Casablanca (1942)

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Casablanca: Directed by Michael Curtiz. With Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains. A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.

“While my personal Bogey favorite is still his Sam Spade in u0026#39;The Maltese Falconu0026#39;, his cynical nightclub owner, Rick, in u0026#39;Casablancau0026#39;, is also a standout. Rather than some u0026quot;off the cuffu0026quot; comments, Iu0026#39;ll quote instead from my article on Claude Rains (from March 2000 issue of CLASSIC IMAGES) that pretty well sums up the film:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;It was 1943u0026#39;s u0026#39;Casablancau0026#39;, bustling with melodramatic wartime intrigue, that really put him (Claude Rains) in the forefront as one of the screenu0026#39;s smoothest character actors, almost–but not quite–stealing the film from Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, as the uniformed Captain Louis Renault who investigates the goings-on at Ricku0026#39;s notorious cafe.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enNobody associated with the film guessed that it would become a screen classic, least of all its director, Michael Curtiz, the prolific WB director to whom it was just another assignment. It went on to win the Oscar for Best Film of 1943 with an award for Curtizu0026#39; taut direction.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOddly enough, the filmu0026#39;s memorable airport ending was written and conceived just shortly before filming wrapped up, with neither Bergman nor Bogart knowing whether or not she would leave him for husband Paul Henried. Wartime audiences loved the film. Sydney Greenstreet, Conrad Veidt, Victor Francen and Peter Lorre all gave sterling performances and Rains was again nominated for Best Supporting actor.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd by the way, I disagree with a former comment indicating the black and white photography of this film was primitive as compared to todayu0026#39;s. Incredible nonsense!! As a matter of fact, the filmu0026#39;s black and white cinematography was nominated for an Oscar!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIngrid Bergman was at the peak of her radiant beauty in this one–and Bogey was firing on all six cylinders. Great chemistry! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs time goes by, we still have u0026#39;Casablancau0026#39;…”

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