Warner Home Video presents
(1943)
Louis: And what in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?
Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Louis: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert.
Rick: I was misinformed.
- Claude Rains, Humphrey Bogart
Review By: Mark Zimmer
Published: November 14, 2006
Stars: Humphrey Bogart , Ingrid Bergman , Paul Henreid , Claude Rains , Conrad Veidt , Sydney
Greenstreet , Peter Lorre
Other Stars: S.Z. Sakall , Dooley Wilson , Joy Page , Madeleine LeBeau

Director: Michael Curtiz
MPAA Rating: PG for (extremely mild violence)
Run Time: 1h:42m:29s
Release Date: November 14, 2006
UPC: 012569792081
Genre: romance
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A+ A+ A B A
The DVD and Extras Reviews are by David Krauss.
Contrary to popular belief, Casablanca didn't earn its lofty place in film history by accident. Although stories abound concerning unfinished scripts, on-the-set rewrites and a confused leading lady, the creative forces behind this iconic film always knew exactly what they wanted. True, no one involved ever purposely set out to make an era-defining classic, but the shooting of Casablanca was far from the disorganized mess Hollywood raconteurs still purport it to be.
The finished film, of course, speaks for itself. Over the years, many movies have sought to imitate Casablanca's unique and subtle blend of mystery, romance, intrigue, light comedy and topical events, but the formula has never been successfully duplicated. And it's pretty safe to say it never will be.
When MGM released the inaugural Casablanca DVD back in 1998, fans were so thrilled to finally see the film in the new digital format, no one griped about the transfer. Far from perfect yet by no means inferior, the image quality certainly surpassed VHS versions, so viewers assumed Casablanca couldn't look any better. But DVDs and display monitors have come a long way in a short time, and after several other classics (North By Northwest, Sunset
Boulevard , Citizen Kane, and Singin' in the Rain , among others) underwent age-defying facelifts, film buffs hoped
Casablanca would receive a similar visual makeover.
Well, the beloved Oscar®-winning film finally got one, and the results are worth the wait. If you bought Casablanca before, you're just going to have to suck it up and buy it again because this new special edition from Warner is not to be missed. While it's always been easy to appreciate Casablanca's story, themes, script, and acting, this definitive two-disc set raises a veil from the image, uncovering a heretofore unseen brilliance and depth that allows one to look at the film in a whole new way. The silky smooth presentation will surely provoke several jaw-dropping "wows," but the best news of all is that this impeccable transfer makes losing oneself in the magic of Casablanca easier than ever before.
Great films start with great scripts, and Casablanca is no exception. Its screenplay may not be perfect, but it comes darn close. The old adage about too many cooks spoiling the broth doesn't apply here, as at least half a dozen writers made notable contributions to its screenplay. The story of cynical café owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), lost love
Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), freedom-fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), and those pesky letters of transit, all set against the exotic locale of refugee-ridden Casablanca at the height of World War II, may not seem all that special at first glance. But when trimmed with bright dialogue, layers of conflicting emotions and the urgency of global crisis, it suddenly adopts a more appealing and substantive slant. A generous sprinkling of humor relieves tension and humanizes the characters, while at the same time providing Casablanca with more quotable lines per capita than any other film in history.
Of course, what would Casablanca be without Bogart and Bergman? Both act with a naturalness and sincerity that's still effective, underplaying whenever possible and never veering off into campy histrionics. After all these years, their intense chemistry hasn't waned, and despite their legendary status, it's still possible to divorce their personas from their parts. One of the wonderful things about Casablanca is that no matter how many times we've seen it, we always feel like we're watching Rick and Ilsa and not Bogart and Bergman—a rare example of how the right roles can outshine even the most recognizable actors.
The peerless supporting cast also earns hearty praise, and adds immense color and texture to the action. Without
Claude Rains (who nearly steals the film with his sardonic wit), Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, S.Z.
