Casablanca (1942) Movie Reaction | FIRST TIME WATCHING | * THIS IS STUNNING * | Film Commentary

[@HenryCabotHenhouse3]

Watch it again and notice that Lazlo is always in light, Strasse is in shadow, and Rick is half and half, either lit from one side or with Venetian blinds casting shadow stripes, etc. This is a visual representation of the morality of the various characters. The airport beacon is constantly sweeping the town as if a light seeking truth. Also, the couple at the very beginning looking with longing at the plane are the couple who win the money at the roulette table. Casablanca has so many little details that one gets new things out of it with each watching.

[@InvidiousProductions]

I have a feeling the bird in shadow is a nod to The Maltese Falcon. It came out the year before & starred Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre & Sydney Greenstreet.

[@chadtravis7832]

A script that ages like a fine wine. Classic.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

It truly does Chad! Very much a classic that I wish I'd seen before now. Thank you for watching!

[@dsmdgold]

Some historical context that would have been known to the original audience. After Germany occupied northern France a puppet government was installed in the town of Vichy. Vichy was famous for it's mineral springs springs, so much so much so that "Vichy Water" became the generic name for mineral water. The puppet government was headed by the World War I hero Marshall Philippe Petain. In the opening scenes it is Petain's portrait that the man fleeing the police is shot. The cross found on his papers is and on the ring Victor is shown in Rick's is the Cross of Lorraine, which was a symbol of the French Resistance. It wasn't a secret symbol but was used as graffiti and the like to make a public statement. As such it would be a symbol recognized by the original audience. Louis's throwing the Vichy Water in the trash is his moment of transition. He is no longer sitting on the sidelines, but has decided to join the fight.

[@stratiogesdux]

Superb detail. People in the 40's would recognize these references. I grew up in the 50's so WWII was still fresh and I understood them too. Today, most people barely know where France is.

[@leftcoaster67]

The part where Ilsa says "God Bless You.." you know damn well she meant I love you. And it kills me every time.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

That line tells us a lot more than that, as Lazslow is obviously a communist. It shows that Ilsa is not fully following the Bolshevik party line, unlike her husband. It is implied that all the main protagonists are one form of communist or other, as this was true of all resistance leaders during WWII.

[@etaoinbshrdlu]

@@annaclarafenyo8185 I do not see Lazslow as a communist. There were a lot of people who were not so inclined in Eastern Europe, even after the war. It mostly did not go well with them unless they escaped. There were French Resistance fighters who were not communist, but some of them were deliberately betrayed to the Germans by them.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

@@etaoinbshrdlu The resistance fighters who were "not communist" were "non-USSR socialists" like George Orwell, they would be ideologically similar to USSR socialists, but wary of the totalitarian party structure. All the resistance fighters were communists in comparison to a modern movie hero (or most modern persons), with no exceptions.

[@stevesullivan8705]

"God Bless You" was how she ended the note at the train station.

[@jnagarya519]

Sure -- after having kicked him in the balls in Paris -- and repeatedly doing so in Casablanca instead of finally providing Rick the explanation he deserved.

[@SteamboatW]

Marie LeBeau who played Yvonne was herself a refugee from france, and she was the last surviving actor from "Casablanca".

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Oh wow! I did NOT know that, thank you so much Steamboat! Yvonne was a quirky little character and Marie played it well. It's such a shame then that we have no surviving members of the cast, seeing as Marie passed in 2016... such a wonderful cast too

[@colinbaker3916]

I thought her name was Madeleine Lebeau.

[@SteamboatW]

@@colinbaker3916 Yes, it was Madeleine.

[@Hayseo]

In the scene where Rick says “it’s December 1941” and asks Sam what time is it? Is to remind the audience that this movie takes place before Pearl Harbor, and Americas entrance into the war. Also when Rick says, “I’ll bet they’re asleep in New York, I’ll bet they’re asleep all over America”, Is to remind the audience that Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack and America was asleep i.e. not paying attention to world affairs.

[@dalelatham2718]

At the beginning of the movie, you can see the date on the check Rick is writing and it's Dec. 1, 1941. Most people never notice that.

[@tenzinphil]

By December 1941, the Italians had been defeated in North Africa a fewweeks earlier, this is why the Italian police chief at the beginning of the movie is ignored and made to look like an idiot! So throughout 1942 Rommel raged across North Africa trying to do what the Italians did not do, but was defeated at El Alamein. Then he was forced into retreat right back across North Africa. Then just as this movie was about to be released Gen Patton invaded North Africa through Morocco. This was the US Army's first major engagement with the Germans and they booted Rommel out of North Africa altogether. So everyone in the US would have been aware of all this, but had little idea of the refugee trail to Casablanca. Thus the movie represents all the reasons for why the US was involved in the war. When the French National anthem was sung and drowned out the Germans it represented the voices of freedom loving people around the world!

[@IAMCAVE]

Americans did not want to be embroiled in another war. But the attack on Pearl galvanized the country to action.

[@757optim]

Rewatch the rigged roulette scene. You're suspicion of Ilsa was funny. While they can be lost on most contemporary audiences, the political realities portrayed in "Casablanca" were happening in real time in 1942.

[@lcassamas]

I’ve seen “Casablanca” in the theater many times, and when Victor Lazlo leads everyone in the cafe in singing “La Marseillaise” the audiences invariably break out into cheering and applause. It’s an even more amazing film to watch as part of an audience.

