Your First Film Screening of 2017? Mine was "Casablanca"
Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 2:38PM Happy 2017, everyone! Dancin' Dan here, to celebrate how I rang in the New Year in cinema.
I personally opted not to go with any of the new releases, instead choosing January 1st to see a 35mm print of one of my Top Three films of all time, Casablanca. Apparently the print is making the rounds in honor of the 1943 Best Picture winner's 75th Anniversary. The timing, as always with Casablanca, is confusing: Casablanca premiered in New York in November of 1942 but it didn't become Oscar eligible until the 1943 film year winning the Oscar in March 1944 sixteen whole months after its premiere. Technically it's not quite 75 yet.
But never mind that, because Casablanca is always worth celebrating. It's so easy to fall in love with the shared beauty and charisma of stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and to applaud the film's witty, instant-classic lines. This time around, though, I was particularly struck by two things...
The first was the abundance of comic runners and side stories running throughout the film's first two-thirds. Truly not a second of screentime or inch of celluloid is wasted in Casablanca: We see the couple Rick helps win the money to pay off Capt. Renault no less than three times before she begs Rick for help, mostly in the background of scenes. The expositional dialogue is in part delivered by a pickpocket who likewise appears again, delivering the same speech and causing one of Rick's waiters to worriedly check all his pockets. Every character, no matter how minor, is so carefully thought out. The attention to detail in every corner is a true rarity.
The other thing that struck me this time around was Rick's character arc. You've probably seen Casablanca enough times to know that he goes from having an isolationist policy (in general, but especially when it comes to politics), to being an aware, active participant in what's going on around him. But in the brave new post-Election Day 2016 world, this feels especially resonant. None of us can afford to sit idly by when it comes to politics. We must stand up for what we believe in, for what is right, consequences be damned. This is what Rick learns for himself after Ilsa walks into his gin joint with Victor; some things are just too important. I'm not French, but every time Rick's regular patrons start singing "La Marseillaise", I feel a swell of pride. On this viewing, it very nearly brought me to tears.
It shouldn't be surprising that Casablanca remains relevant (nearly) 75 years after it was made, but I was surprised, just a bit, by just how relevant I found it. Turns out, it was a perfect movie to start this year with, for reasons I wasn't expecting.
How did you start off your cinematic year? Who's your favorite minor character in Casablanca?
Reader Comments (38)
I was watching KRISHA as the clock struck midnight....so I guess that counts. Then I had nightmares about it in my sleep.
Saturday I had myself a movie day with three very different films.
First, I saw La La Land and am still putting the pieces together on why I didn't like it. Emma Stone was terrific and the cast did great, but other than that, I didn't care at all for the characters. Also that a white character explains what jazz is in front of a room of silent black folks makes me feel uncomfortable, esp after the 'wake the hell up, people' year we just had. Just felt like 'oh poor white people.' Imagine what the story and what numbers would be created if there were more ethnicities involved.
I then saw Capt American Civil War on Netflix, which was my fav MCU movie since the first Avengers.
And then capped if off watching Nocturnal Animals, which I agree on every single thing Nathanial and co. have said about it.
Still need to see Moonlight, Manchester and Hell on High Water and then I'm good!
(Also saw Jackie this weekend and it was incredible! Natalie or Amy FTW)
Rang in the new year with 20th Century Women. My what a great way to start my year. New Years Resolution: Ask myself "What Would Dorothea Do"
I watched The Hunt for the Wilderpeople on Netflix, followed by Shadow of a Doubt, which I had recorded on TCM.
The former was fantastic -- one of my favourites of 2016 thus far, kind of a more naturalistic Wes Anderson style. The latter had a great Teresa Wright performance, but the plotting is absurd, and so the movie didn't work for me.
I haven't been to the theatre yet, because the Christmas/New Year's scheduling at my cineplex has been abysmal. But there's light at the end of the tunnel, as La La Land is coming in this Friday.