Sakall, Dooley Wilson, and a host of other accomplished players, Casablanca would sacrifice a sizeable portion of its entertainment value. All create memorable characters and maximize their limited screen time. In the same vein, director Michael Curtiz, one of Warner Bros' tireless workhorses, masterfully paces the film, packing chunks of vital information into brief, seemingly incidental scenes. Through quick vignettes and reaction shots he also conveys both emotion and atmosphere, setting the stage for and enhancing the intimate drama of Rick, Ilsa, and Victor. Subplots abound, but Curtiz' tight, economical style interweaves them without wasting film or breaking the primary story's mesmerizing spell.
Ultimately, though, the movie's underlying themes tie its artistic elements together, and thus create an unforgettable film. Far more than a romantic wartime melodrama, Casablanca integrates potent ideas into its framework that subtly heighten the already emotional material. Issues of redemption, self-sacrifice, duty, the rediscovery of personal and political ideals all swirl about the story, hammering home the point that "the problems of three little people don't
amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." Few films of the period possessed the courage to put forth such a viewpoint, and it resonated—and still resonates—with audiences worldwide. Which is just one small reason why
Casablanca will never go out of style.

Here's looking at you, kid.
Rating for Style: A+
Rating for Substance: A+
One
Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio yes
Anamorphic no
Image Transfer Review: On the HD DVD of Good Night, and Good Luck.
, we saw just how marvelous black and white photography could look in HD; it's not just Technicolor extravaganzas that benefit. But the question was still open: would old black and white movies benefit as well? With the release of Casablanca the result is an emphatic yes, indeed. For the most part, the picture is highly detailed, sharp and crisp, with a vivid presence that leaps off the screen and an amazing greyscale range. Of course, the shabby process photography and the shoddy stock footage still look terrible, and the contrast with the beautiful principal photography is quite notable. As soon as the opticals for the title sequence are over, the map of Africa springs forth with beautiful detail. There are plenty of little tidbits visible in HD that one well might miss in standard definition. For example, although Ferrari and Rick both wear white suits, we can see in HD that Ferrari's is a rumpled, coarser weave than Rick's crisp and fine weave suit. There are also subtle focus emphases that are a little surprising. For instance, in HD we can see that when Ugarte and Rick are in a two-shot together, the focus is definitely on Lorre and Bogart is ever so slightly out of focus. We also see the fine detail on the set and costumery, such as the elaborate embroidery on Renault's hat and uniform that emphasizes his massive ego. The luminescent photography of Bergman is virtually heart-breaking, especially in her shadowy and tear-filled confrontations with Bogey. The source print is beautifully restored, and the result in HD is a revelation. Yes, indeed, 60-year-old black-and-white can very much benefit from an HD transfer. The one drawback is some mild (and completely unnecessary) edge enhancement visible in a few sequences. But I've seen 35mm projections of this movie that don't look anywhere near this good.
Image Transfer Grade: A
Language Remote Access
Mono English, French, Spanish yes
Audio Transfer Review: While the mono audio has been cleaned up substantially, there isn't a lot of fidelity that can be pulled out of the original recordings. Max Steiner's score is a little on the tinny side and range is rather limited.
Dialogue is clear throughout, and hiss is only audible when one really listens hard for it. Noise, crackle and pops are nonexistent, as was the case on the standard release. Although the standard special edition lacked a Spanish language track, should you desire one the HD DVD provides it.
Audio Transfer Grade: B
Animated menu
Scene Access with 32 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, French, Spanish with remote access
2 Original Trailer(s)
3 Other Trailer(s) featuring The Adventures of Robin Hood , Yankee Doodle Dandy , The Treasure of the Sierra
Madre
2 Deleted Scenes
Production Notes
2 Documentaries
1 Featurette(s)
2 Feature/Episode commentaries by film critic Roger Ebert, film historian Rudy Behlmer
Packaging: Elite
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual
Extra Extras:
1.
