In the cinematic masterpiece, "Casablanca," Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, star as Rick, the expatriate saloon keeper, and Ilsa, his former lover who brought Rick to his knees when they met in Paris for a brief affair.
Bogart and Bergman lit up the screen as no couple has done before or since, (except Bogie and Bacall!) The film, directed by Michael Curtiz is considered one of the top films of all time. A wartime drama set against the back drop of mysterious Casablanca, where it was said, "easy to enter, hard to leave". In one of the scenes in Casablanca while sitting in Rick's Cafe, Louie the French Police Chief says to Ilsa who has just arrived in Casablanca, that "If I were a woman, I would be in love with Rick!"
Bergman, as Norwegian Ilsa Lund on the other hand was the definitive essence of sensuality. Sex poured from deep inside her and it was like a volcano erupting on the silver screen. Her Nordic accent complimented her understated beauty that was hard to escape. She was hot lava pouring down the mountainside devouring everything in it's path. Bogies wife at the time, Mayo Methut, sensed that the Bergman beauty was hard to ignore, and led her to believe that Bogie and Bergman were having a hot time under the bed sheets. Mayo would accuse him in his dressing room while he was prepping for the next scene and would leave the dressing room for the set in an absolute rage. Truth be told, Bergman spent her spare time on the set playing poker with the stagehands, and she and Bogie rarely spoke in later years. That might have been the Bacall factor that entered the scene. Bacall and Bergman, two beauteous titans of legend, and even Bacall in an interview said she could feel the heat from the performance in Casablanca of Rick and Ilsa. Speaking of Bergman heat, check her out in the dream sequence in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Spencer Tracy driving a team of horses with a whip, the horses pulling are a nude Bergman and Turner as dual pony girls hitched up and ready to be put in the stable wet.
The other stars include, Paul Henried as the hero on the lam, Victor Laslo, a freedom fighter from German occupied Europe whom the Nazi's would dearly love to catch as he escaped from Gestapo custody and has made a fool of German attempts to locate and neutralize him. Other cast members include the amazing Peter Lorre as Signor Uarte and the equally amazing Sydney Greenstreet as Signor Ferrari.
The Lorre character was a nefarious criminal who murdered the two German couriers for the sacred priceless documents of the letters of transit. He planned to auction off but the heat is on so he gives them to Rick to stash, which he does. The role once again has Lorre cast as a man who knew too much! Greenstreet is the perfect "top dog" bad guy, a role he developed when he appeared in The Maltese Falcon, another Bogart vehicle, and was the first time he was teamed with Peter Lorre. They made such a boffo impression on the movie going public they were cast again in Casablanca to reprise similar roles. Lorre had years of acting experience in Europe, especially in Hitchcock films before emigrating to America. Another roles he is famous for is in "The Beast with Five Fingers" and as the comedic plastic surgeon in Arsenic and Old Lace.
Now, those fun loving Nazi's. Conrad Veldt, or Major Strasser was the real deal as far as being German goes. He portrayed the inquisitive Nazi official and in real life had worked for the German underground against the Nazi regime. He found out the SS death squad were out to find him and murder him so had to escape Germany and made it to the United States. Dooley Wilson, who portrayed Sam the piano player, was actually a drummer and the piano playing was dubbed in. (Ok, why do drummers join bands? Because they want to be around real musicians! Old musician joke!)
..and then there was the French police chief, Louie Renault, portrayed by the incomparable Claude Rains who among other roles of note was the Invisible Man, later as Professor Challenger in the remake of The Lost World, a detective in They Made Me A Criminal with John Garfield, and again as a politician in Lawrence of Arabia. Now in Casablanca, he is the very visible Vichy man. Slyly catering to the goose-stepping Germans, he knows more about what is going on then he lets on, and has a tender spot for the eccentricities of Rick. One line he says to Ilsa and Victor, "Rick is a man that were I a woman, I should be in love with him!" As an interesting side note, Rains also starred in the film, "Notorious" with Bergman.
As for the signature song, "As Time Goes By" after the film was in the can, Max Steiner, the composer wanted a new song to replace it so he could collect royalties, however, at that point Berman had already cut her hair short for her next film, For Whom the Bells Toll so reshooting the scenes was out of the question. Steiner had however proven himself more of a capitalist than an artist!
The film opens when two letters of transit are stolen from two murdered German couriers. These letters were precious commodities, and could not me rescinded, but, the death of the couriers leads to an all out search for the perpetrators of the crime. The French Police issue the order of the day.."round up the usual suspects!" The usual suspects, as well as other adventurers usually ended up at Rick's Cafe, run by ex-pat Rick Blaine. The film ends with the ultimate sacrifice of love and the start "of a beautiful friendship."
The fateful ending of the film as we know it almost changed thanks to events on the world stage. The Allied Forces launched Operation Torch which was the invasion of North Africa to prepare the way to strike at the "soft underbelly of Europe" and bring down Hitler's nightmare regime and 1,000 year Reich! The film Casablanca was ready for release just as the "real" battle of Casablanca raged from November 8-16, 1942. It was the largest Naval Battle of the Mediterranean at the time, and involved German submarine wolf packs and Allied fire power. The allies won that round by the way.