I kicked the year off with The Illustrated Man starring Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom. A little overly ambitious for what it was able to achieve but an interesting film.
Followed that with Kate Winslet's The Dressmaker. Kate was marvelous but the film was only okay.
Favorite minor Casablanca character is a tough one. I'm torn between S.Z Sakall's waiter Carl and Sydney Greenstreet's Signor Ferrari but I'm going with Leonid Kinskey's Sascha the bartender.
Mine was a second viewing of MOONLIGHT! We both started off 2017 correctly, sir
Yesterday I saw Jackie, and by golly, does Natalie Portman surpass her work in Black Swan by leaps and bounds. It's always refreshing to see a biopic that captures a single moment in a person's life instead of opting for the formulaic born-lived-faced hardship-overcame adversity-became legend structure. Sometimes we learn all we need to know about that person with that one event.
I just watched Working Girl on Netflix. It wasn't bad, but the ONLY important nomination I really understand is the one for Weaver. The script is workmanlike, but often VERY QUESTIONABLE. It's implicit handling of the very 80s "Japanese Businessman" undercurrents is the most troubling you can get (off screen boogieman we must escape) before diving straight into Gung Ho territory. Die Hard actually approached sympathy and nuance in that regard, and it was theoretically just a dumb action movie. The direction is equally workman like. I mean, not bad, but not "special" (think Virginia Woolf, The Graduate or Silkwood), especially for Mike Nichols. Joan Cusack's big "clip" moment, that probably got her the nomination, is confused dog crap (she A: Supports the cheater, B: Says that she's just fooling herself in spite of being VERY successful at it so far, and C: she's still somehow counted as a friend of the main character after that. Now reverse the genders and realize how bad a scene that did all three of those sounds.) that no one had a chance of saving. And Griffith? Okay. Doesn't derail the movie, but, like the movie as a cohesive picture, not worth the nomination. The un-nominated Harrison Ford's pretty good, and he probably would have been a better nominee than most of the actual candidates (especially the category fraud of Kline's win), but that's the way the omelette went that year.
Saw La La Land. It was fine! The beginning and end were pretty great, but there just isn't that much meat to it. Also, it was a bit awkward to see background and side characters be better dancers and singers than the 2 main characters. Cinematography and costumes were great, as was Emma. I'd be disappointed if she wins for this though.
I saw Spotlight for the first time. I have avoided it because of the subject matter. I liked it very much, though. The tone reminded me of All the President's Men, but I'm sure the similarities have been pointed out a billion times.
It was also a good reminder, in the midst of awards season, that films - Eureka! - are more important than awards. And that the line between nominated and "snubbed" performances is such a crude construct. A great performance is a great performance is a great performance and it will be enjoyed as such, awarded or not. Period.
Not that this insight will make me any less agitated on Oscar morning. But it was a moment of clarity and nice while it lasted:)
mikenewq: That's...you've got to be freaking KIDDING me, right? Gross. I'm white, but...gross that anyone thinks that should be palatable in 2016.
Yet another La La Land filmgoer here. I keep trying to process my feelings of disappointment about it. I wish the songs were better... I don't see a "Save Me" or "Falling Slowly" here that we'll remember in 10 or 15 years. I also found it hard to care about the plot. Such small stakes (and corny jokes).
Watched The Fits via Amazon Prime. Such an incredible film and lead performance.
First film screening of the year? Love and Friendship, followed by The Girl on the Train.
No one warned me that Lady Susan, as played by Beckinsale, is kind of a sociopath. Which I loved. In fact, I loved the film unreservedly. One nice touch is how the actual love story happens almost entirely offscreen, reducing Manwaring to an homme fatale/love interest, i.e., the traditional female role.
It's nice to see a performance like Blunt's recognized (SAG), but the whole thing is one of those movies I studiously avoid: obvious, exploitative, useless. (Between this and Florence Foster Jenkins, Rebecca Ferguson had a year of being the girl you don't talk about in films you talked about. But it looks like she's going to blow up in 2017.)