[@francoisevassy6614]

Thank you so much for your commenting this beloved movie, one of my top favourites. I am a French elder woman and I highly appreciated your remark about the beauty of our language ! When you discovered that the quotes you already knew came from this film, my heart was rejoicing. Actually, when I was in college - in France, college is from eleven to fifteen year old pupils - we had a cine-club every other week, and all my class had the same reaction as yours, but it was about a musical score and the movie was « The Third Man » (Carol Reed 1949, starring Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard and Orson Welles), one of the greatest movies ever, too : we all knew the music, but we didn’t know where it came from ! I recommend you to watch this movie, I promise you will enjoy it very very much ; and I would be glad if you told me you also knew its music. Thanks from France 🇫🇷

[@ChuckDrennen]

I like that your reaction to this movie was over an hour long. You gave this movie the time it deserved.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Thank you so much, I always like to give it the time it's very well deserved. Filmmaking is a process that really needs to be appreciated and like yourself, I love films! Plus, it gives you guys the time to enjoy it with me too.

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

The whole point of the movie is Rick Blaine's character arc, from "I stick my neck out for no one" to "It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world", i.e., tending to one's personal problems is less important than tending to the problems plaguing the world at large. This mirrors the arc of the United States at the time, going from an aggressively neutral country that regarded the war as " those people's problem", to becoming a major force in helping to fight tyranny and evil.

[@Dej24601]

Director Michael Curtiz ( pronounced cur-TEEZ) was known for his great use of shadows and chiaroscuro and action scenes. He was from Hungary and during this filming, he was trying to get family members out of German occupied lands. In addition to many cast members who were refugees from occupied countries or had family still in danger, many crew members were also from similar backgrounds. While filming, the Allies were not winning the war and there was a real worry that the Nazis might win. This increases the tension and worry everyone feels. Critic Roger Ebert has made a scene by scene commentary/analysis of this film which is very informative and entertaining and can be found on KZbin.

[@hollytooker507]

Thanks for this!

[@DelGuy03]

I think no other movie has spawned so many immortal quotations -- not even quotations really, because aside from "Play it again, Sam" (which you've noticed that nobody actually says intact), people will say "here's looking at you, kid" or "I am shocked, shocked I tell you" or "beginning of a beautiful friendship" without being aware they're quoting anything. In all our literature, maybe only Hamlet surpasses it in that respect.

[@susansokoloski2233]

Ingrid Bergman is one of the greatest actors of all time. She was already bigger than Humphrey Bogart at the time and is credited with being the first actress to make Bogey appear as a truly romantic lead (yes, that includes later films with Betty Bacall which benefited not only by their clandestine relationship, but by that image created by Ingrid's performance of adoring Rick...and Bogey's acting reflection of that adoration. Bogey was distant and inhappy throughout the filming. The performance and popularity made Bogey's already long but fairly unimpressive secondary character career to that point and launched him into true A movie leading character roles. There is so much more than you mentioned and I have here. Look deeper. It is a complex story worth knowing. The timing of the Casablanca filming and release was wildly coincidental to the Casablanca conference involving the 3 main Allied country leaders and came under investigation by US intelligence agencies...but all deemed the original story and later movie was truly coincidence with real life Allied events. I enjoyed this. Thanks for yourvreaction. I really appreciate astute younger folks finding enjoyment and history through these classic movies.

[@okay5045]

Ilsa was and still is madly in love wuth Rick but she deeply admired Victor. She had to have him decide what was best.

[@PerfectHandProductions]

This movie is fantastic, I absolutely love it. It's a genuine timeless classic.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

It certainly is! It's one of the greats. Thank you for watching, Perfect Hand!

[@walterlewis1526]

Vichy was the capital of "Free France" ruled by the fascist General Petain. Claude Rains throwing away the bottle (Vichy was known for their sparkling water) symbolized him joining the resistance.

[@jimglenn6972]

Actually, Free France was the name of the “government in exile” in London and later in Algiers. The part of France governed by Vichy was called, confusingly, the “Free Zone”. Metropolitan France was occupied by the Germans and the Italians but other parts were still “Free”, like the French Caribbean islands. There is a Bogart movie about that. Vichy was chosen because it was small but had lots of hotels for people to “take the waters” so the hotels were converted into government offices. At the start of the movie, a man runs from the police and is gunned down in front of a portrait of Marshal Petain who was the German puppet in Vichy.

[@hetmanjz]

As already pointed out, you're mixing up "Free France" with the so-called "Free Zone."

[@Bfdidc]

@@jimglenn6972 Petain had been the savior of France in WWI, only to serve the Germans in WWII.

[@TheAndroidBishop]

Wow thank you for explaining that. This shit confounded me my entire life

[@MsAppassionata]

Thanks to all of you for those little tidbits of info. I didn’t comprehend some of that stuff. It was before my time, even though I’m no spring chicken myself. 😊

[@MsAppassionata]

Peter Lorre was a very talented character actor. Some of his other films included “M” (great German film), “The Maltese Falcon”, “Mad Love”, and two Hitchcock films (“The Man Who Knew Too much” - The 1934 version and “The Secret Agent”).

[@coolaunt516]

After Major Strasser is shot, notice the exchange of glances between Rick and Louie. If either one of them tells on the other, they both go down, and they know it. So Louie solves the problem by "rounding up the usual suspects."

[@brettv5967]

There is a Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca. I went there for a drink several years ago when visiting Morocco. The decor is somewhat similar to what you see in the film, including the small lights on the tables with beaded lampshades. And they have the movie playing in an endless loop near the bar. It’s touristy kitch, but it was fun.

[@robertguttman1487]

Paul Henreid (Victor Laszlo) also was a real refugee and he, too, had worked in Britain during the 1930s prior to emigrating to Hollywood. One of films in which he appeared in Britain was the 1930 version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips" which, although released by MGM, was actually produced entirely at the Denham Studio in Britain.

