[discussion post] Casablanca (1942)

[my_daroga]

Casablanca, like many of the films on this list, is so iconic that its reputation frequently precedes it. But while it did well enough in its initial run, its importance has almost certainly transcended all expectations. As a mix of romance and propaganda, going through many rewrites, it was intended as a solid studio A-list movie but the prestige it has attained could not have been predicted.

So what did you think of it? Was this your first time watching Casablanca? Did it live up to expectations, or does it seem over-hyped? Or have you grown up with this film, and if so, has your perception of it changed over time?

There's a strong message through the film of loyalty: to one's country, one's friends, one's ideals. How is this conveyed? Is it convincing, or heavy-handed?

Most of the major characters, aside from Laszlo, come to their final convictions by degrees. Does this work for you? Is Rick's, or Louis', transition believable? Why is it so much more effective to have a character deny their better nature at first than to be convinced of their goodness from the beginning?

Does a movie like this even need to be believable, or are we in line for a fantasy that uses real-world events as a romantic backdrop?

If you've seen other movies from the time period along a similar theme, how does Casablanca fare? Do its narrative and political elements find a balance? What sets it apart from others?

Why do you think this movie's attained the popularity it has? There are countless romantic films. What has made this one endure, and is it something other than self-perpetuating at this point? Does this movie still have something to offer modern audiences?

Do you have favorite characters, scenes, lines?

Comments

[hellkitty]

I read recently that during the Marseillaise scene, those tears among the actors was totally genuine: many of the actors in those parts were refugees from the war, and even the fictive act in a movie of drowning out the Nazis just moved them so much.

It's a bit jingoistic, but I admit a love of War Department movies, as..uncomfortable as the cheezy factor is (I certainly don't think, today, that the US is right and butting into other countries is an absolutely Good Thing). I adore, for example, another Bogart film, Sahara, which is so completely improbable that it makes Casablanca look modest. I think of it like cartoons or fairy tales. We expect, and enjoy, the moral lines being so heavily drawn.

I saw the movie as a kid and I remember hating Laszlo so much--he was much less creepy in rewatches of the film than I remembered him!

I could blather on, but...then this comment would be longer than this post!