My first feature film this year that I watched in full was Blue Jay. The film was hindered by its short length along with its screenplay. But the one person who makes it entirely watchable is Sarah Paulson who makes a strong case for why she should not only be in more movies but why she should be a leading star. Even in the very first frame, she exudes such radiance even when she hardly says anything.
I... haven't watched a film this year yet somehow!
However, I did just buy tickets to see a 35mm screening of COFFY with living legend goddess herself Pam Grier in attendance!
Ok. Casablanca premiered in NY on 26 November 1942, but was only released in LA on 21 January, 1943. Hell! It was released even earlier in my city (Buenos Aires, Argentina) on 9 December 1942. That’s why Casablanca was eligible for the 1943 Oscars. If it had had a 7-day run or had been released in LA during 1942 it would have competed the year before. So let’s play this game: how would have Casablanca fared in 1942? Let’s take a look at Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Supporting Actor.
BEST PICTURE: There were 10 Best Picture nominees. No problem there. It would have displaced maybe 49th Parallel or The Pied Piper. But, would it have prevailed over Mrs. Miniver for the gold? I say no. The anti-war, home-front theme was very predominant at the time.
BEST DIRECTOR: The nominees were William Wyler (for Mrs. Miniver), the winner. Then there were Sam Wood, Mervyn Leroy, John Farrow and… our Michael Curtiz, who was nominated for Yankee Doodle Dandy. I believe he would have been nominated for Casablanca instead, but would not have won. This was Wyler’s 5th nomination (4th in a row!) and no Oscar yet. He couldn’t miss it.
BEST ACTOR: This is a tough one. The nominees were James Cagney (the winner), Ronald Colman, Walter Pidgeon, Gary Cooper and Monty Wooley. Bogart would have taken Wooley’s place (Wooley was up for The Pied Piper), but Cagney would still have won the Oscar.
BEST ACTRESS: Another difficult choice. Nominees: Greer Garson (the winner), Davis, Hepburn, Rosalind Russell and Teresa Wright. Bergman would have been there instead of Russell (My Sister Eileen), but Garson would have won in her 3rd try. To be taken into consideration: Bergman was actually NOT nominated for Casablanca. She was nominated instead for For Whom the Bell Tolls.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: In this game we’re playing Claude Rains very probably would have received the Oscar that eluded him in spite of his four nominations. The nominees in 1942 were Van Heflin (the winner), William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Morgan and Henry Travers. He would have likely taken Frank Morgan’s spot (for Tortilla Flat), and Rains would have taken the Oscar home!
One note about Screenplay. The categories were different, but Casablanca would have competed with the one film to beat: Mrs. Miniver!
I watched The Nice Guys for my first of 2017 and just did not like it. Not the film for me. It wasn't bad. I'm just not the target audience for that kind of story. Crowe is great in it. That's about it for me.
Theatrically, it was Rogue One and I enjoyed it enough. I'm not a Star Wars super fan, but I dip in occasionally. It was a good popcorn film and had enough costume porn to keep me interested the whole damn time. Whoever designed the villains ever-flowing cape is a genius. GENIUS.
Denny: That’s a lovely write-up of Casablanca. And what a start to the film-viewing year! For the record, my favourite line – in a film of outstanding lines – is “That is my least vulnerable spot.” Those of you who know the film will know what Claude Rains is replying to when he says that.
The first film I watched this year was Jaws 2. Got the Blu-ray (along with 3 and the Revenge) for Christmas. Hadn’t seen 2 for a number of years. It’s fun. Not as good as the classic original – but good in its own right. Entertaining, humane, and passed the time most entertainingly!
Volvagia: Working Girl was a very big deal when it came out. I never quiiite got why…although I do like it. I do think it has a sort of mainstream power. And I think Nichols got his nomination for his pacing of the farce and for the way he stages the comic performances and gives them each lots of 'moments'.
