Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman Find Screen Immortality in Casablanca

 

Easily vying for the title of Hollywood’s Favorite Classic Film, Warner Brothers’ preeminent cinematic offering from the 1940’s, Casablanca, transcends the formulaic romantic drama elements typically found in escapist fare of the period and provides the genre’s ultimate viewing experience, with the Hal B. Wallis production featuring an exemplary cast shining in every role, spirited direction by Michael Curtiz, rich, mood-enhancing B&W cinematography by Arthur Edeson and score by Max Steiner, and the ultimate studio screenplay by Julius & Philip Epstein and Howard Koch (based on the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison) that offers more quintessential lines than found in virtually any other film. Covering a multitude of wartime intrigues found at the title locale, specifically the triangle involving café owner Rick Blaine, who is nonplussed by the sudden arrival of former flame Ilsa Lund and her adventurer husband, Victor Laszlo, Casablanca weaves an uncommonly potent verisimilitude for which to cast a spell over enthralled audiences, and shines as one of the most richly satisfying entertainments ever created for the silver screen.

By the time he helmed Casablanca, Michael Curtiz had enjoyed years as one of Warner Brothers’ top directors, overseeing of series of popular A-list entertainments from various genres, including such superior fare as Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Angels with Dirty Faces and Yankee Doodle Dandy. Curtiz’s experience with top stars and lavish productions put him in good stead with the demands entailed in managing a powerhouse list of players while corralling all of Casablanca’s comic, dramatic and romantic elements into a cohesive whole. Rarely has a film so successfully balanced such thematic shifts in a scenario while maintaining a steady tone, allowing an audience to suspend disbelief as they become completely absorbed in the various complications affecting the fascinating characters coexisting in Casablanca, and credit must go to Curtiz’ sure hand for creating such a perfect ambience on screen, one that allows the film to never grow tiresome despite countless viewings. Curtiz would continue his reign among Hollywood’s elite, most diverse directors for the rest of his career, including guiding Joan Crawford to an Oscar for Mildred Pierce, helming one of Elvis Presley’s best movies and performances, King Creole and overseeing the first Vista Vision production (and 1954’s biggest hit), White Christmas.

Humphrey Bogart, a year after achieving full stardom at Warner Brothers as a new breed of hero/antihero via High Sierra and as the definite Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, finds perhaps his most iconic role as the cynical but at heart sensitive and caring Rick, who does stick his neck out for others, even if he would be mortified to admit it. Bogart is a great fit for Rick’s edgy, unsentimental demeanor, while also delivering his often-humorous retorts to the various figures Rick’s comes into contact with at his establishment with a sly, bemused air. Most surprisingly, Bogart cements his status as a capable romantic lead in Casablanca, making the heartbroken Rick warm, appealing and believable as a lover to empathetic audiences, while possessing unconventional looks and an age outside the norm for a matinee idol of the period. Post-Casablanca, Bogart would achieve fame as one of the primary figures in films, gaining a host of classic works in the process, such as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, his Oscar role in The African Queen, memorable as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny and working in four films opposite Lauren Bacall (aka as Mrs. Bogart) in one of the screen’s most celebrated duos, including her debut in To Have and Have Not and the hard-to-discern but riveting The Big Sleep. Bogart would pass on in 1957, but thanks to his unique charisma and wealth of quality films, find favor with new generations of movie lovers, in the process becoming one of the chief leading male stars of his or any era.

For Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca would mark her entry into the top ranks of 1940’s stars, after being discovered by David O. Selznick for her 1939 Hollywood debut opposite Leslie Howard in Intermezzo (a remake of Bergman’s earlier Swedish success) and thereafter pegged as one of the screen’s freshest, loveliest and most talented newcomers, Bergman was ripe for the major stardom Casablanca would provide her after further honing her craft in Adam Had Four Sons and via stunning emotionally-driven work as Ivy in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. With her delicate, carefully delineated work as Ilsa, Bergman is clearly in tune with the camera, showings a natural affinity for the art of screen acting by revealing Ilsa’s every mood to the viewer with simplicity, honesty and the exact level of dramatic intensity needed for each scene. One of the more remarkable aspects of Bergman’s ultra-beguiling work is the fact that, years later, the star disclosed she asked Curtiz who exactly Ilsa was supposed to be in love with, to which she was told it hadn’t been determined, and to “play it cool,” which she did with great dexterity, allowing Ilsa to come across as devoted to both Rick and with class and conviction, while appearing at her most beautiful in an array of resplendent costumes by Orry-Kelly. She plays beautifully with both her male costars, creating a touching, believable affection for both that has aided the movie in remaining relevant and undated to viewers. Bergman would go on to have one of the most eventful careers and lives of any star, including three Oscars and, with her modern free-spiritedness, a degree of turmoil concerning her public image, which Bergman overcame, utilizing her supreme acting talent to complete a filmography rife with accomplished, arresting performances.

