Casablanca
1942 USA Black / White 102 minutes
Release date: November 26, 1942
Oscars:
Best Director -> Michael Curtiz
Best Picture
Best Writing, Screenplay Source / More (Book)
The film is almost completely studio bound. In the final airport scene they used a small cut-out plane and some midgets to portray the mechanics. Only the arrival of captain Strasser was filmed at an genuine airport in Los Angeles.
Oscar nominations:
Best leading actor ->Humphrey Bogart
Best supporting actor ->Claude Rains
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Bogart: “Awars are meaningless for actors, unless the all play the same part”. Source / More (Book)
Although the film already premiered November 1942 in New York, Warner Brothers delayed the Los Angeles release of Casablanca to coincide with the big Allied conference in Casablanca, North Africa (January 23, 1943).
John Wayne claimed that director Howard Hawks had done all the preparation work. He left at the last minute and Michael Curtiz took the project over.
Warner Brothers planted a story in the Hollywood reporter announcing the casting of Ronald Reagan for Casablanca. Nowadays the article is regarded as a publicity stunt to keep upcoming actors in the public eye.
Seven writers worked on the Casablanca script and throughout the shoot they tried to keep up with director Curtiz. Ingrid Bergman: “Everytime I asked Curtiz who I was, what I felt, what i was doing, he said: Well, we’re not really sure, but let’s do this scene and tomorrow we’ll let you know” Source / More (Book)
Producer Wallis was unsatisfied with the ending, so Humphrey Bogart was called back in to dub a final line over the last shot. Since then Louis and Rick walk into the fog, talking about the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Source / More (Book)
Casablanca has been crowned the best screenplay ever. The members of the Writers Guild of America voted the Casablanca script into the top spot of the guild’s 101 greatest screenplays. Source / More (Web)
The song As time goes by was named the second most loved song from a movie by the American Film Institute. Source / More (Web)
Casablanca, Morocco has its first real Rick’s Cafe. The cafe is owned by Kathy Kriger, a former US diplomat who worked at the US Embassy in Morocco. She’s put about $1m in US and Moroccan funds into the venture. Dinner costs $30 per person. Source / More (Web)
Ingrid has a star on Hollywood Boulevard.
It’s located between Las Palmas and Highland avenues.
August 29, 1915
August 29 ,1982
Ingrid was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Despite shyness she enrolled in the Swedish Royal Theatre but decided that stage acting was not for her. Her screen debut in Munkbrogreven, The Count of the Monk's Bridge (1935), was followed by challenging roles in such Swedish films as the original Intermezzo (1936) and En kvinnas ansikte, A Woman's Face (1938).
Bergman went to the USA to reprise her role in Intermezzo opposite Leslie Howard. The film's critical and commercial success instantly established Bergman as a star. She achieved tremendous popularity through a series of critical and commercial successes that included Casablanca (1942), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944) and two thrillers directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Spellbound (1945) and Notorious (1946).
She fell in love with the Italian director Roberto Rossellini, while performing in his film Stromboli (1950). Bergman left both her husband and daughter for Rossellini. The ensuing scandal led to her ostracization from the US film industry and forced her to return to Europe, where she appeared in Italian and French films. Ingrid returned to the Hollywood scene in 1956 to play Anastasia (1956).
Her last role was that of Golda Meir, the Israeli prime minister, in A Woman Called Golda (1981). She was posthumously awarded an Emmy Award in 1982.
1979 Nominated Best Actress for: Höstsonaten (1978)
1975 Won Best Actress for: Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
1957 Won Best Actress for: Anastasia (1956)
1949 Nominated Best Actress for: Joan of Arc (1948)
1946 Nominated Best Actress for: The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
1945 Won Best Actress for: Gaslight (1944)
1944 Nominated Best Actress for: For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)