I’ll see this if it comes to Hawai’i. But I don’t think that’s the case. :(
I’ll see this if it comes to Hawai’i. But I don’t think that’s the case. :(
wow this is actually playing at 2 theaters within a couple hours of me. both matinees and i have to work >:(
maybe i can be ‘sick’ that day, i would love to see this!~ thx for the heads up, doctor!
I plan to get the large popcorn, the large candy, the beverage—the whole deal, and turn this into a night at the movies.
Sounds like a nice, if not exactly nutritious, evening, Lemonglow. I recommend the Hot Tamales.
Forgot to add this:
http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/casablanca.aspx
Great news. It’s a great film to see in a theater, though I’ve only seen it via well-worn prints.
Damn — sold out near me.
This is great news. If I could only watch one more film before I die it would be this one. I’ve loved it for decades.
This opportunity comes around again Thursday, April 26, apparently by popular demand.
I can believe that.
I intended to report on my “evening in Casablanca” last month as soon as I returned from the theatre,
but I was wary of sounding too effusive.
But it really was a transcendent cinema experience ( I anticipated nothing more than a cool night at the movies).
I wasn’t responding strictly to the pleasure of seeing CASABLANCA on a big screen with
top-gear sound quality.
But that certainly must have been a factor, because being visually and aurally immersed
in a picture I have known only through tv screens made other aspects of the movie seem
somehow “larger” as well.
Maybe “more commanding” is a better term, because from start to finish the narrative, the sets,
and the characters, as familiar as they are now, did slightly convey a newness or freshness.
I had forgotten what a superb example of narrative economy this story is,
and I guess I found the pace of the action thrilling in its own right.
It’s a neat trick convincing viewers that what they see is authentic when so much
melodramatic yarn is being spun, but keeping things light, clever, and downright funny
at times is part of the trick.
I already knew these things about this classic, but I FELT as though I were learning it all over again.
Audience response was a large part of that, I think. It’s amazing how many lines of dialogue in
this 70 year-old movie can still get folks to laugh out loud, not because it is old-fashioned funny,
but because it is smart funny.
This is a good time to re-assert my claim that Claude Rains owns this picture.
I was also struck by how many visual cues and lines of dialogue were clearly intended as propaganda, yet come across as entirely genuine.
I went with a friend’s wife, and she and I both got a kick out of some girls below us
excitedly whispering about certain famous lines: “I didn’t know that was from the movie.”
(For once in my life I was not annoyed by people talking during a screening.)
We also enjoyed doing a demographic study.
Not nearly as many old folks there as VERY young ones.
There was a group of college and HS kids chatting in the hall afterwards,
and I uncharacteristically asked them how they liked the movie.
Two girls mentioned that it was their first time to see it, another said she was going to buy the DVD later that night.
Imagine that: the first time you see CASABLANCA, you see it the way folks saw it 70 years ago.
When the movie concluded, I had something like a lump in my throat as an older Jewish man from my neighborhood strolled by with his grandkids and said “God bless TCM.”
Everyone laughed, but I couldn’t help thinking that this was a night when a lot of people around the nation
saw exactly what comprises our cultural heritage.
This is an example of what we can do when we are on our best game. This is one of our classics.
In any case, I recommend this opportunity 100 percent.
Casablanca is a great film to see on a large screen to appreciate the wonderful framing throughout and the visual scale of the film – often missing on a small screen. When I saw Peter Lorre being chased around the city at the beginning of the film, I began to appreciate the experience.
Here’s my Casablanca story (for what it’s worth): I watched this at a repertory local theatre a few years (well, more than a few maybe) back with a double bill of Woody Allen in Play it Again, Sam (great double bill – it’s my favorite role for him, even though he didn’t direct). I was sitting by myself in a largely empty row when a young lady came and sat down right beside me. During the intermission, I began a conversation and discovered she was also a cinephile. We then dated for awhile, seeing films like Don’t Look Now and Last Tango in Paris together. But alas, our brief encounter came to an end when she berated me for not being able to dance. I told her film geeks (or geeks in general) don’t dance, but she still dumped me (imagine!). Oh well, we always had Paris and that tango in the seats…
That was OK, too, because I met my future wife a short time later and we had many a happy evening watching Tarkovsky and any other great films together. When our daughter came along, we dragged her to see the same, too, as soon as she could sit still.
For all you cine-geeks out there. In films, there is the possibility of hope and love maybe if you are lucky – like me. A drink to Rick and Ilsa.
Oxymoron, I had a “theatre girlfriend” who got away as well.
My brief encounter was not as cool as yours, the problem being that the girl I watched several movies with didn’t know she was my girlfriend.
That never ends well.
But yes, you are correct about the visual scale. It really delivers during that scene outdoors in which a merchant is haggling with Ilsa while Rick questions her.
Her face in shadow while her hat is drenched in sunlight—very nice.
I also noticed Rick’s quick display of disdain for the German officers when they marched into the Cafe Americain, which makes sense on a big screen; their grand but absurd entrance is quite diminished on television.
I really hope to see this on Thursday. It’s one of my favorite movies, and I’ve never seen it on the big screen. (You guys have got me amped to see this!)
@Oxy
Oh well, we always had Paris and that tango in the seats…
Nice! And a great post. (I wouldn’t feel too bad about being dumped because you couldn’t dance. That’s a pretty silly reason, if you ask me.)
I wouldn’t feel too bad about being dumped because you couldn’t dance. That’s a pretty silly reason, if you ask me.
Yeah, I thought so, too, Jazz, although I was sort of crushed at the time. Mind you, a lot of gals could see the reasoning behind this type of dump, I guess – heh! It all turned out for the best – for both parties, I think. For a long time, I wouldn’t attend a well-known local repertory cinema in case I ran into her. I think others that have been through this can identify. Just shows that having a common interest in certain films may not be enough for building a relationship long term. Although my current wife does dance, she accepts me for what I am – a guy who can’t dance but still enjoys a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers flick.