             Austrian Paul Henreid and his continental charm were abundantly evident on screens in late 1942, with his breakthrough role as a heartthrob opposite Bette Davis (and Rains) in the classic Now Voyager preceding his most famous role as Victor Laszlo. Starting in German films in 1933, Henreid would appear in MGM’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips in 1939 before achieving major success with Voyager and Casablanca. As Victor, the handsome Resistance leader, Henreid is properly adoring towards Ilsa, yet comes across as more stoic and passive as a film presence alongside Bergman and Bogart’s animated work. However, Henreid’s cool demeanor finds its perfect showcase in perhaps the film’s most moving and indelible scene, wherein Victor orders (with a nod assist from Rick) the house band to play “La Marseillaise” to drown out a group of Nazis, led by Laszlo’s arch enemy, the nefarious Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt), as they sing a homeland tune in revelry. As Victor becomes louder and bolder, leading others to join him in singing as Strasser’s clan turn more addled and vexed, a glowing-with-affection Ilsa and the audience (both onscreen and off) witness in Victor the illustration of a fearless hero worthy of admiration and respect, causing one to want to cheer his noble efforts by the melody’s end. Henreid would never top his seminal 1942 but continue his run as a leading man for a couple decades, while also turning his sights in the 1950s to directing films and television, regularly helming such shows as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and overseeing former costar Davis’ 1964 diverting murder-mystery Dead Ringer in particularly engaging fashion.

Headlining one of the greatest supporting casts ever, Claude Rains scores heavily as Captain Louis Renault, the sometimes ally of Rick who sagely and bemusedly comments on the action with great panache, in the process becoming as much an audience favorite to Casablanca patrons as anyone in the esteemed cast, thanks to Rains expert delivery of each choice bit he’s provided. Making an impact virtually unseen in 1933’s classic The Invisible Man by utilizing his cultured voice to both amusing and sinister effect, Rains would go on to become one of the most reliable character actors on film, specifically during the 1930s and 1940s, gaining four Oscar nods, but alas, no wins during this prolific period. Dooley Wilson also makes a major impact as Sam, the main entertainer at Rick’s who, as Ilsa mentions, sings the film’s evocative theme song “As Time Goes By” (originally penned in 1931) as no one else. Syndey Greenstreet, a year after his sensational Oscar-nominated debut in The Maltese Falcon, makes a distinct impression with little screen time as Signor Ferrari, a business rival and associate of Rick’s. Ditto Peter Lorre, who enacts the role of the oily, underhanded Signor Ugarte in mesmerizing fashion. Veidt rates some major hisses with his deft interpretation of the calm, ominous Major, while S.Z. “Cuddles” Sakall rates the opposite reaction and as Carl, the comical, adorable waiter at Rick’s. Other well-known names standing out include Marcel Dalio, Helmut Dantine, Leonid Kinskey, John Qualen and Norma Varden, while lovely ingenues Joy Page and Madeleine Lebeau (later of Fellini’s 8 ½) insure their place in film history with touching work in brief roles.

Casablanca debuted in New York City in November of 1942 and opened wider in January of 1943, thereby forever after causing confusion regarding what year should be used to categorize the movie. Befitting its beloved status, the film was a huge success with both critics and audiences, placing among 1943’s most profitable and honored films. For 1942 (due to the East Coast premiere) Casablanca placed on The New York Times top ten list, while the following year the film placed on The National Board of Review’s top ten list and cited Curtiz among the Best Directors. The film also came through bigtime at the Academy Awards for 1943, winning Best Picture, Director and Best Screenplay among eight nominations, including ones for Bogart (who would also place on the Quigley poll of top ten stars for the first time thanks largely to his career boon from the film) and Rains. Indicating the film’s status as a key Hollywood classic, the movie consistently shows up on lists of the greatest films ever made, including the introductory Nation Film Registry list in 1989 and placing high on a multitude of American Film Institute (AFI) lists, coming in at #2 on the AFI’s first “100 Years. . .100 Movies” poll and at #3 on the 10^th anniversary list,  placing with a record six entries on the 2005 “100 Years. . .100 Movie Quotes” poll and at #1 on the 2002 “100 Years. . .100 Passions” list. With its intoxicating blend of sublimely judged performances, unmatched dialogue, flawless direction, class production values, and a story that never fails to move and delight audiences, movie lovers will always be looking at Casablanca for an ultra-engaging way to watch some time go by.

P.S.: Just after completing a rough draft of the above, the author attended a showing of Casablanca and had to get there early to grab a good seat among the approximately 90 patrons who showed up to once again enjoy the movie’s many assets, emphasizing how enduring the beloved classic continues to be. Not a bad turnout for a film celebrating its 83rd year on the silver screen.