num_pages: 336
description: 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. Well Always Have Casablanca is celebrated film historian Noah Isenbergs rich account of this most beloved movies 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 Casablancas 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 wars progress on the movies reception. Isenberg particularly focuses on the central role refugees from Hitlers Europe played in the production (nearly all of the actors and actresses cast in Casablanca were immigrants).Filled with fresh insights into Casablancas creation production and legacy Well 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.
language: English
title: We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Legend and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Film
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company