Casablanca Film noir

Europe 1939 BLOGS MAPS STATS STORE

Europe 1940

storyline In World War II Casablanca, Rick Blaine, exiled American and former freedom fighter, runs the most popular nightspot in town. The cynical lone wolf Blaine comes into the possession of two valuable letters of transit.

When Nazi Major Strasser arrives in Casablanca, the sycophantic police Captain Renault does what he can to please him, including detaining a Czechoslovak underground leader Victor Laszlo. Much to Rick's surprise, Lazslo arrives with Ilsa, Rick's one time love. Rick is very bitter towards Ilsa,

who ran out on him in Paris, but when he learns she had good reason to, they plan to run off together again using the letters of transit. Trivia The "Casablanca Hanger" at the Van Nuys Airport, built in 1928, was demolished in 2007.

- The influx into Hollywood of large numbers of European exiles fleeing the war helped the casting enormously. In fact, of all the featured players in the film who get screen credit, only three were born in the United States: Humphrey Bogart, Dooley Wilson and Joy Page.Humphrey BogartDooley WilsonJoy Page

-In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #3 Greatest Movie of All Time. -Michèle Morgan-Michèle Morgan asked for $55,000, but Hal B. Wallis refused to pay it when he could get Ingrid Bergman for $25,000.Hal B. WallisIngrid Bergman -The film cost approximately $950,000, some $100,000 over budget. -Madeleine Lebeau, who plays Yvonne, and Marcel Dalio, who plays croupier Emil, were husband and wife at the time of filming. They had not long before escaped the Nazis by fleeing their native France.Madeleine LebeauMarcel Dalio

-Given the extraordinary chemistry between the two leads, it's curious that Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman never appeared in another movie together, this being their one and only joint venture.Humphrey BogartIngrid Bergman -Humphrey Bogart had to wear platform shoes to play alongside Ingrid Bergman. The difference in height between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman changes throughout the film. This is because Bergman was actually a few inches taller than Bogart, though to create the illusion that it was vice versa, Michael Curtiz had Bogart stand onHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanMichael Curtiz

boxes and sit on pillows in some shots, or had Bergman slouch down (as evident when she sits on the couch in the "franc for your thoughts" scene). -Warner Brothers claimed that people of 34 nationalities worked on the film. -Dooley Wilson-Dooley Wilson was, in fact, the only member of the cast to have ever actually visited the city of Casablanca. -Rick's Cafe was one of the few original sets built for the film, the rest were all recycled from other Warner Brothers productions due to wartime restrictions on building supplies.

-A $100,000 insurance policy was taken out on the films leading player, Humphrey Bogart, in case he died during the film's production.Humphrey Bogart -When this film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Jack L. Warner was first on stage to accept the award, beating the film's actual producer, Hal B. Wallis, who was incensed at this slight and never forgave Warner. Wallis, at the time regarded as the "wunderkind" at the studio, left Warner Brothers shortly afterwards.Jack L. WarnerHal B. Wallis

-Director Michael Curtiz' Hungarian accent often caused confusion on the set. He asked a prop man for a "poodle" to appear in one scene. The prop man searched high and low for a poodle while the entire crew waited. He found one and presented it to Curtiz, who screamed "A poodle! A poodle of water!" See also The Charge of the Light Brigade(1936).Michael CurtizThe Charge of the Light Brigade -The letters of transit that motivate so many characters in the film did not exist in Vichy- controlled France - they are purely a plot device invented by the screenwriters.