great deal of food for thought, and I think most of us who love the film need no prompting to watch 'Casablanca' again. All Best! 😊
I have to challenge one of your statements. Concentration camps were not known as death camps when this film was made. This is obvious throughout the film. The holocaust had not yet been discovered. The first liberation of a death camp was in 1944, two years after the film was made. Concentration camps were found in every country as political prisons(as many Japanese Americans and German Americans can testify). This film was innocent of the true horror of the time and this is why concentration camps are referred to so casually.
In the comments on the ‘quotable’ lines from this movie, I wonder if there is one more that is overlooked.
When Ugarte is accosted by the French Moroccan police at the Roulette table, he asks them if he could ‘Cash in his Chips’. I wonder if this line is to forecast his inevitable fate with the police. Was this film dialogue the origin of this phrase or was this already a cliché at the time?
That is a really good one, thanks. I had never considered the portent behind Ugarte's use of the phrase 'cash in his chips', but it does make a lot of sense in context. I can't remember the title of the book, but I remember seeing the phrase used in a novel published sometime in the first decade of the 20th Century. Whether it is much older than that I have no idea. All Best, Andrew
There's a surprising little moment when someone speaks Cantonese in the film.
Two things leaped out when I watched a few weeks ago after a far-too-long hiatus. The first is trivial. For all the ordering of food and drink, no one does much eating or drinking.
The other is unfortunate. Ilsa asks about Sam and refers to him as "boy". I don't think a European would use the word in that particular way. I wonder if Bergman objected to saying it or perhaps she wasn't aware of it.
Dooley Wilson was a drummer and singer. He had his own band in the 20s and performed in London and Paris. He was also in "Stormy Weather" (1943) with Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, Fats Waller, and the Nicholas Brothers.
You’re right the reference ‘boy’ has been discussed widely after the movie came out. Especially in more recent times. I’m afraid, the term was not so unusual at the time.
In a way, I find it good when we discuss these terms or phrases used in old movies. It shows that times have changed for the better. Apart from the racism, one can argue that there is also quite a bit of sexism going on. But again, we have to remember we’re watching this decades later.
And although we’re not moving quick enough when it comes to approaching equality on any front, we are at least moving…
You’re right about the food and drink, actually. Hadn’t thought about that 🙂 All best, Jane
Wonderful discussion of a great movie. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much! So happy you enjoyed it 😊
Loved the video dad and Jane❤
Thanks so much, Anna ❤
Rick and Louis represent their Nations in microcosm.
Rick was the idealist who sees freedom crushed by fascism in Ethiopia, Spain and France while his country (the supposed beacon of liberty) remains "asleep" and in spite of his sacrifices, and becomes the cynic who will "stick his neck out for nobody".
And Louis who follows his orders from Vichy, making the best of the humiliation of defeat....but note the medals Louis wears...Great War Service. Great War Victory, and the Legion of Honor (France's highest award for valor) perhaps he also was once "a rank sentimentalist".
Conrad Veidt, who played Strasser, should be better remembered. Here's a lovely TCM short about him: th-cam.com/video/EvVJIMwVZ_Q/w-d-xo.html
He was, in his way, a hero, who left us too soon.
Absolutely true. He was wonderfully cast in this movie!
They filmed it while Pearl Harbor was being attacked and at the airport Lazlo states that now that you are on our side, I know we will win.
Yes indeed, a lovely micro-scale expression of the relief millions must have felt that the US, with all its resources, was weighing in for the Allied cause.
An other movie you might want to watch is a Woody Allen movie, Play It Again, Sam (1972). Woody Allen plays a movie critic obsessed with Casablanca.
Thanks very much! I've not seen that one, but I do like Woody Allen. All Best, Andrew