| 9780393243123 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Monument Library | Book | 791.4372 CASA | Nonfiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
Noah Isenberg is professor and chair of the department of radio-television-film at the University of Texas at Austin, the author of We'll Always Have Casablanca, Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins, editor of Weimar Cinema, and the recipient of an NEH Public Scholar Award.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Isenberg (Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins) has created a thorough and impassioned account of the making of the 1942 Hollywood classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. He begins with Casablanca's modest origins in an unproduced three-act play and ends with its lasting cultural impact. Along the way, he makes a strong case for the film as an ideal example of studio collaboration. Isenberg emphasizes the contributions of nearly everyone at Warner Brothers, including producer Hal B. Wallis, director Michael Curtiz, screenwriters Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch, and some of the studio's best contract players (Sydney Greenstreet, Paul Henreid, Peter Lorre, and Claude Rains). Diligently researched and incorporating extensive interviews and documentation, the book is commendable for its attention to the most mundane details of filmmaking. Nevertheless, readers expecting a critical study might find the author's exhaustive admiration for his subject a bit wearing. As Irish film critic Paul Whitington astutely observes in the book's introduction, "Maybe there are better films than Casablanca, but there are probably none better loved." Agent: Zoe Pagnamenta, Zoe Pagnamenta Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Here's the best thing about this book: whether you're a Casablanca devotee or just a film-history buff, the story of how the iconic movie got made and what the world made of it is downright fascinating, an absolute page-turner, even a kind of narrative nonfiction thriller. The 1942 film began life as an unproduced stage play, Everybody Comes to Rick's, conceived by a schoolteacher who wanted to voice his concerns over German anti-Semitism in the years leading up to WWII (a message to people who didn't think Hitler was a real threat). Warner Brothers bought the film rights, threw a lot of different writers at the project, changed the story around a bit, rushed the picture into theaters to capitalize on pro-American war news (the Allies had just invaded North Africa), and saw solid but not spectacular box-office returns. Isenberg capably recounts all this history, but his book isn't trying to compete with Aljean Harmetz's Round Up the Usual Suspects (1992), the definitive account of the making of Casablanca. Isenberg is telling a broader story about the history of the film and its cultural significance (it became a classic, he argues, in large part because it reinforced America's vision of itself as tough, resourceful, morally upstanding, and heroic). Along the way, the author dispels some cherished myths about the movie despite the legend, Ronald Reagan and George Raft were never serious contenders to play Rick Blaine and tosses in a few nifty surprises, such as the revelation that Dooley Wilson, who played Sam, couldn't actually play the piano. The author does some very nice detective work, too, poring over script drafts and production records to nail down who exactly wrote the movie. Yes, the credited screenwriters played roles, but some of the film's most famous lines probably came from others (unconfirmed stories, for example, suggest that director Michael Curtiz may have given us the line, Here's looking at you, kid). A valuable and insightful addition to the literature of film history.--Pitt, David Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Born from the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's, the 1942 film Casablanca quickly became one of the most quoted and beloved movies of all time. Although its plot of wartime refugees trapped in the north African city was most timely, it continues to speak to new generations of film buffs. This is an exhaustive look at the making of the film, its censorship battles, early pushback from isolationists, casting coups (contrary to legend, Ronald Reagan and George Raft were never considered for the role of saloon keeper Rick), later jockeying for credit after the film's success, and most particularly, real-life refugees from Hitler's Europe taking on several parts. Isenberg (culture & media, The New School; Edgar G. Ulmer) tracks down even the most insignificant detail on the creation of this film. He notes the many unsuccessful attempts to revive the work in remakes, reboots, sequels, television shows, even a musical. Finally, the book ponders why certain themes continue to be relevant today. VERDICT This highly recommended title thoroughly explores studio politics and the political realities, while giving new fans and critics a chance to weigh in on what Casablanca means to them. [See Prepub Alert, 8/26/16.]-Stephen Rees, formerly with Levittown Lib., PA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction | p. xiii |
| Chapter 1 Everybody Comes to Rick's | p. 1 |
| Chapter 2 Usual Suspects | p. 43 |
| Chapter 3 Stick My Neck Out for Nobody | p. 85 |
| Chapter 4 Such Much? | p. 123 |
| Chapter 5 We'll Always Have Paris | p. 163 |
| Chapter 6 Play it Again | p. 201 |
| Chapter 7 A beautiful friendship | p. 241 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 271 |
| Notes | p. 281 |
| Illustration Credits | p. 311 |
| Index | p. 313 |