[@melenatorr]

The believe that Victor is dead is planted in the flashbacks, a couple of times: * Ilsa reminds Rick no questions. * Ilsa tells Rick that there had been a man in her life but that he is dead. * Ilsa's entire behavior as Rick plans their escape from Paris and their marrying tears is an indication to us that something is ripping at her, and viewers are often as blind and forgetful as Rick himself is.

[@kingbeauregard]

Early in the film when Laszlo is first mentioned, I think it's Rick who makes a passing comment about how he was reported dead once or twice. They layer it in so smoothly that you don't know it will be a plot point.

[@jnagarya519]

"Asleep all over America" was a reference to the isolationism that existed until the attack on Pearl Harbor.

[@jamesweekley1087]

No one ever said, "play it again, Sam". That is possibly the most famous misquotes of all time.

[@kennethcrist443]

Second probably being "Beam me up, Scotty!" which was also never said, but often misquoted.

[@strettoasino9006]

Along with most of the Bible...

[@diamon999]

Yep, blame Woody Allen

[@markvargus6519]

So true, the actual quote is "You played it for her, you can play it for me. Play it Sam."

[@Caambrinus]

Not a misquotation; 'Play it AGAIN , Sam' signalled the importance of 'Casablanca' to Wood Allen's clueless shmuck character.

[@BigGator5]

"How can you close me up? On what grounds?" "I'm shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here." "Your winnings, sir." "Oh, thank you very much." Fun Fact: In 2006, the film's script was named "Best Screenplay of All Time" by the Writers Guild of America. Location Location Fact: Rick's Cafe was one of the few original sets built for the film, the rest were all recycled from other Warner Bros. productions due to wartime restrictions on building supplies. The Rest Of The Story Fact: Some years ago in a shop dealing with historical documents, a photo still from this film was found, showing Rick sitting at the chess board. Accompanying the photo was a letter from Humphrey Bogart to a friend in New York, indicating a specific chess move. The document dealer explained that the chess game in the movie was a real game Bogart was playing by mail with his friend during the course of filming. Historical Fact: Conrad Veidt, who played Maj. Strasser, was well known in the theatrical community in Germany for his hatred of the Nazis, and his friendship with Jews. His wife, Ilona "Lily" Prager, was Jewish. He was forced to flee his own country when he learned the SS had sent a death squad after him. Veidt only played film villains during WWII as he was convinced that playing suave Nazi baddies would help the war effort. Movie Magic Fact: Because the film was made during WWII the production was not allowed to film at an airport after dark for security reasons. Instead, it used a sound stage with a small cardboard cutout airplane and forced perspective. To give the illusion that the plane was full-sized, they used little people to portray the crew preparing the plane for take-off. Years later the same technique was used in Alien (1979), in the "space jockey" scene, with director Ridley Scott's son and some of his friends in scaled-down spacesuits.

[@brettv5967]

Just the absolute best film ever. Amazing cast, perfect dialogue, stunning cinematography. It’s got everything.

[@TTM9691]

PS. What you were saying about the German Jews appearing in the movie; you have to remember, this is just as the USA enters World War II, and although it was known about what was happening in Germany to Jewish people, the full extent of it was NOT known, so that might have had something to do with it.

[@flarrfan]

It was actually set in the first week of December 1941, as Bogart metaphorically muses, I'll bet they're asleep all over America. At the end of the week, America woke up. Pretty good edit, but you left out one key line, from Lazlo: "This time I know our side will win." By the time the film was released in '42, that was a line that resonated with American audiences...

[@kirkdarling4120]

I had not noticed the shadow of the "parrot" behind Signor Ferrari's head before. It actually looks like the Maltese Falcon, a movie also starring the same actor, Sidney Greenstreet, Humphrey Bogart, and Peter Lorre filmed only a couple of years earlier. This may be the most quoted movie of all time. Wait, I just asked ChatGPT, and it agrees.

[@hannejeppesen1809]

Ingird Bergman really loved Rick. You are making her out to be a conniving female, I don't think she was. She loved Rick, and also Lazlo perhaps in different ways. Her love for Rick was pure passion and chemistry, if you have ever experienced that, you will know it is hard to resist. Her love for Lazlo was more admiration because of who he was.

[@donkfail1]

Another top tier Bogart movie is the classic PI-noir The Maltese Falcon (1941). Also with Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre in roles that seem similar to the ones they play in Casablanca and Mary Astor is great as the scheming femme fatale client. This was the first movie directed by John Huston. Fantastic start!

[@warner13faulk28]

a lot of the actors had immigrated to the United States because of the war, so they became very emotional during that music scene in the bar.

[@GrinningDwarf]

Nice reaction. I love that you give it the time it needs. You asked "What was the reason for this war?" You need to watch the 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers, especially the episode titled 'Why We Fight.'

[@Lepidopray]

I think they had to be careful with the suggestion that Captain Renault was sleeping with women in exchange for exit visas. But the quip that got by the censors was when the Hungarian woman said she was there with her husband, and Rick says Captain Renault is getting broad minded. 😂

[@sweisbrod6109]

The director's name is pronounced as "Cur-tees". Many of the actors in the bar scenes were political refugees from European countries.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Thank you for this! I had been wondering, so it's always good to find out the correct pronunciation. Also, that's so interesting to find out. See, that's the kind of informatino I love finding out! Much appreciated and thanks for watching!

[@flarrfan]

Sequel to Casablanca? Anyone who proposed it would be told by any studio, "You'll regret it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life." And when you mentioned more classics coming, I subbed you!

