Dooley Wilson, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman in Michael Curtiz's Casablanca
CASABLANCA Review Part IV – Ingrid Bergman
The ending is good — Louie and Rick talk of leaving Casablanca after Louie covers for Rick's killing the Nazi Major Strasser — but there is nothing either actor does that lifts the scene above its own well-written basis.
Then there is Strasser's portrayer, Conrad Veidt, an actor perhaps best known for his role in Robert Wiene's 1919 silent classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Simply put, is there anything that lifts Strasser above the generic Nazi archetype in thousands of films? No. How about the black marketer, Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet)? No. This isn't to say that Ferrari does not get off a few good lines, but again, most critics mistake a few good lines — or tear-filled eyes — for good acting, and utterly overlook detailed and restrained performances like Paul Henreid's.
Finally, there's a thinner-than-usual Peter Lorre as Ugarte, another black marketer; one who ends up getting killed. Just look at his last scene — "Rick, Rick, you must help me!" — and one can see what a steep decline that role was from his killer in Fritz Lang's M a decade earlier, even considering the too-precious soliloquy at the end of that film. In short, Casablanca is not a film to which one looks for an acting clinic.
Casablanca is part of a two-disc DVD package, put out by Warner Bros. Disc one has the film in a transfer stunningly free of blemishes. The disc also has two theatrical trailers (the original and rerelease trailers); an introduction by Bogart's widow, Lauren Bacall; and two commentaries. The lesser one is by film historian Rudy Behlmer. It's loaded with information on the making of the film, but Behlmer is just reading from a script of Warner Bros. inter-office memos about the film, and few of the facts are scene-specific. Behlmer's monotone is also rather off-putting, and he rarely ventures an idea or opinion of his own about the film.
By contrast, film critic Roger Ebert provides his usual quality commentary. What makes it good is not that Ebert has such profound insights, for he repeats much of what Behlmer imparts, but he has a love for the film while offering scene-specific comments that illuminate things a casual viewer might miss. As I've stated before, Ebert has serious limitations as a critic of film, but he is thoroughly qualified as a film historian. (Admittedly, much too often Ebert lets his emotions get the better of him, such as in some embarrassing burblings about Ingrid Bergman's lips, as if they had any bearing on her acting. Compounding matters, Ebert offers a constant denigration and misassessment of Paul Henreid's acting.)
The second disc has many of the goodies that DVD fans love. Those include the documentary Bacall on Bogart, hosted by Bacall and covering Bogart's career. It's a quality film. Also, "You Must Remember This: A Tribute to Casablanca" is a good piece, as are a few other featurettes. There are deleted and alternate scenes, a 1943 radio adaptation, as well as a 1955 TV adaptation, and a "Looney Tunes" spoof, Carrotblanca. All in all, it's a good package.
The Casablanca screenplay was based upon an unproduced play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison, "Everybody Comes to Rick's." Screenwriters Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein added some mediocre comedy touches, whereas Howard Koch added melodrama. (Casey Robinson also contributed to the mix.)
Among the things that date Casablanca are some poorly produced backscreen projections, and a ridiculously bad model airplane. As stated, the film lacks a single memorable shot — nothing that defines cinematographer Arthur Edeson's images the way, say, an Ingmar Bergman film is noteworthy for the images of a Sven Nykvist. I should add that I'm not saying Edeson lacked talent; after all, he helped to create film noir with his work on The Maltese Falcon and helped to define 1930s horror films with his work on James Whale's Frankenstein.
As for Michael Curtiz's direction, it's rather pedestrian. Having stated that, does it surprise you in the least that Curtiz garnered one of the three Oscars Casablanca won (out of eight nominations)? The other two won were for Best Picture of 1943, the year the film opened in Los Angeles, and, no surprise, Best Screenplay.
The worst technical aspect of the film, however, is its music, most of which is diegetic. In the formal scoring field, Max Steiner shows an inept handling of music, for the "As Time Goes By" piece, used as the love theme for Rick and Ilsa, too often gives away upcoming dramatic elements. At other times, the scoring is mawkish, often intruding on scenes better left unscored, giving away plot elements before they arise, or trying to emotionally lead the audience in ways the actual narrative does not.
Enjoyed the reviews. Bacall at Defying Mainstream website most likely would too.