Introduction by Lauren Bacall
2.
A Great Cast Is Worth Repeating essay
3.
Awards listing; Cast and crew listing

4.
Outtakes
5.
Screen Guild Theater radio show (1943)
Television adaptation, Who Holds Tomorrow? (1955)
Carrotblanca cartoon (1995)
Audio sessions and alternate audio takes
Extras Review: The extras are identical with those on the two-disc special edition. None are presented in high definition, though upconversion is permitted.
The mark of a true special edition lies not in the quantity of extras but in the quality of extras, and Warner honors both Casablanca and film history aficionados with a top-notch array of rare and fascinating material. Almost every option on the disc is well worth exploring.
Plenty of legends and myths surround the production of Casablanca (such as the original casting of Ronald Reagan as Rick), and two audio commentaries help to set the record straight. Both film critic Roger Ebert and historian Rudy
Behlmer provide a constant string of interesting facts, trivia and perspective with surprisingly little overlap. Of the two tracks, Ebert's is more compelling. His animated scene-specific discussion analyzes both on-screen elements—the carefully constructed lighting, intricate shadow placement, positioning of actors, and finer points of cinematography— and the day-to-day production process. Along the way, he tosses in such tidbits as Bergman's height advantage over
Bogart and how the film disguises it, the significance of several throwaway lines, the origin of "Here's looking at you,
kid," and the historical inaccuracy of the letters of transit. He dissects various sequences, touches upon censorship issues and notes the very early anti-Nazi leanings of the Warner Bros studio. He also points out a glaring continuity error that I never noticed (and won't divulge) and calls the competitive singing of Watch on the Rhine and La
Marseillaise "one of the great dramatic, emotional scenes in motion picture history." He concludes his comments with his personal definition of a classic film—a wonderful viewpoint I intend to adopt.
Behlmer, long regarded as the classic era's foremost Warner Bros authority, takes us inside the studio and into the production's many nooks and crannies. Mostly non-scene-specific and delivered in a nuts-and-bolts, just-the-factsm'am style, the track offers extensive background on Everybody Comes to Rick's, the original play upon which
Casablanca was based, as well as more thorough examinations of cast and crew careers. Behlmer quotes extensively from interoffice studio memos (a commentary highlight), discusses how a parade of uncredited writers beefed up and refined the screenplay, and mentions how various war restrictions affected shooting. A bit dry at times and featuring a few annoying gaps, the track still relays a wealth of information that only enhances our appreciation for this legendary film.
An informative essay for film history novices, A Great Cast is Worth Repeating examines how the stars of Casablanca were frequently teamed in previous and subsequent films in a variety of combinations, thanks to their long-term
Warner contracts. Only Ingrid Bergman, who appeared in Casablanca via loan-out from producer David O. Selznick, managed to escape the recombinant pairings.
The Children Remember is a brand new seven-minute featurette in which Stephen Bogart and Bergman's oldest daughter Pia Lindstrom discuss the film's mystique and how their parents reacted to Casablanca's tremendous audience response. Both relate a few production stories and marvel at how a "throwaway" melodrama became a timeless classic.
Of special note to Casablanca fans is the inclusion of two additional scenes, both restored to the same lustrous vibrancy as the film itself. Sadly, the accompanying audio no longer exists, but subtitles taken from the screenplay run beneath the images instead—a clever substitution. The first scene shows Rick visiting Laszlo in jail and offering to sell him the letters of transit for 100,000 francs. In the second, a German officer gulps a kamikaze cocktail mixed by bartender Sascha (Leonid Kinskey) and passes out on the spot.
Six minutes of silent outtakes are more difficult to follow, and interesting only from a production standpoint. Seeing the material is a treat, but the lack of audio hampers our understanding of the flubs and technical gaffes that ruined the various shots. Scoring Sessions features eight audio tracks of both alternate and final takes of such Dooley Wilson numbers as Knock On Wood, As Time Goes By and the recently discovered Dat's What Noah Done, as well as Max
Steiner instrumentals.