Gena: I watched Spotlight over Christmas on Amazon Prime. I’d seen it in the cinema when it first came out, so this was my second time. I like it a lot. There are some similarities with All the President’s Men, but All the President’s Men is a much snappier film – more wit, more attitude, more ‘show’, Spotlight is low-key, sober, mature…and excellent for it. I was reminded how good all the performances are. Even Ruffalo, who got mixed reviews when it came out, seemed much better this time – intense and driven. And McAdams is excellent – subtle and dedicated.
Roger: I am turning green with envy! I’ve got Foxy Brown on my shelf ready to watch for the first time – can’t wait – but Pam Grier in person? That’s cool!
I took kids to see "Moana" which was nice but a bit long
Volvagia: That's just how I felt when I saw the film. My peers and I all felt the same way, but hey, we are all entitled to our opinions. I thought the cinematography was terrific and the extras/dancers were all wonderful. Happy New Year!
Watched "Postcards From the Edge" and, beyond being an emotional experience given the news, I was impressed by how well-structured the film actually is and how wise the performances are. Funny and moving.
I saw 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles'
Fences for me. Washington was fantastic. But I still want Affleck to win. Sunday night we might see what happens.
On January 1, I saw The Girl on the Train lol
Emily Blunt is Phenomenal. Thank god she is at least recognized in SAG. Weird snub in the Globes. Wouldn't be really surprised if she sneaks in Oscar noms.
The movie is okay I guess, but the narrative is all over the place, not to mention those men UGH
Haley Bennet looks SO much like Jennifer Lawrence it's eery.
NERUDA. Certainly better than last year's first: WHERE TO INVADE NEXT. Yikes.
Edward L: I didn't hate it (on an A+-F grading scale, I'd say it's a B), but the valleys (ESPECIALLY the racial politics) keep me back from getting what was going on with Oscar going for it. Big holds up way better. A Fish Called Wanda holds up better. Bull Durham holds up better. So, why?
The first film I saw this year is a re-watch of What We Do in the Shadows. I don't remember what happened because one of the vampires hypnotized me and I don't remember what happened....
"La La Land" was slight but La La Lovely!
La La Land
Enjoyed it. A big improvement on Whiplash. The technicals are flashy, songs OK. Can see how it will win the Oscar because of the whole show biz, artists struggling theme. Chazelle owes Gosling and Stone big time. Their chemistry almost justifies the length.
FENCES for me. A good one to begin the year. There is no way Viola Davis is not winning that Oscar, esp. if she goes in supporting actress. I think Denzel will get his, too (acting, not directing, not that he does a bad job with the latter - he mostly stays out of the way of the play).
And my favorite minor character in Casablanca is Peter Lorre as Ugarte.
I kinda wish tt Bergman was nom for this rather than For Whom the Bell Tolls, althot I knew her Maria was a more showy juicy oscar baity role than her lovelorn Ilsa.
Bergman was perplexed by the adoration showered on Casablanca as she din get along w Bogart n din tink her part or the movie matters much.
There's an amusing story tt she was initially grateful tt pple actually rem this film after so many yrs, to annoyance tt they rem notink else! Lol
"Other People" - good, well-written, well acted. But I wish the focus was more on the parents than the actual protagonist as they were far more interesting. The supermarket nervous breakdown scene was very well executed though.
My family watched The Bells of St Mary's on Christmas--it's a tradition. Ingrid is so wonderful in this. Her last scenes burn in the memory.
Loved your write up of Casablanca, a timely reminder of what it means to stand up to right wing dictatorships. After Bergman & Bogart my favourite is Claude Rains. His delivery of "I'm shocked, shocked that there is gambling in this establishment".
I rang in the new year watching "The Crown". Claire Foy and the whole panoply of British actors make it irresistible.
Edward L - Yes, I believe you're right. I haven't seen ATPM in many years and the scenes that come back to me all include sober men in shirts flipping through notepads and discussing strategy in a newspaper setting. The rest of it has faded. High time to see it again, apparently.
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.' It really got me this viewing.