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Haha yes, I would love that to have been a reply from a studio to the idea. It's a perfect quote for that! Yes, a lot more to come and I can't wait to see them. Thank you for watching and for subscribing Kent! It's very much appreciated and welcome to the channel!

[@redcaddiedaddie]

I've read that, years ago, Madonna was floating an idea around Hollywood that they REMAKE 'Casablanca', starring her w Ashton Kutcher as Rick; apparently it didn't get much traction!(LOL!)... at least they didn't put her against a wall & shoot her!!

[@InvidiousProductions]

There was a short lived tv series of Casablanca made in the 1970s starring David Soul as Rick. I hadn’t seen the original movie when it was on, so could not make a comparison. I don’t think it would be viewed favourably.

[@DV80s]

Casablanca is my favorite film of them all. Vichy were the French government that was in charge after Germany took over France, so I guess Louie was rejecting that French Na26i puppet government by tossing the bottle, beside the fact it was water and not wine.

[@xbubblehead]

Another foreshadowing often missed is that when Rick and Ilsa are dancing in Paris it is to the song "Perfidia", which is a lament of someone losing their lover to another.

[@tuckerplum8085]

It's funny that you mentioned "It's a Wonderful Life." William Edmunds (the actor who plays the owner of the bar "Martini's" in "It's a Wonderful Life") is also in "Casablanca." He plays one of the patrons at "Rick's Cafe" in one of the very first scenes. He says the line: "It leaves at one tomorrow night. And bring 15,000 francs in cash." (Around the 5:05 timestamp of your video.)

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Oh my god, yes it is! That's amazing that I'd said about the film and didn't spot him. Great eye! He plays a great part in "It's A Wonderful Life". Thanks for letting me know and prividing the timestamp, as it saved me having to trawl back through. Thanks Tucker!

[@tonym362]

Interesting fact, Dooley Wilson (Sam) was actually a drummer, not a piano player. He was a good singer. But he had done a few other movies & Bogart wanted him. So they had him just hit the keys & the music was dubbed.

[@visaman]

You didn't have to censor the words, there are 100 reactions to Casablanca, and, they've never had any problems with those words. I mean you can't have a WW2 movie without them. Interesting note this movie was produced during the War, and was set just a few days before Pearl Harbor, The US was still neutral at that point.

[@nac5901]

Hence the line about everybody sleeping all over America

[@jollyrodgers7272]

Nice Trilby (makes you look more like Bond) - Fedoras were in style, not Trilbies. Victor is neither German nor French, but Czech - and Ilsa is Norwegian. Claude Raines as Capt. Renault was nominated for an Oscar, and should've won. You really need to study the causes of World War parts One AND Two -- we are in a similar world as 1914 right now! Vichy Water was French - the Vichy Gov't. was on the side of Nazi Germany. You should check out another classic Bogart film and has Lauren Bacall's film debut at 19 years old, loosely based on a Hemingway novel (and some of the screenplay rewritten by Hemingway) is TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Warner Bros., 1944), directed by Howard Hawks, a fishing pal of Hemingway who insisted he could take Hemingway's worst novel and make it a great movie.

[@SomeRandomOldFatGuy]

The way you do reactions is perfect. Your commentary, your actual interest in the shows, the costumes, matching your video color to that of the show, the editing style - its all perfect. Dont change a thing.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Honestly, thank you so much! That means more to me than you know. I have a passion for great filmmaking and loving the way something is crafted so beautifully. I do always try to improve where I can though, whilst still keeping the core the same. Yes! Thank you, I'm really glad the outfits get noticed. I try to look the films/shows up without spoiling anything haha. It's the same thing with the lights behind me too, which will be colour co-ordinated to the film as best as I can. Like red for horror or blue for sci-fi etc. I'll probably end up getting it wrong though with the colour blindness haha. I'm also so happy that someone pointed out the editing too. I could just do simpler editing, but as a Video Editor too, I feel like it involves everyone in the story and helps to emphasise certain points as I go too. Thank you so much!

[@arturocostantino623]

Both Peter Lorre and Conrad Veidt were both refugees.Veidt gave all his money from the movies to the resistance.

[@leftcoaster67]

Subtle, unspoken plot and it was inferred but never stated. Annina (Played by Joy Page), the young Bulgarian wife. If her husband couldn't come up with the money. She was going to sleep with Renault to get the exit visas. Hence why Louis said to Rick. "I'll be in tomorrow with a breathtaking blonde. And it will make me very happy if she loses...".

[@pamelachristie5570]

To answer your question, "Why does everyone want to get to America?" In 1942, when this movie came out, The U.S. was just about the only country that the Germans and their allies, in Spain and Italy, hadn't either occupied, or destroyed. Britain was still free, but the Germans were bombing her day and night. America was practically the last safe country. It was also the most comfortable place to be a refugee..

[@marleybob3157]

Something you missed - "Here's looking UP at you, Kid." Humphrey Bogart was only 5'8" (1.71 m) as Ingrid Bergman was 5'10" (1.78 m). Paul Henreid, who played Laszlo, was 6'3" (1.93 m). Humphrey Bogart used very special shoe lifts that made him look taller. Specifically, he added external platforms to the sole to gain a few inches in front of the cameras so he could have the same height with Ingrid Bergman. With these wedge shoes, “Bogie” not only gained 7 centimeters in height, but also reached a height of 1.90 m, which allowed to capture images where Bogart was taller than Bergman and could look at the actress from above. The effect that is well seen in the final sequence when Ilsa Lund and Rick Blaine kiss at the airport. One of the most legendary kisses in film history.