Bacall on Bogart, a 1988 PBS tribute, is the best kind of Hollywood documentary—heavy on the film clips, with a sharp focus on Bogart's acting and professional contributions. Hosted with charming wit and sincerity by Lauren
Bacall, this substantive 83-minute film chronicles Bogie's quarter century in Hollywood and inspires renewed appreciation for his immense talent. Featuring extensive sequences on The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big
Sleep and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, among many other classics, this worthwhile film is also enhanced by family home movies and a brief look at Bogart's resistance to McCarthyism.
A holdover from MGM's original Casablanca DVD, You Must Remember This—A Tribute to Casablanca is a 35minute 1992 documentary narrated by Lauren Bacall that chronicles every aspect of the film's production—the evolution of the screenplay, the use of As Time Goes By, casting, censorship issues and the eleventh hour creation of the film's ending. Screenwriters Julius Epstein and Howard Koch, original playwright Murray Burnett, historians Rudy
Behlmer and Ronald Haver, composer Henry Mancini and Bergman's daughter Pia Lindstrom, among others, offer wonderful insights and anecdotes. Also of note, the Casablanca clips used in the documentary show the night-andday difference in image quality between the film's previous prints and the current digital restoration.
Rarely did all of a film's stars re-create their roles for a radio rehash, but Bogart, Bergman and Henreid nevertheless joined forces for an April 26, 1943 broadcast reunion. The Screen Guild Players version of Casablanca trims the story down to a lean 22 minutes (!), but the trio of actors tries their best to weave a romantic, emotional mood despite the truncated story. Intermittent coughing from the studio audience lends the broadcast an interesting theatrical feel.
Who Holds Tomorrow? is an 18-minute excerpt from the premiere episode of a 10-week Casablanca television series aired by ABC-TV in 1955. A wooden Charles McGraw stars as Rick in a new, updated story transpiring in the familiar Café Americain. Acting across the board is stilted and stiff, with Gig Young's introduction to the episode and a dated GE iron commercial offering more entertainment value than the show itself. A few incidents of dropout and

distortion mar the audio presentation, but the video quality is surprisingly crisp and clean.
On the lighter side, the 1995 Warner cartoon Carrotblanca mercilessly spoofs the film with a gallery of Looney Tunes characters. Daffy Duck, as Sam, sings a hilariously violent Knock on Wood, Bugs Bunny makes an appropriately suave
Rick, but Tweety Bird steals the show with his dead-on impersonation of Peter Lorre's Ugarte. Bright, vivid colors and a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track really light up this fun diversion.
Finally, hardcore film and Casablanca buffs will devour the Production Research section, which offers tremendous insight into the film's production and the inner workings of the studio system during Hollywood's Golden Age. Through the duplication of 40 documents (most inter-office memos), we learn about the film's shooting schedule and production delays, see original cutting notes and press releases (including one transitioning Bogart from tough-guy villain to romantic lead), and absorb several fascinating tidbits, such as the brief consideration of both Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne for the role of a female "Sam." Memo highlights include studio chief Jack Warner grousing about excessive takes and film waste, and producer Hal Wallis chiding the crew for various mistakes and prodding director
Michael Curtiz to adhere to a firmer schedule. Fifty black & white production stills, including shots of sets and exteriors, publicity photos and poster art, enhance the documentation.
A cast and crew listing (but strangely no bios), an awards listing, and trailers for both Casablanca and three other
Warner classics comprise the remaining extras.
Extras Grade: A
As time goes by, Casablanca only gets better. At last, this beloved classic has received the opulent special edition treatment it so richly deserves, and Warner has pulled out all the stops, bringing all of the materials on the definitive two-disc release to the HD DVD. The exceptional digitally restored transfer and treasure chest of absorbing extras give the term "movie heaven" new meaning. Without question, this superior HD DVD package demands a spot in every film fan's personal library and earns the highest possible recommendation.
