World War II Morocco springs to life in Michael Curtiz's (THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY) classic love story. Colorful characters abound in Casablanca, a waiting room for Europeans trying to escape Hitler's war-torn Europe. Humphrey Bogart plays Richard "Rick" Blaine, a cynical but good-hearted American whose café is the gathering place for everyone from the French Police to the black market to the Nazis. When his long-lost love, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), surfaces in Casablanca with her Resistance leader husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), Rick is pulled into both a love triangle and a web of political intrigue. Ilsa and Victor need to escape from Casablanca, and Rick may be the only one who can help them. The question is, will he?
Top-notch performances include Claude Rains as the chief of the French police and the major authority figure in Unoccupied France, Peter Lorre as the doomed Senor Ugarte, Sydney Greenstreet as Senor Ferrari, and Dooley Wilson as Rick's loyal friend and the café's pianist, Sam. The mesmerizing musical score, by Max Steiner, along with the well-structured plot, flawless acting, and unforgettable dialogue makes this one of the best films of all time.
(15 votes)
2.
One of America's favorite films of all time. This classic romantic drama stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman with an excellent supporting cast in a story of love, war, betrayal and sacrifice.
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman light up the screen as Rick and Ilsa, former lovers briefly reunited in the chaos of war. He is a world-weary nightclub owner who "sticks his neck out for nobody" and she, a beautiful woman fleeing the Nazis with her Resistance-hero husband. Only Rick can help the pair escape...and only if Ilsa can reawaken the idealism she killed in him when she left him long ago.
(15 votes)
3.
"The best Hollywood movie of all time." -Leonard Maltin
Casablanca: easy to enter, but much harder to leave, especially if your name is on the Nazi's most-wanted list. Atop that list is Czech Resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henried), whose only hope is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical American who sticks his neck out for no one... especially Victor's wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the ex-lover who broke his heart. So when Ilsa offers herself in exchange for Laszlo's safe transport out of the country, the bitter Rick must decide what's more important - his own happiness or the countless lives that hang in the balance.
Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Casablanca is America's most popular and beloved movie - and rightly so" (The Motion Picture Guide)!
(15 votes)
4.
"Makes the spine tingle and the heart take a leap. Highly entertaining and even inspiring." -Bosley Crowther, The New York Times
Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Casablanca marks 60 years as a beloved favorite with a new digital transfer and so many bonuses that no matter how often you've seen it, this Deluxe 2-disc DVD looks like yet another beginning of a beautiful friendship with an unforgettable classic.
(15 votes)
5.
"Best Picture 1943"
The time: World War II. The place: Morocco. The film: Casablanca, perhaps the most legendary achievement in cinematic history. Suspenseful, gloriously romantic and filled with unforgettable dialog, this winner of three Oscars continues to top critics' lists of all-time favorite films, for as Roger Ebert so aptly put it: "Casablanca is the movie!"
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman light up the screen as Rick and Lisa, former lovers briefly reunited in the chaos of war. He is a world-weary nightclub owner who "sticks his neck out for nobody" and she, a beautiful woman fleeing the Nazis with her Resistance-hero husband. Only Rick can help the pair escape…and only if Lisa can reawaken the idealism she killed in him when she left him long ago. Bogie and Bergman are incomparable as the star-crossed lovers who'll "always have Paris" - and Casablanca is the quintessential, eminently quotable film you'll watch again and again " as time goes by."
Songs Include:
Medley: Main Title / Prologue
Medley (It Had To Be You / Shine)
Knock On Wood
Rick And Renault (The Very Thought Of You) [underscore]
Arrival Of Ilsa And Victor At Rick's (Love For Sale) [underscore]
Play It Sam… Play "As Time Goes By" (Avalon / As Time Goes By) [underscores]
Of All The Gin Joints In All The Towns In All The World..
Medley: Paris Montage
Medley: At La Belle Aurore
Ilsa Returns To Rick's
Medley (Die Wacht Am Rhein / La Marseillaise)
Ilsa Demands The Letters
Rick Confronts Ilsa And Laszlo
Airport Finale / Here's Looking At You, Kid
Medley (Shine / It Had To Be You)
Dat's What Noah Done
Knock On Wood
Medley (Ilsa Returns / As Time Goes By)
Medley (Laszlo / As Time Goes By)
As Time goes By
(15 votes)
6.
A truly perfect movie, the 1942 Casablanca still wows viewers today, and for good reason. Its unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war against a monster is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish. Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis; Ingrid Bergman is the lover who mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood films. This is certainly among the most spirited and ennobling movies ever made.--Tom Keogh
7.
This generously filled two-disc special edition presentation of Casablanca features the film itself in an impressively clean new digital transfer on the first disc, with hiss-free mono sound. It's prefaced by a rather pointless introduction from Lauren Bacall (it would surely be churlish to point out that Casablanca was made two years before Bacall met Bogart) and accompanied by two full-length and fact-packed audio commentaries, one from film critic Roger Ebert, who hardly pauses to take a breath, and the other from film historian Rudy Behlmer, who provides in-depth background detail.
The second disc features a plentiful collection of sundry archival features and more from Bacall, who hosts the two documentaries: You Must Remember This: The Making of Casablanca and a retrospective of Bogie's career, Bacall on Bogart. Of minor interest are two very short deleted scenes--Laszlo and Rick at the jail, and a German officer's pratfall--which in lieu of any surviving audio track have been subtitled from the original script; there's also five minutes of silent outtakes. An audio-only sample of Max Steiner's music-scoring sessions features Dooley Wilson singing "Knock on Wood" and "As Time Goes By". There are brief reminiscences from Stephen Bogart and Pia Lindstrom (son and daughter of Bogie and Ingrid Bergman, respectively); Bugs Bunny and pals in Carrotblanca; a curious 1955 Warner Bros TV version of the movie; audio excerpts from the "Screen Guild Players Radio Production" featuring the principal cast; plus the usual static galleries and other trivia. All in all, it's a valuable two-disc set that really does provide everything you always wanted to know about one of the most famous movies ever made. --Mark Walker
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