[@deckofcards87]

The most classic Hollywood ending ever! I enjoyed Casablanca on first viewing, but I seem to like it more with each viewing as the years go by... as if the characters are old friends. It has that peculiar magic about it. Some other films with this effect are The Godfather, The Third Man and Singin' In The Rain.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Definitely! Even the end of film crane shot too, masterfully done, revealing what it does. I can imagine it's a great movie to re-watch. Technically I've done that when editing! Most definitely agree with these older films having characters that seem like friends. For me, in other films Cary Grant is someone I find that a lot with. Seems like he would be great to have as a friend. It does have that magic though! Ooh yes, I've not seen any of those other than Singing In The Rain, which is a favourite of mine and I agree! So friendly and inviting, plus great fun! Thank you for watching Sofa Cat

[@dansdiscourse4957]

The line about people being asleep all over America implies that the movie is set just before December 7, 1941, before Pearl Harbor woke America up from its isolationist slumber.

[@kirkdarling4120]

And Sam saying "my watch stopped" indicated that he and Rick were existing in limbo in Casablanca.

[@davidintel]

Hard to believe an 80 year movie can still stir the emotions! Great cast, script and wonderful scenes!! My favorite movie ever, it's timeless. Great review, glad you could get into it. Subscribed and Liked =)

[@elunedlaine8661]

You might enjoy ' '12 Angry Men' from 1957

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Eluned! You must have known, I watched it recently, so keep an eye out for it on the channel. loved it. I treated it as if we were detectives piecing together the case, which was enjoyable too. Thank you for the recommendation!

[@Ceractucus]

What Waterlewis said: but for clarification when France was conquered the Southern part of it was allowed to rule as a puppet state. Also, in the beginning, when the man with out of date papers was shot he died next to a poster of Petain. Ilsa was really still in love with Rick, but was never in love with Victor. This is explained a bit subtly when she goes to see Rick the last time.

[@willschoebel9256]

The "Play it again Sam" actually wasn't a line in the movie, though everyone insist it was.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Thank you Will. I hadn't realised that until watching it and finding out about the quotes at the end in the trivia. I loved finding out many that I did know were from this! Thank you for watching

[@grimreaper-qh2zn]

He never ever said "Play it again Sam" You totally misread Illsa. You need to understand the Vichy French Government that collaborated with the Nazis.

[@DMWolFGurL]

Victor, was the girl heard of growing up. She met him and she became a great fighter because of him and she married him. She thought it was love but it was just admiration and infatuation. She met Rick and truly fell in love, that was who she was meant to be with, but Rick saw the bigger picture that without Ilsa, Victor couldn't survive. Rick sacrificied his own happiness for humanities sake.

[@davidlionheart2438]

Conrad Veidt, who plays Major Strasse, was a major star of German cinema in the 20s. He fled Germany for England in the early 30s appearing in many films there. In the late 30s he came to Hollywood and played virtually nothing but Nazis until his most untimely death in April 1943. He was very vocal in saying that it was his pleasure to portray Nazis on film in order to show the whole world how vile they truly were. He was a man of true honor and principle who, quite literally, put his money where his mouth was: he loaned his entire personal fortune, which was considerable, to the British government for the war effort. I highly recommend that you see him as the Grand Vizier Jaffar, maybe his most memorable villain, in Alexander Korda's ultra-epic 1940 production of "The Thief Of Bagdad". It's a wonder to behold!

[@TTM9691]

Conrad Veidt was in Hollywood before the 30s, he was in Hollywood in the silent era. "The Man Who Laughs" is a FANTASTIC classic, made in Hollywood, starring Veidt. "The Beloved Rogue" with John Barrymore is another great one that he's in. That's just off the top of my head. He had been in Germany in the silent era, including "Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari" from 1921. But by the mid-late 20s, he was working out of Hollywood. He might have left Hollywood when sound came in, like Emil Jannings and Paola Negri and lots of other foreign actors but he was definitely a known Hollywood actor during the 20s.

[@davidlionheart2438]

@@TTM9691 He was not in Hollywood permanently during the 20s. Only sporadically for specific films.

[@ToABrighterFuture]

The roulette scene is underappreciated. Remember early on, where the one guy's trying to sneak out on a fishing boat? "Bring 15,000 francs, in cash." Right? Let's assume Jan's playing his roulette chips at 5 francs each. He puts six of them (30 francs) on 22, en plein, and hits. That pays at 35 TO 1, which is 36 FOR one, when you include the underlying bet. 30 francs times 36, is 1,080 francs. Most tables won't let you to bet en plein for more than 100 chips, which is why you see Rick signing off on authorizing a 216-chip bet. 1,080 times 36, is 38,880 francs: enough for both of the newlyweds' exit visas, with nearly 9,000 francs on top. And the thing is, JAN IS NEVER GOING TO KNOW WHY THAT REALLY HAPPENED, which is what makes Rick's actions that much more quietly impressive.

[@francisgruber3638]

Early on, Captain Louis says to Rick, "I'd like to think you killed a man; it's the romantic in me." At the end, Rick does in fact kill a man in front of Louis. And on cue, he gets all romantic... or bromantic, as the case may be, given the beginning of their "beautiful friendship".

[@subitman]

When Capt Renault said "Round up the usual suspects", it reminded me of a crime movie: The usual suspects. It's a clever who done it movie.

[@desperateambrose5373]

I've lost count of how many times I've watched this movie. My all-time fave.