ONE: EXPOSITION.
Refugees from the German occupation in World War II have streamed into Casablanca, Morocco, still part of unoccupied France. After Paris fell to the Nazis in June, 1940, refugees sought to escape by making their way to Casablanca. From there they could get a visa to get to Lisbon, Portugal, and from there passage to America.
1) The phrase “Round up all suspicious characters” becomes “Round up the usual suspects,” one of the great lines in cinema history listen for it later in the film.
2) Notice the young couple who observe the man being shot down. They will play an important role in the film later.
TWO: Rick’s Cafe Americain
We are introduced to Major Strasser, the Nazi commander, and the police inspector, Renault, who works for the Nazi installed Vichy Government. Renault’s job is to walk a tightrope between his patriotic feelings for Occupied France and his need to perform a nasty job for the Nazis. The time is
December, 1941.
3) Note how the director, Michael Curtiz, introduces Humphrey Bogart. CU of a check he okays, then camera up to show Rick. There he is, portraying the jaded, embittered, lonely, cynical tough guy who never gives away his feelings. Larger than life that’s Bogart’s character. The anti hero as hero.
We see Rick in the scene with Ugarte (Peter Lorre). Is Rick cynical, unmoved by human conflicts?
Or is he a rank sentimentalist? NOTE: He does hide the letters from Ugarte. More exposition as
Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet) comes in and offers to buy Rick’s club. Ferrari is involved in the human trade that is, getting people out of Casablanca. He wants Rick to join him so that both can make lots of money. Rick isn’t interested. Rick’s interaction with the woman who is angry that he has “dropped her” suggests that he is NOT interested in a permanent love relationship with a woman. Because she violates his “ethic” of relationships, she has to be escorted out.
4) The scene between Renault and Rick outside the cafe provides visual information that Rick is NOT exactly as cold and detached as he comes across. Shot selection helps you see that he has given some thought about getting out of Casablanca and that there is some mystery about his past.
Back inside the club, Renault keeps up the pressure on Rick is Rick perhaps more committed to the cause of freedom than he lets on? We can’t be sure. Ugarte is trapped. He appeals to Rick for

help but there is no way out. Ugarte is carried off. The Nazis have made their point. Rick concludes, “I stick my neck out for nobody.”
THREE. THE ENCOUNTER.
5) Into the cafe walks Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). Who is she? Victor Laszlo’s wife. [But Rick doesn’t know this yet.] Laszlo is the great hero of the underground, leader of the Free French. Note the reaction shot of Sam, the pianist. We know there is more here than meets the eye.
6) Note the thunderstruck look on Ilsa’s face when she finds out that she is in Rick’s bar she MUST know Rick. After her husband goes to confer with a confederate, notice the looks on her face
(editing).
7) When Sam comes over to see Ilsa, we start with Sam’s point of view, but when he delivers the key line “Leave him alone, you’re bad luck to him,” we get it from her point of view. We see the pain on his face. Then we get the reverse angle CU of Ilsa she can’t let up. Watch her face.
What is she thinking as this scene progresses?
8) Rick comes in, angry, and notice the CUT when Sam nods toward Ilsa, then we see Ilsa in a CU what a LOOK! then cut to Rick -what a look of pain and introspection. What’s going on here?
9) Rick formally meets Victor Laszlo and Ilsa note the comparison of medium shots of the two men the TWO MEN IN ILSA’S LIFE Then as they engage in dialogue, notice how they are again
SEPARATED through the editing so that their words BITE. Watch the reaction shots of these two characters in this scene.
FOUR. RICK HITS BOTTOM.
10) Powerful transition to next scene Rick alone at a table in the bar. Dark Night of the Soul time. Watch the frustration mount in his face. Something is really bothering him.
