Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Casablanca is not one movie, Umberto Eco once quipped, it is movies. Released in 1942, it won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, and it featured unforgettable performances by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and a deep supporting cast. Film historian Noah Isenberg s We ll Always Have Casablanca offers a rich account of the film s origins, the myths and realities behind its production, and the reasons it remains so revered today. Through extensive research and interviews with filmmakers, relatives of the original cast and crew, and fans, Isenberg explores the transformation of the unproduced stage play into the classic screenplay; the casting decisions and the indispensable role that refugees from Hitler s Europe played in making the film; the impact of the Production Code censors and the war; and the ways the film continues to dazzle audiences and saturate popular culture seventy-five years after its release. "
Synopsis
Casablanca was first released in 1942, just two weeks after the city of Casablanca itself surrendered to American troops led by General Patton. Featuring a pitch-perfect screenplay, a classic soundtrack, and unforgettable performances by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and a deep supporting cast, Casablanca was hailed in the New York Times as a picture that makes the spine tingle and the heart take a leap. The film won Oscars for best picture, best director, and best screenplay, and would go on to enjoy more revival screenings than any other movie in history. It became so firmly ensconced in the cultural imagination that, as Umberto Eco once said, Casablanca is not one movie; it is movies.
We ll Always Have Casablanca is celebrated film historian Noah Isenberg s rich account of this most beloved movie s origins. Through extensive research and interviews with filmmakers, film critics, family members of the cast and crew, and diehard fans, Isenberg reveals the myths and realities behind Casablanca s production, exploring the transformation of the unproduced stage play into the classic screenplay, the controversial casting decisions, the battles with Production Code censors, and the effect of the war s progress on the movie s reception. Isenberg particularly focuses on the central role refugees from Hitler s Europe played in the production (nearly all of the actors and actresses cast in Casablanca were immigrants).
Finally, Isenberg turns to Casablanca s long afterlife and the reasons it remains so revered. From the Marx Brothers 1946 spoof hit, A Night in Casablanca, to loving parodies in New Yorker cartoons, Saturday Night Live skits, and Simpsons episodes, Isenberg delves into the ways the movie has lodged itself in the American psyche.
Filled with fresh insights into Casablanca s creation, production, and legacy, We ll Always Have Casablanca is a magnificent account of what made the movie so popular and why it continues to dazzle audiences seventy-five years after its release.
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Synopsis
For the 75th anniversary of its premiere--the incredible story of how Casablanca was made and why it remains the most beloved of Hollywood films.
Casablanca was first released in 1942, just two weeks after the city of Casablanca itself surrendered to American troops led by General Patton. Featuring a pitch-perfect screenplay, a classic soundtrack, and unforgettable performances by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and a deep supporting cast, Casablanca was hailed in the New York Times as "a picture that makes the spine tingle and the heart take a leap." The film won Oscars for best picture, best director, and best screenplay, and would go on to enjoy more revival screenings than any other movie in history. It became so firmly ensconced in the cultural imagination that, as Umberto Eco once said, Casablanca is "not one movie; it is 'movies.' "
We'll Always Have Casablanca is celebrated film historian Noah Isenberg's rich account of this most beloved movie's origins. Through extensive research and interviews with filmmakers, film critics, family members of the cast and crew, and diehard fans, Isenberg reveals the myths and realities behind Casablanca's production, exploring the transformation of the unproduced stage play into the classic screenplay, the controversial casting decisions, the battles with Production Code censors, and the effect of the war's progress on the movie's reception. Isenberg particularly focuses on the central role refugees from Hitler's Europe played in the production (nearly all of the actors and actresses cast in Casablanca were immigrants).
Finally, Isenberg turns to Casablanca's long afterlife and the reasons it remains so revered. From the Marx Brothers' 1946 spoof hit, A Night in Casablanca, to loving parodies in New Yorker cartoons, Saturday Night Live skits, and Simpsons episodes, Isenberg delves into the ways the movie has lodged itself in the American psyche.
Filled with fresh insights into Casablanca's creation, production, and legacy, We'll Always Have Casablanca is a magnificent account of what made the movie so popular and why it continues to dazzle audiences seventy-five years after its release.