[@barrycohen311]

It's crazy, but it is pronounced "Van N-Eyes." Like eyes but with an N in front. When my wife moved to be with me in California, she pronounced it "Van Noise." So you get a pass on that one. It is a close suburb of L.A. but retains its own name. People consider it as part of LA. Nice reaction in any case.

[@leftcoaster67]

What I love about this movie. There is good/evil/self interest, and even the scumbags are entertaining.

[@ChuckDrennen]

You were doing so well until you missed hearing Ilsa say that she heard Victor was dead. She loved Rick.

[@richardcramer1604]

The reason he threw that bottle in the garbage is because it said Vichy Water, meaning it was a product of the collaborationist Vichy France. Which in a way is quite funny because until he allowed Rick to get away with killing the German he worked for Vichy France (Casablanca was ruled as a Vichy France Colony) .

[@steve8510]

"Play it again Sam" is never actually said in the film but became the signature line

[@thomastimlin1724]

“If she can stand it, so can I. Play it!”

[@ToABrighterFuture]

Same way Dirty Harry didn't say, "Do you feel lucky, punk?"

[@Hexon66]

Because of the Woody Allen play and movie, in 1969 and 1972 respectively, with that title.

[@steve8510]

@@Hexon66 In play before that according to both my grandparents

[@rollomaughfling380]

Did you post this without actually watching the video? He goes into this.

[@rpg7287]

Now you’ve seen Citizen Kane and Casablanca. These are two of my favorite movies from the 40s. Now it’s time to watch, what I consider, the best movie from the 40s: The Third Man. Trust me. It’s a masterpiece.

[@TTM9691]

Fantastic movie. Excellent choice. I was talking to someone and we were talking about Paul Henreid, how neither of us liked him as an actor, and how he didn't think much of Bogart during the making of "Casablanca". We speculated about what it would have been like if another actor with Bogart's charisma and "gravitas" had played Lazlo, what that would have done to the dynamic of the movie. Then we started to speculate which actors of that period could have done it.......and we arrived at Orson! Imagine Orson as Lazlo! That would have made the love triangle much more complicated! Joseph Cotten could have played that role as well. Those were the only two names we could come up with. Anyways, "Third Man" is a great choice!

[@rpg7287]

@@TTM9691 you’re right. It is difficult trying to come up with another actor to play Lazlo. I don’t know if Orson Welles would be right. But I do think Joseph Cotten could do it. He would have made a good Lazlo. He would have to don some type of accent to be a Czechoslovakian.

[@thequietrevolution3404]

"Play it again, Sam" was never used in this movie. However, it was satirized in a film using it as the title starring and directed by Woody Allen. It pays homage to "Casablanca" and is hilarious.

[@thomastimlin1724]

Will you stop with the "Play It Again Sam?" Bogart NEVER said that. it's a total myth people created...and comedian Woody Allen perpetuated that myth with his stupid play and movie of the same name. Thank a lot Woody. “If she can stand it, so can I. Play it!” Madeline L. as Yvonne, she was the last cast member to pass away about 2015 in her 90's. Famous Quotes from this movie younger folk don't usually know: "I stick my neck out for nobody" "Here's Looking at you kid" "Round up the usual suspects" and "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," "is that cannon fire? Or is that my heart pounding." I am impressed you knew "Of all the Gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." We used to say that as a running joke in college when someone came back from class and some of us were sitting around. always happened to someone new. It was often used in sitcoms. The cutting out of words is ridiculous, it's rewriting the language of history and therefore history. Censorship and banning books. No wonder history is doomed to repeat itself. "Nazi, Reich, Concentration Camp"...NEVER FORGET what those bastards did to innocent people, especially the Jews! If youtube doesn't like it then they are no better than Hitler and the Nazis. If you don't know who Ingrid Bergman was, you will never forget her after this. Good work on this, you get it...

[@philowens7680]

I enjoy your reactions and your "discovery" of classics like Casablanca. Might I recommend "The African Queen" to you? I am certain you will enjoy it.

[@flarrfan]

And another great star turn by Bogart in the movie that invented film noir, The Maltese Falcon...

[@barrycohen311]

It's one of those weird inaccurate tropes. They never once utter "Play it again Sam" during this film. Bogart only says- "Play it Sam." :-)

[@AshBadger]

They released this a little early to try to convince America to join the war efforts. Rick going from cynical to resistance fighter is symbolic.

[@SueProv]

This was released in 1943 after the war started for America. It was made in 1942 also after the war started not released early

[@AshBadger]

Sorry, my bad. I should have been more specific. Casablanca was originally planned to be released in early 1943. Instead, it was released in late November 1942 to coincide with Operation Torch, which was the 1st mass involvement of U.S. forces in the North African theater and first major U.S. victory in WW2. It was the 1st successful joint mission between Britain and the U.S. and overlooked as a major turning point of WW2.

[@ericbogerd5306]

If you haven't already seen them (unlikely, based on your stated enjoyment of classics), may I recommend several other Bogart films: The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, and Key Largo. Although featuring three different protagonists, Casablanca/To Have and Have Not/Key Largo form a loose trilogy for many people, with Bogart playing somewhat similar characters before, during, and after WWII. To Have and Have Not also features the delightful first film (of four) costarring Lauren Bacall. If you want to round out their collab, the fourth film is Dark Passage. All four are great films, although The Big Sleep is probably the best.

[@artbagley1406]

Thank you very much, Marty, for reacting to this movie, one of the best EVER made. Has anybody ever mentioned that you resemble Rowan Atkinson? At certain angles, and when you make certain facial expressions, RA just pops out under that chapeau of yours! "And then the war came" you observed; it's another reverb from "It's A Wonderful Life." Also noted was a slight perking up your posture and eyebrows when "the battle of the bands" began; one of the most moving, patriotic scenes in a dramatic movie. Lots of cinematic "history" in this film. Will look for other of your reactions! Great job!