Some of the studio honcho's wanted to reshoot and include the invasion sequence, but calmer heads prevailed, as it was not a war movie, but a love story within a war movie, or was it a war movie inside a love story? We'll have to round up the usual suspects to figure that one out. The film was untouched at that point and premiered in New York City on November 26.
Just who the hell are Rick and Ilsa, and why have they held our fascination for all these years? Rick came to Casablanca to escape his own past, and to try to escape the memory of a love affair that left him crushed. Yeah, that was Ilsa He was searching for a quieter life and escape in the Mediterranean, and wouldn't you know it, war came knocking at the door of Rick's Cafe! Rick's would soon become the center of a highly political escape plan, a rekindled romance from the past that would ignite with the fury of a forest fire, and a song that would forever define love in it's many forms and dimensions.
The flaming torch of passion for Rick and Ilsa was pre-war gay Paree. The pounding of two hearts in love was soon overshadowed by the stomping of Nazi boots and the roar of German tanks rolling down the center of Paris as the French forces surrendered to the highly mechanized German war machine. Rick and Ilsa parted company, she to join underground forces, although Rick was unaware, and he to escape the burning embers of love Ilsa had left smoldering in her wake. Enter now, Paul Laszlo, underground leader who also happens to fall in love with Ilsa, and vice versa, although, she keeps a piece of Rick inside her at all times.
Ilsa and Victor arrive in Casablanca, a neutral zone to obtain papers to escape the European continent as the German bloodhounds are hot on his trail. Arrest means certain death. They arrive in Casablanca, unaware that the bar they are in, Rick’s Cafe is owned by her former lover. Ilsa recognizes Sam the piano player from the old days in Paris, and asks Sam to play "that song" Sam feigns ignorance on which song it is, but Ilsa "refreshes" his memory and Sam reluctantly launches into "As Time Goes By" as the notes permeate the saloon, the song reaches the ears of Rick in the back room..he storms out to see Sam and says, "I thought I told you never to play that song?" It is then, Rick notices Ilsa and Victor sitting at the table. Old embers spark into flame, and Ilsa is torn by the passion of love from the past the political passions that mix with the emotion of love that Victor has ignited. Makes for an awkward, yet interesting physiological ménage a trois, non?
Later that night after visiting with the couple, and Louie, Rick has one of those reflective Frank Sinatra 3 o'clock in the wee smalls moment with a drink and a cigarette...pained at seeing Ilsa again..."Of all the bars and gin joints in the world, why did she have to walk into mine?"
Victor and Ilsa have to escape, and Rick has the letters of transit. He now holds the fate of the underground couple in his hands. Does he help the fugitive politico escape, taking along the love of his life? Or does Rick do nothing and keep them there so Victor can be taken out of the picture leaving Ilsa, alone, crushed and within striking distance of Rick’s heartstrings once again? Decisions, Decisions!
Three scenes jump off the screen with the power of Godzilla tromping Tokyo in it's atomic wrath! The flashback sequence of Rick and Ilsa in happier days before Hitler turned Paris from the hap hap happiest place in Europe, to the Nightmare on Nazi Elm Street! The other standout is the high noon quick draw showdown of patriotic music between two sworn enemies. German officers break into a guttural patriotic singing of Die Wacht Am Rhein, while the Free French at the bar, including Victor Laszlo counter with La Marseille as only loud and proud French can do. It's the battle of the bands, world war two style, and it's Led Zeppelin vs. AC/DC!!! In the end neither side wins a prize, but the sure as hell feel better about themselves.
As the war moves on, it's time for Ilsa and Victor to move on as well, and make good their getaway from Casablanca. They get the letters of transit and make for the airport. Rick has made the ultimate sacrifice by helping the love of his life by handing over the letters of transit to make good her escape with her husband, leaving Rick behind. Of course, Chief Louis Renault attempts to arrest Laszlo before he escapes, but Rick, forces Louis at gunpoint to help in the escape. Ilsa and Victor board the plane to Lisbon and Rick looks deep into Ilsa's Grand Canyon eyes and says, it would not be right for her to stay, and in time would regret it. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life." Ilsa takes the hint and boards the plane bound for freedom.
Col. Strasser who has caught wind of the escape attempt, arrives at the airport to thwart the plan. He however is the thwarted one, and in fact ends up as the dead one, as Rick shoots and kills him . As the Vichy police arrive on the scene of the shooting and escape, Louie covers for Rick, and tells him men "round up the usual suspects"
As Rick and Louie walk away into the fog at the airport, Louie suggests to Rick that they too, leave Casablanca, perhaps working for the Free French. Rick looks at Louie and says, "Louie, this is the start of a beautiful Friendship. The End - Roll Credits!
There was a radio version staring Alan Ladd and Hedy Lamarr, because at the time, Bogie and Bergman were overseas entertaining the troops. It has never been redone with other stars as it would be damned near impossible to create the honest fire Bogie and Bergman had on the silver screen. Passion burst into cinematic flame, politics exploded with patriotism, good versus evil, and cast of characters unmatched and unmatchable. Casablanca is one of kind, and every time I watch it I can imagine myself as Rick looking deep into Ilsa's eyes and soul, and all I can utter is a simple.."here's looking at you kid!"