Funny the associations we have with certain films. I’ve not let my own story in any way effect my love for Casablanca. Also, I got quite a bit (nudge nudge, wink wink) out of that screening of Last Tango with the Wrong Woman. More than makes up for all the heartache. Have you seen The Silence, Jazz???
New note to self: Don’t make personal allusions to anything on an internet site…
Mind you, a lot of gals could see the reasoning behind this type of dump, I guess…
Man, I would have never gotten married if I lived in your neck of the woods!
Have you seen The Silence, Jazz???
The Bergman film? Not since college. (I feel like I’m missing a joke, here.)
@Dr.
Two girls mentioned that it was their first time to see it, another said she was going to buy the DVD later that night.
Imagine that: the first time you see CASABLANCA, you see it the way folks saw it 70 years ago.
When the movie concluded, I had something like a lump in my throat as an older Jewish man from my neighborhood strolled by with his grandkids and said “God bless TCM.”
Great stories, and a great post. (You’ve sort of built up my expectations to an unreasonably high level though. ;)
@Dr. or anyone who has seen the recent screenings
I’m wondering if audience members reciting the famous quotes while they happened on screen. (My friend asked because he’s saying he might not be able to resist.)
Tell your friend to resist. Please.
Well, he’s hoping that a lot of other people do it, which will give him permission. I admit, if other people are doing it, I guess I will have to live with it. But I’d prefer my friend resist, too.
Jazz, most folks there were dead silent; I just had to forgive those girls for not being able
to contain their excitement about discovering that so many phrases
now in the lexicon derived from CASABLANCA.
They did not talk very much anyway, and it was all whispers that only we could hear, being directly behind them.
Quoting those lines out loud strikes me as a bad move on any day, though.
As for expectations, think of tomorrow night as a communal cinema experience and you can’t be let down.
I strongly advise talking to other viewers before and after; I think this kind of movie night
allows for that (as opposed to just a another picture at the plex).
I found everyone I spoke to extremely engaging and open to the notion of chatting with like-minded
cinema fans.
What a glorious experience! Much of Dr. Lemonglow’s experience was similar to my own.
But it really was a transcendent cinema experience ( I anticipated nothing more than a cool night at the movies).I wasn’t responding strictly to the pleasure of seeing CASABLANCA on a big screen with
top-gear sound quality. But that certainly must have been a factor, because being visually and aurally immersed in a picture I have known only through tv screens made other aspects of the movie seem
somehow “larger” as well.
I know “transcendent” sounds like hyperbole, but it’s not far off, imo. (But this is one of my all-time favorite films, too, so keep that in mind.) Prior to the film, we saw an introduction with Rober Osbourne, which included stills and clips from the film. Just seeing head shots of Bogey and Bergman took my breath away, evokiong some powerful emotions—enough to bring tears to my eyes. And the size of the image had a lot to do with this. The effect really surprised me. What’s interesting is that I tend to think that more panoramic or visually grand movies are better for the big screen, while character driven dramas do just as well on the small screen, but this film made me realize that some of these star driven films also need to be seen in on the big screen. It’s as if the big screen not only magnifies the image, but magnifies the charisma and power from these stars. (The gorgeous black-and-white cinematography doesn’t hurt, either.) Seeing the film really created a powerful desire to see many of these old black-and-white star driven films on the big screen. Marlene Dietrich in von Sternberg’s films came to mind. Man, that woudl be magical.)
Maybe “more commanding” is a better term, because from start to finish the narrative, the sets,
and the characters, as familiar as they are now, did slightly convey a newness or freshness.
I hear what you’re saying. I just think the seeing the film on in a theater made the film more alive and intensified the effect. There’s a huge difference with seeing this film on the big screen vesus the small one, especially with an aduience that clearly loved the movie (that’s not an insignificant detail).
Btw, I did appreciate the sets—especially Rick’s Cafe, and the way the filmmakers brought this to life. I do think seeing it in the theater brought this detail out, too.
It’s amazing how many lines of dialogue in this 70 year-old movie can still get folks to laugh out loud, not because it is old-fashioned funny, but because it is smart funny.
Totally agree. I told my friend that while the film isn’t stricly a comedy, it’s funny than many comedies. And, yes, the audience I saw it with laughed several times. (There were about a hundred people in the theater—which is a solid number. Most of them were older; some of them brought their kids, which was great. We all clapped enthusiastically af the end. It was a wonderful experience.)
This is a good time to re-assert my claim that Claude Rains owns this picture.
I love Rains in this. (And I love all the characters that work at the bar), but I wouldn’t go that far. He’s very important, but Bogart is still more important to me. Some of the images of him in this movie are incredible. And then his voice and spirit. In that white tux, he’s the paragon of male cool. Unbelievable.
Doctor Lemonglow
I have not seen this mentioned anywhere at MUBI.
Marking the 70th anniversary of CASABLANCA, TCM is presenting it in theatres around the country on March 21.
Two theatres in my town are offering a matinee and an evening screening.
I’ve seen it in repertory houses in the past, so the idea of a big screen (which is great)
doesn’t interest me this time so much as the potential for excellent sound.
Then again, maybe digital projection will offer some new thrill as well, although
that’s not really why we watch this particular picture.
I am also hoping for the “communal experience,” but who knows what kind of crowd will be there.
It may sound kind of square and wholesome, but even as someone dismayed by the current atmosphere
of multiplexes, I plan to get the large popcorn, the large candy, the beverage—the whole deal,
and turn this into a night at the movies.
I may even do the matinee.