Why is ‘Casablanca’ Considered the PERFECT Romantic Movie? Millennial Reaction!
Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), who owns a nightclub in Casablanca, discovers his old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Laszlo is a famed rebel, and with Germans on his tail, Ilsa knows Rick can help them get out of the country.
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00:00 Intro
01:12 Casablanca Reaction
53:13 Review
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I highly recommend "The Thief of Bagdad" from 1940 for a reaction in the future!
At this point in the war, the Nazis had occupied most of France, but left some other parts (including some French-held areas, such as Casablanca) under control of the French Vichy Government which was collaborating with the Germans. That kept the Germans from having to devote so many resources directly controlling all of French territory. But it was a sketchy collaboration, with the French Vichy government walking a tightrope, trying to look independent but knowing the Germans could clamp down on them at any time. At the end of the movie, Captain Renault tosses the bottle of Vichy Water into the trash, the sign that he's abandoning the Vichy government.
In 1941 when this movie was filmed, the US had not yet entered WWII, and the Germans appeared able to win in Europe. This movie was intended as propaganda to convince Americans that the US should enter the war. In fact, much of the cast were refugees from Europe who had fled the Germans (including the actors playing Germans). That's why Rick makes the remark about Americans being asleep. By the time the movie was released in 1942, the US had just entered the war.
The movie does an excellent job making you like both men so much that you don't know how you want it to end. Interestingly, the writers were still working on the script while they were filming, and the actors got their sheets just the night before they had to film the scenes. The actors themselves didn't know how the movie would end until the day they filmed it. (This screenplay was developed from a theater play, but the theater play ended ambiguously.)
I find this movie much more re-watchable than Citizen Kane. But you should also watch To Kill a Mockingbird.
Sequel?
I was shocked, Shocked, to find out that 'The Simpsons' have an episode with an alternate ending to Casablanca.
There's no sequel. "Passage to Marseilles" has a lot of the same cast including Bogart and Rains but it just doesn't cut it. Also there have been several attempts to do SOMETHING with "Casablanca," including a mercifully short-lived TV series with David Soul as Rick (!). It literally was lightning in a bottle. If you're interested in learning more about the movie's behind-the-scenes, pick up Aljean Harmetz' book "Round Up the Usual Suspects." Thanks for your heartfelt reaction!
Rick's "compliment" that Renault is a "true democrat" simply means that he shows no discrimination in who he takes advantage of. For the purposes of the plot, the Nazis pretend to observe the niceties of international law by not arresting Laszlo outright, further assuming that they can take their time in leveraging the information out of him. By the way, her name is Ilsa, with an I. And actually I think Rick is pretty good at being noble. It takes no time at all to watch, but there's a pretty funny SNL sketch online about the "alternate ending" of "Casablanca".
Great reaction to a great movie. Love seeing young people enjoy great movie making.
@14:11 Why don't they just arrest him.
Because Casablanca was in French colonized Morocco, doen't mean that Germany gets it by occupying France. France is the the movie set up time is aministered by the Nazi client state Vichy but French colonies in North Africa did not fall & are disputed as the Allies have great military presence in north Africa so the Germans didn't feel like running the risk of opening new fronts of war.. Still the corrup Police chef Renalut wants to bet on the safest bet as who will get the victory so he cooperates with the Nazis & their Vichy France.
The Germans could not just arrest anyone they want in Casablanca.
Great reaction and a great choice for Valentine’s Day. One small correction about my favorite scene, the interaction between Rick and the Bulgarian woman. The woman had not yet slept with the captain; the captain had propositioned her, and she was asking Rick if the captain would keep his word. Rick said, “He always has,” so it seems the captain sells visas for one-night stands. It could not have been something already ongoing with that woman because the Hollywood censors at the time would not have allowed that. On the other hand, it was okay to suggest the thing so long as it was done in subtle, non-explicit language. It is superbly written and magnificently acted.