[@60secthebaptist9]

late to the party but Rick never actual say's "Play it again Sam" During the after hours scene the following exchange occurs RICK - "what's that you're playing?" SAM - "Oh, just something of my own..." RICK - "Well stop it. you know what I want to hear" SAM - "no I dont..." RICK - "you played it for her, you can play it for me." SAM - "well I dont think i can remember..." RICK - " If she can stand it, I can. play it" The whole "play it again Sam" thing is a construct of celebrity impersonators of the day.

[@kingamoeboid3887]

Robert McKee considered this the best script ever written. He wrote Story that’s about storytelling principles and how it works in context. He also wrote Character and Dialogue.

[@DawnElicia]

I think that Ilsa is in love with Rick. She loved Victor when she was young. If you notice she never tells Victor she loves him or kiss him. I feel when Rick says he here’s looking at you kid is Rick saying I love you.

[@LeighMet]

Yes she knows Rick!!

[@igaluitchannel6644]

The bottle in the trash can - Vichy Water. Vichy France (in the south of France and including the colony of Morocco) collaborated with the Germans, but wasn't occupied like the north of France.

[@bluefriend62]

Love your reactions to the classics--More, please! Some I often recommend are All About Eve (1950), Cabaret (1972), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Philadelphia Story (1950) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), just to name a few!

[@TTM9691]

Every one of those are fantastic. "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Sunset Boulevard" are particularly great films that I'd love to see Marty's reaction to, but as soon as I say that I feel guilty about not saying the same thing about the other three, which are also all top shelf classics. (although I must admit for Fosse, "All That Jazz" is the one I'm most dying to see a reaction to! i just watched "Cabaret" this past weekend, actually!)

[@williambourne5425]

An element of the film, that made it so suspenseful, was the love triangle between Rick, Elsa and Victor. Normally in a Hollywood movie two of the people, the leading man and the woman are obviously meant to end up together. The third character is usually shown with some flaw or attitude that makes them an unsuitable mate. In Casablanca, all three leading characters are shown to be equally heroic and desirable choices. Thus making it more difficult for the audience to decide who ends up flying off together and who gets left behind.

[@charrid56maclean]

New sub. Love the classic film reactions. The Bad Seed, A Womans Face and The Maltese Falcon are 3 great old films. Oh when the letter is all wet, I always took it as the letter itself was crying😢

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Hi Richard! Thank you so much for subbing and welcome! Oh fantastic, I'm glad you love the classics too. Ooh, I've heard of the first and the last, but not seen any of those! I've just added all 3 to my list. It's ever-growing, but I promise I will eventually get around to all of them. I hope you're well! That's a great interpretation of the letter being wet! I never thought of it that way. I always love hearing others thoughts on these things. Have a wonderful day and thank you for watching!

[@auapplemac2441]

Anna (little Mama) takes charge by moving Guin's drink so it won't fall. They were really interacting today. The girls have a unique way of eating anything flat like the scone or a sandwich. It's usually from the center rather than the side or corner. Always makes me smile. Did you notice Anna (or maybe it was Anna Finger) "sleeping"? She was making snoring sounds. They both were especially lively today.

[@macroman52]

I doubt General DeGaulle's signature meant diddly squat to any officials in French Morocco, which was under the rule/authority of "unoccupied France", i.e. ruled from the town of Vichy in southern France., by Marshall Petain who signed an Armistice with Germany. I suppose the script-writers can not say the letters of transit are signed by Marshall Petain because so few people would know who he was. DeGaulle headed a "government-in-exile", i.e. a "resistance: or Free French government "based in London. And that explains the bottle of Vichy water, at the end (the town of Vichy has natural spring water). Captain Renault threw away the "Vichy government" , the government of collaborators to join the Free French.

[@Venejan]

If you listen closely, it's actually General Weygand, although a lot of people think they hear DeGaulle and that's even sometimes shown in subtitles, even though, as you correctly state, DeGaulle's signature would be utterly useless at that time.

[@garysatterlee9455]

The director, Michael Curtiz ( pronounced: "Cur-TEEZ" ) was one of the most prolific and divergent directors of all time. Be sure to check out his other films - MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, CAPTAIN BLOOD, and WHITE CHRISTMAS to name just a few.

[@xbubblehead]

As far as the refugees taking German parts, one remembers that Werner Klemperer accepted the role of Colonel Klink in "Hogan's Heroes" despite being a Jew whose family had fled Germany, but only on the condition that Klink would never win.

[@squidkid2]

I imagine the Jewish actors who portrayed the Germans in the movie knew that the Germans in Germany who watched the movie would be enraged that they were being portrayed by Jews.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Yes, most probably! That's potentially why they took on the roles. It's interesting that they did it. I can just imagine their look of horror when they found out. Thank you for watching Squid!

[@augustsky6248]

A Timeless Classic. a work of art that has withstood the test of time and remains a cultural milestone. Casablanca......sealed with movie quotes now engraved in Hollywood history.

[@joebombero1]

Ilsa never says "I love you" to Lazlo. She clearly admires him, feels obligated to him, but there is no romantic feeling. I lose track how many times she says it to Rick.

[@Annausagi2]

Conrad Veidt (the actor that plays the Big Bad) was an extraordinary man, and I always recommend people read up on all the things he did to assist people both before and during the war. Fun fact: Being of German origin, and with a German accent, he knew he'd most likely get typecast as a Nazi when he moved to the US. He put in his contract that he'd only accept such roles if the character was depicted as a bad guy.

