Casablanca [DVD] [1942]

For the past 10 years or so I have made it my mission to collect and watch classic old movies. The more I watched, the more films I grew to love. And yet Casablanca was one I steered clear of for a while. I was sure I was going to get some sloppy, trite mushy love story. Boy was I wrong! Casablanca, like Citizen Kane and Gone with the Wind before it is reguarded as one of the greatest films ever made. And like those two, it is with good reason. Quite simply, it is my favourite film of all time.Let's reel off everything good about this film (this may take time so I hope you're sitting comfortably).The cast: Rick (Bogart) is synnical and yet warm and kind. He lets others go about their business however detestable and stands up for what he believes him. He sticks his neck out for nobody and yet helps his friends whenever he can. Why does he do this? Because, like the best heroes, he is flawed, but the good people in life, like Ilsa, Lazlo and Sam bring out the good in him. Claude Rains as the Police Captain is one of my favourite and one of the most versatile actors of all time. Even he has good in him and comes good before the film finishes. And let's not forget Peter Lorre as Umgati.Many scenes and lines are burned into cinema history: 'Vultures everywhere', 'Are my eyes really brown', 'I am a drunkard....'That makes him a citizen of the World', 'Maybe not today, mayeb not tomorrow but soon and for the rest of your life', 'this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship'. The settings are also a dream, if I could spend one day in a Hollywood movie, I would spend the evening in 'Rick's' listening to Sam.Why do I love this film so much? Because it can leave you seething with anger at the sight of the Nazi's taking over the bar, then have the hairs on the back of neck stand on end as the French respond with the National anthem, then frightened as the Captain brings the dream to an end with one blow of his whistle for discovering the backroom, then laughing out loud as his gambling winnings are handed to him - all in the space of a couple of minutes. Funny, moving, inspiring, romantic, exciting, devilish, it is one of a VERY SMALL number of films that really does have it all!p.s. Just to further dispel a rumour: 'Play it again Sam' just like 'Beam me up Scotty' is an urban myth, it is never spoken!

Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama anti-Nazi propaganda film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's unproduced stage play Everybody Comes to Rick's. The film stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid; it features Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in the words of one character, "love and virtue". He must choose between his love for a woman and helping her Czech Resistance leader husband escape the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis.Story editor Irene Diamond convinced producer Hal B. Wallis to purchase the film rights to the play in January 1942. Brothers Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein were initially assigned to write the script. However, despite studio resistance, they left to work on Frank Capra's Why We Fight series early in 1942. Howard E. Koch was assigned to the screenplay until the Epsteins returned a month later. Casey Robinson assisted with three weeks of rewrites, but his work would later go uncredited. Wallis chose Curtiz to direct the film after his first choice, William Wyler, became unavailable. Principal photography began on May 25, 1942, ending on August 3; the film was shot entirely at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, with the exception of one sequence at Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, Los Angeles.Although Casablanca was an A-list film with established stars and first-rate writers, no one involved with its production expected it to be anything out of the ordinary.[3] It was just one of hundreds of pictures produced by Hollywood every year. Casablanca had its world premiere on November 26, 1942, in New York City and was released on January 23, 1943, in the United States. The film was a solid if unspectacular success in its initial run, rushed into release to take advantage of the publicity from the Allied invasion of North Africa a few weeks earlier.[4] The film's reputation grew as audiences embraced it. Casablanca won three Academy Awards: for Best Picture, director, and writing (screenplay). Its lead characters,[5][6] memorable lines,[7][8][9] and pervasive theme song[10] have all become iconic. The film has consistently ranked near the top of lists of the greatest films of all time.

The plot is so well known so I won’t bore you with the details here, but my reason for buying this from Amazon is the fact its a good film and I can sit and enjoy it without needless adverts cropping up to spoil the overall production! The fact I think it’s a good film meant I paid to buy a copy, so can’t say much more than that really. Enjoy part of the golden age of cinema!

Timeless classic. Product as described. Speedy delivery. recommended.

It's a really good film. I love the character development. But as a British born Moroccan it brought up complex emotions for me. French colonialism in Morocco is romanticised compared to the German presence in the film, but both countries were harsh on Moroccans in different ways. Morocco and blacks are not really relevant, they're part of the decor, serving in cafes, selling or buying visas, playing piano etc. The film seems a bit orientalist. Casablanca is referred to a desert although it's not in the desert region. Moroccans are seen smoking shisha which is more of a Lebanese or Syrian tradition (hashish is more common in Morocco compared to shisha!). I don't know. It's a nice film but it's a bit orientalist.

It's a classic film with great actors. Iconic film that doesn't fade with time