11) Transition to flashback. Note that flashbacks usually begin with camera on the character (in the present) who experiences the flashback and end when the camera returns to the character in the present. Notice that when she comes into the cafe on the day the Germans enter Paris, something is wrong with her expression. Something is on her mind. Why is she being so evasive?
12) When they kiss in the scene, note the cut to her accidentally knocking over the wine glass. This is a visual metaphor for the “accident of fate” that will separate them.
13) Of course, bad things happen in the rain. So Rick is stuck in the rain at the train station and the shot of him standing on the train and looking out symbolizes the pain and sense of betrayal he is feeling.
14) Return to the present. Note how Ilsa’s entrance is set up with the door in the background of the frame--when she enters she is bathed in light. She wears white. Visual metaphor: purity, innocence. When Ilsa walks in, note the cuts to two CU’s of them. Now comes the confrontation.
NOTE: She is in the light, he is in the dark. This reinforces her purity and honesty. Meanwhile, he is shrouded in a darkness of suspicion, anger, etc. He SHOULD listen to her. But of course he can’t. The deeper they go into their feelings, they begin to appear in CU’s. When Rick begins to accuse her, note the shadow on her face. Can we trust her? The scene ends with Rick, his head down, filled with self pity.
FIVE. THE MISSING LETTERS OF TRANSIT
Major Strasser plans to have Rick’s club searched so that he can find the missing letters of transit.
Of course, if Laszlo gets one of the letters, he can escape Casablanca. He interviews Laszlo and asks him to identify all of the Underground leaders. Laszlo refuses, of course. So Laszlo and Ilsa plan to visit Mr. Ferrari at the Blue Parrot club to see if he can help them get visas to get out of
Casablanca. Before they arrive, we see Rick talk to Ferrari. Ferrari wants Rick to work with him and make money by selling visas on the black market. Rick isn’t interested in simply making lots of money. He sees Ilsa outside and stops to talk to her. Now that he is sober, he expects her to tell him why she walked out on him back in Paris. But she has seen a dark side of the man she did not see back in Paris in 1940.
15) Note how the two shot of Rick and Ilsa emphasizes Ilsa (either on the right of the frame or from
Rick’s point of view). She recalls the look of hatred he gave her the night before. She tells him the old Rick she knew in Paris no longer exists. We see Rick alone in the frame only when he says that he expects she will “walk up a flight” and see him because she won’t be able to stay away from him.

Laszlo and Ilsa talk to Ferrari, but he can only promise one visa not two. Laszlo refuses to be separated from Ilsa. Then Ferrari tells Victor to ask Rick about the missing letters of transit.
SIX. SENTIMENTALIST RICK
Back at the Cafe Americain, Renault asks Rick if he has the letters of transit. Obviously, the search by the police didn’t turn them up. Remember: they were hidden in the piano. A former lover, the one Rick sent home in a cab, comes into the club on the arm of a German officer. He gets into a fight at the bar with a French soldier. Rick breaks up the fight. Major Strasser, who watches this, is concerned that things are not sufficiently under control.
Then the young woman who we have seen with her husband trying to get visas to get out of
Casablanca talks to Rick and asks for help. Apparently she has been bribed by Renault if she has sex with Renault he will get her the necessary visas.
As she tells her story, Rick looks at her as if she is just another person trying to achieve an impossible dream. Then she begins talking about her desire to help her husband, even if it means that she will have to do something morally repugnant. When the woman says, “If someone loved you very much, so that your happiness was the only thing that she wanted in the world, and she did a bad thing to make certain of it, could you forgive her? “ Rick says, “Nobody ever loved me that much.” We know that isn’t true. Ilsa loved him that much.
16) At this point, watch Bogart’s reaction shots. He is clearly in pain and shows it. He gets rid of the woman, but we know she has gotten through to him.