[@luisalbertocalla6649]

I just saw the best reaction to this wonderful movie. One of my favorites. Your explanation was impeccable and the data you provided was very interesting. Greetings from Tandil, Argentina! 🇦🇷🤗

[@Briansgate]

I like that you did the trivia bits at the end.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Thank you Brian! Im glad you liked the trivia segment, I like to do that to delve further into it. I hope you enjoyed the rest, thanks for watching

[@AddSerious]

Never been to your channel before but ANYTIME someone watches Casablanca the 1st time I make a point to check them out... had a good time, subscribing

[@ChuckDrennen]

"The Maltese Falcon" reunites Bogart with two of his cast mates from this movie.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Thanks for letting me know!

[@DawnElicia]

Lovely review. This movie just had its 80th anniversary I got to go to the theater to see it.

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Thank you so much! Oh wow, did it?! I didn't even realise. Noo, I missed seeing it at the cinema?! I need to keep an eye out for these special screenings. Which cinema chain was it at? I know a few Regal Cinemas also show older films too. I bet that experience was wonderful though!

[@DawnElicia]

@@MoviesWithMarty Yes there are two websites I follow TCM is partnered with Fathom Events and they bring classic to the screen for their anniversary. They post the do movies for the year but then movies pop up all the time. I check the site once a week. Coming up is Enter The Dragon 50th. The Birds which I haven’t seen is coming in October. I’ll be going to both. Another site I go to is Flashback Cinema but that one is not everywhere but they do movies as well. They recently had Murder on the Orient Express and Wizard of Oz.

[@johngalt156]

Marty, curious why you had to mute certain words, organizations and symbols?

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Hi John, thanks for watching and for your question. It's due to KZbin suppressing creators and videos by not recommending them or worse, if we are to use those words or imagery. KZbin's system also sometimes flags the content regarding certain groups of people, especially when using their symbols as I think it presumes it's propaganda or hate speech. Sometimes they can even age restrict or worse and being a smaller creator myself who is trying to grow the channel, I would be very much affected by it and these take a lot of time to create too. That's not to say that KZbin's policies could get more strict in the future too, like they have with swearing. So I, like some other creators who also censor those things now, are just playing it safe, just in case. It's very annoying to have to do so, as I don't like censorship in films as it is (it ruins the art form), but I am only censoring the words or imagery because of KZbin's policy / system and not my reaction to such things. That's one reason I keep in those parts and just censor them, as it's not me wanting to remove them, but just censoring for KZbin itself. In regards to censorship these days, I'm against companies censoring or banning art forms like film, because if that's how they were initially created, they should stay that way. I hope that helps John! Apologies if I rambled on a bit. Thank you!

[@ammaleslie509]

@@MoviesWithMarty but it's Casablanca! Many other reactions to this movie are on KZbin including those words.

[@mildredpierce4506]

Do you like vintage type stuff? and into black-and-white movies? Are you my long lost son? I too have a fondness for vintage things and old movies. I am especially fond of film noir but I like old movies in general. A couple of times I have attended the Hollywood film noir festival. It was fantastic

[@pfcampos7041]

I have really enjoyed your reactions! I can't find your reaction to It's a Wonderful LIfe, did it get taken down?! I really want to see it!

[@MoviesWithMarty]

Thank you so much Campos, I appreciate that! Ah, I've seen It's "A Wonderful Life" off the channel many years ago, so hadn't done a video of it. However, I did mention last year that I would do a re-watch of it if many people wanted it (which people did seem to want). It's been a few years since I last saw it and I won't do too many re-watches, but this is one of the few. Another Christmas classic that I hadn't seen that you will love is "Holiday Inn". I watched it last year for the channel, but didn't get to put it outin time for Christmas last year and so will be coming out this year! The full uncut version is already up on Patreon, but I can't wait to bring it out this year. Honestly, the classics are just perfection. A few other Christmas ones I didn't get to put out last year, but did watch for the channel, are "Krampus" and "Home Alone 4" - Thank you for watching Campos!

[@carlossantiago9955]

Great review of one of my favorite "Wartime" films. As an "aside"...if you're looking for recommendations in the "Sci-Fi" genre...can I suggest two: 1968's "The Power" (starring George Hamilton) and 1970's "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (starring Eric Braeden). The later perhaps being relevant to today's headlines on Artificial Intelligence.

[@michaelpennington7800]

Casablanca is a film treasure. So many wonderful character actors. SK Sakall (aka Cuddles), the husband who is helped at the roulette table, played a German in Mrs Miniver, The evil German head was in real life an escapee from Nazi Germany and the list goes on. You know Peter Lorre. Sydney Greenstreet fantastic character actor. Never enough can be said for Claude Rains, his filmography is extensive, he never gave a bad performance, and elevated every film he performed. Paul Henreid, Ingrid Bergman, and Humphrey Bogart were all magical. Thank you, Marty. Such a very special film. Cinematography is spectacular. Another b/w film with beautiful cinematography is The Letter with Bette Davis. Oh, Marty, Ilsa did fall in love with Rick, but she thought her husband was dead. She had to go back to him when she found out he was alive. She couldn't tell Rick, or he never would have left Paris, and would have been caught and sent to a concentration camp. Ilsa's love for Rick was, in fact, pure all along. Pronounced Van N eyes (Van Nuys).

[@katherinedinwiddie4526]

First time watching you was 12 angry men. Love your reactions. Ingrid is one of my favorite actress. She also stars in a mystery Gaslight and Notorious. Many more.