"Everybody comes to Rick's."

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2005)

"Casablanca" has been my favorite movie for the past thirty years, and each annual viewing further cements that standing. For me, it's the perfect film, with perfect characters, locales, action, romance and dialog. In fact, it is the most quoted movie ever, including a line that was never even uttered (Play it again, Sam).
It's hard to imagine that during the studio days of the 1940's, "Casablanca" was just one more movie being pumped out a week at a time by Warner Brothers. The story itself, based on a stage play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" went through continuous rewrites, even as filming was under way. Fortunately, the vision of a handful of gifted artists ultimately found it's way on screen, with a cast as colorful and star studded as any before or since. Even the music, composed for the film by Max Steiner is perfect, dominating the Paris flashback scenes of Rick and Ilsa's fleeting romance.
Now picture if you will, the original contenders for the three acting leads in the film; Dennis Morgan for Victo Laszlo, Ann Sheridan for Ilsa Lund, and George Raft or Ronald Reagan for the part of Rick Blaine. If that had actually occurred, the result may well have wound up in obscurity, but instead, Warner Brothers went out of their way to hire on Ingrid Bergman, on loan from David Selznick in return for Olivia DeHaviland. For the part of Victor Laszlo, Warner signed up Paul Henreid who was under contract to RKO Pictures. Coming off a successful on screen collaboration in "The Maltese Falcon", Humphrey Bogart as Rick was once again supported by Peter Lorre as the scheming Ugarte, and Sydney Greenstreet as the conniving owner of the rival gambling joint, "The Blue Parrot". Rounding out the major film credits, Conrad Veidt successfully sneers his way into Rick's world as Nazi General Major Strasser; and for sheer delight in a characterization, there's none to equal Claude Rains' portrayal of Prefect of Police Captain Reinault. Rick and Ilsa may have always had Paris, but Rick and Reinault have always had Casablanca.
The ultimate outcome of the film was not known during early film production in May of 1942. It was not until brothers Julius and Philip Epstein, brought in for their humorous wit, both got their inspiration in a single moment while driving down Sunset Boulevard - "Round up the usual suspects". Cleverly interjecting the elimination of the hated villain Strasser by the film's hero, the film successfully answers the question of who gets the girl. Ilsa, in love with one man but devoted to the cause of another, must resign herself to the fate entrusted to Rick the night before - "You have to think for both of us, for all of us".
Even world events conspired to help "Casablanca" achieve it's unparalleled success. Originally to be released in June 1943, Warner Brothers' dedication to the war effort was matched by the Allied landing in North Africa in November 1942, in Casablanca. Shortly after on Thanksgiving Day 1942, the film opened in New York following a wildly enthusiastic pre-screening. And in a well timed follow up, the general release date of January 23, 1943 coincided with a conference between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill in Casablanca.
"Casablanca" cemented Humphrey Bogart's reputation as a romantic leading man, and made Ingrid Bergman a very popular star. Though each would continue on in highly successful careers, they would not appear in another film together, and that's probably for the best. Both artists achieved their master work in "Casablanca", and how do you top a perfect?