Laszlo and Ilsa come in, and Rick seats them. Then he sets up a surprise for the young woman who talked to him. Rick goes into the casino and “arranges” for the husband of the young Bulgarian woman to win money at the roulette wheel--enough money to buy two exit visas.
17) As the scene unfolds, note the reaction shots of the woman, the old waiter, Renault, all juxtaposed with CU’s of the roulette wheel. The reward for Rick she embraces him, the old waiter looks at him lovingly, and the bartender Sasha kisses Rick. Note that Renault comes up at the end and announces, “As I suspected, you’re a rank sentimentalist.” Renault is not too happy with Rick, since he had expected to have had sexual intercourse with the Bulgarian woman (his bribe for giving her two exit visas)--but he forgives Rick for this indiscretion.
SEVEN: PATRIOTISM WINS OUT.
Laszlo talks to Rick alone about getting the two letters of transit. He even offers a big bribe.
Finally, Rick says, “I suggest you ask your wife.” Before Laszlo can respond, the two hear the
Germans downstairs singing their national anthem. Rick and Laszlo go down, and Victor asks the band to play the French National Anthem, “La Marseillaise.” NOTE: One look from Rick to the bandleader, and they begin to play it. Now both parties sing their respective anthems. Finally, the
Germans are drowned out.
18) In the scenes of the singing, notice the long shots that show the many patriotic people, Victor in context with them, then Victor alone in the frame, then his wife watching him adoringly (impressed by his leadership), and even the ex-lover of Rick, who commits herself to the Free French cause by singing loudly. We could call this scene the “dueling anthems scene” (after the “dueling banjos scene in Deliverance). Of course, Major Strasser is enraged after being humiliated. So he orders
Renault to shut down the club. Major Strasser even extends an offer to Ilsa. He tells her he will guarantee their safe passage to Occupied France. She scoffs at the offer.
EIGHT. RICK AND ILSA
In their hotel room later, Victor tells Ilsa he must leave for a meeting of the Underground leaders.
He tells her Rick said, “Ask your wife” about the missing letters of transit. She is devastated. Victor sits next to her. He suspects, of course, that she had a love affair with Rick. He also tells her that he has forgiven her. He tells her he will understand if she goes away with Rick--he would rather have her safe with another man she loves rather than living a life of terror running from the
Germans with Victor--and perhaps ending up dead.
Back at the club, Rick is talking with Carl, the waiter, who is a member of the Underground. Carl leaves for the meeting, and Rick is closing up. Back in his room he finds Ilsa waiting for him. She pleads with him to give her the letters. He says no. She pulls a gun on him. He says go ahead and shoot.
19. Note the medium shots and CU’s that fuel this scene. Parallel editing is used to compare their reactions, to provide insight into their feelings. Of course, when she makes the decision not to shoot, she is in CU. Then we break away to a medium shot of Rick, but when he goes over to her, they embrace, and suddenly we are in CU range again.

Later, after a scene that was not filmed because of the rigors of the Production Code (which censored motion pictures)--a scene which we have to imagine--that of Rick and Ilsa having sexual intercourse, the two sit on the sofa next to each other. She tells him her story. We realize that on the last day they were together in Paris, she knew her husband Victor was still alive.
20) Again, each shot is a closeup of either Rick or Ilsa as they share this intimate story. After we establish a medium shot of the two on the sofa, and she turns to him and says, “I can’t fight it anymore,” we get a CU of both in the frame at once as she delivers the key line: “Oh, I don’t know what’s right any longer.” Her head is on his shoulder. We can see him react to that line. What is he thinking? Then she says, “You’ll have to think for both of us, for all of us.” As the shot continues, watch his face for the key expression. He concludes, “Yes, I will.”
NINE. RICK DECIDES.
Later in the club, Victor, who has been slightly wounded, returns with Carl. Rick asks Carl to take
Ilsa back to her hotel. Rick and Victor talk alone for the second time.
