Video: “Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic”

A great 35 minute retrospective on one of cinema’s most beloved movies.

Scott Myers

28 Nov 2017 • 1 min read

Oh, to have eavesdropped on this conversation between Humphrey Bogart and co-star Ingrid Bergman.

A great 35 minute retrospective on one of cinema’s most beloved movies.

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the premiere of the Warner Bros. movie Casablanca. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre, the script has been voted the #1 top-rated screenplay of all time by the membership of the Writers Guild of America which is ironic because there never was a completed version of the script. This is one of many fascinating facts you can learn from watching this documentary about the movie’s incredible journey from inception to screen.

Seriously, Ronald Reagan was the first choice to play Rick, the iconic role Humphrey Bogart brought to life in such a memorable fashion.

Here is the 1942 Hollywood Reporter review of the movie upon its debut.

Some interesting facts about the movie.

A few behind the scene photographs:

Claude Rains, Bogart, and Paul Henreid playing a game of chess. Bogart was an avid chess fan.

Bogart and Bergman filming the famous finale in ‘Casablanca’.

Everything about this movie shimmers, but especially the dialogue, some incredible writing by credited screenwriters Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch.

What do you remember the first time you saw Casablanca?

Hat tip to The Playlist for finding the link to the documentary.

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