21) Note the technique of reverse angle shots to focus our attention on a particular character. In the scene Victor tells Rick he knows Rick and Ilsa are in love. When Victor asks Rick to use one of the letters to get Ilsa out of Casablanca, Rick asks, “You love her that much?” [Remember that Rick told the young Bulgarian woman, “No one has ever loved me that much."] They are interrupted when Renault comes in and arrests Victor. Note that last reaction shot of Rick when they leave. He has said, “It seems that destiny has taken a hand.” Is he smug, gloating, mean spirited here?
But the next morning Rick is right at Renault’s desk appealing to him to release Victor. Rick then drops a bombshell: he’s using the two letters to get Ilsa and himself out of Casablanca. Renault doesn’t trust him. Then Rick says he will deliver Victor over to him tonight for a major offense possessing the letters of transit. This appeal to Renault’s vanity works. Renault agrees to let Rick speak to Victor for a few minutes.
Rick then goes to Ferrari at the Blue Parrot and arranges the sale of the Cafe Americain. He makes sure that Ferrari won’t fire any of the old hands, and he insures that Sam, his old friend from days in
Paris, will get 25% of the profits. Back at Rick’s, Renault shows up one-half hour before the last plane is to leave for Lisbon. He hides, and then Victor and Ilsa arrive. Ilsa thinks Rick and she are leaving on the plane. Rick simply says, “Please trust me.” Inside, Rick puts the letters in Victor’s hands and Renault comes out and arrests Victor. But before Renault can turn around, Rick pulls a gun on him. “Nobody’s going to be arrested.” Rick tells him to call the airport and alert them to their arrival. But Renault calls Major Strasser’s office instead. Of course, Major Strasser doesn’t know what this means but he calls for a car immediately and heads for the airport. He also orders a squad of police to meet him at the airport.
TEN. THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP
The famous airport scene. The entire scene was filmed in a sound stage. The airplane was a plywood two-dimensional mockup of an American. The government would not allow a real plane to be used--after all, we were at war and every airplane counted. In order to provide appropriate perspective, the producer employed dwarfs to portray the mechanics.
22) Rick springs his plot: the two letters are for Victor and Ilsa. She is shocked. Then he faces her in a two-shot, tightly framed, that allows us to follow them evenly. Then the director cuts to a point of view shot (from Rick) that emphasizes her disbelief and refusal to accept this action. Then a reverse angle (her point of view) to show Rick’s face as he delivers the famous, “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.”
23) Then another reverse angle. Then a reverse angle back to him. Finally, as the words sink in, notice the CU of Ilsa, tears in her eyes, and a look of destiny on her face. Then her point of view to show him saying, “Here’s looking at you, kid.” Reaction shot Ilsa. Reaction shot Rick.
Then Rick completes the unfinished business, by lying to Victor about his love affair with Ilsa. Both men know this is a lie, but it’s another example of Rick as a real man--someone with sentiment.
When it’s time to leave, NOTE first the two shot of Ilsa and Victor, then CU Of Ilsa, then CU of
Rick.
Rick and Renault are alone after Rick shoots Major Strasser, who arrives too late to stop Victor.
Note the critical moment when the police arrive, and a look goes between Renault and Rick and
Renault tells them, “Round up the usual suspects.” Now Renault has to escape himself. Renault tells him, “Well, Rick, you’re not only a sentimentalist, but you’ve become a patriot.” Rick says, “It seemed like a good time to start.” They watch the plane fly off from their point of view. They walk off, the camera lets them walk by, then raises (crane shot) to show them walking away from the camera; both are small in the midst of the fog and runway lights as Rick says, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~ryahnke/filmteach/x-casa2.htm
Summary written by Robert E. Yahnke
Copyright, Robert E. Yahnke, 2001
Professor, General College, Univ. of Minnesota
Reprinted by permission of the author for educational use only
Posted by Michael L Umphrey on 11/04 at 10:11 PM
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