Director Michael Curtiz and Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bertman, and director Michael Curtiz going through script pages of “Casablanca” (courtesy of the Lucas family)
The following are excerpts from Alan K. Rode’s book “Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film” used with permission from the author
Success has many fathers and none more so than “Casablanca,” the most enduringly popular movie in cinema history. From Jack Warner and Hal Wallis tussling over the 1944 Best Picture Oscar, to both men claiming exclusive credit for creation of the film in their memoirs, to the different screenwriters and other participants weighing in with their varying recollections, and the numerous books and essays detailing and debunking every possible aspect of the film, one thing remains certain: decades later, everybody involved with the making of “Casablanca” still wanted to come to Rick’s.
Director of Photography Arthur Edeson setting up a shot of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman on the set of “Casablanca”
Despite the voluminous historiography, “Casablanca” remains worthy of reexamination. The film was the product of some of the best Hollywood talent of 1942, working at peak pitch on what was thought to be just another picture. Shortly before producing his final film “Rooster Cogburn,” in 1975, Hal Wallis remarked about “Casablanca:” “We started out to make a good picture. We never dreamed it would become a classic.”
CURTIZ AND producer Hal Wallis:
As the Epstein twins began work on the script, Wallis sent an outline to William Wyler in Sun Valley, where he was vacationing and playing gin rummy with Darryl Zanuck. After not receiving any interest from either Wyler or Sam Goldwyn for a loan of the director, Wallis sent the play to Curtiz, William Keighley and Vincent Sherman. Sherman responded that he would love to direct “Casablanca,” but the producer opted for Curtiz. Curtiz was captivated by the dual concepts of the war and the relationship between Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund. He immersed himself in preproduction planning with Wallis.
Director Michael Curtiz and Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa Lund) developed a mutual admiration during the filming
CURTIZ AND Humphrey Bogart:
…Bogart hadn’t required a lot of preparation during the long years of collapsing on Warner soundstages after being shot with blanks. Curtiz would direct Bogart differently from when the actor played heavies for him in “Kid Galahad” (1937) and “Virginia City” (1940). He allowed Bogart to find himself as Rick Blaine. Their professional relationship would evolve despite becoming strained by the end of the picture. Bogart loathed the director's verbal malice toward those who couldn’t fight back. Yet he had genuine appreciation for Curtiz’s abilities.
CURTIZ AND Ingrid Bergman:
Bergman didn’t have a clue what “Casablanca” was about, but she was immediately put at ease by Curtiz, who charmed her thoroughly. She later wrote, "I greatly enjoyed Mike Curtiz, who really taught me quite a bit.” Curtiz likewise admired Bergman’s concentration. She was also refreshingly absent the movie-star sense of entitlement.
Rick (Humphrey Bogart), and Sam (Dooley Wilson) in the iconic Rick’s Cafe
CURTIZ AND the script:
(Writer) Julius Epstein recalled the process of working with Curtiz on “Casablanca”: “Curtiz was marvelous on the visual side of directing. He knew just when the cigarette smoke should curl backwards; when to move; when not to move… We all knew, of course, that the night before the story conferences Mike would get his directions (regarding the script development) from his wife, Bess Meredyth, who was one of the great silent screenwriters, and then come in and tell us what Bess had said. But sometimes Mike would forget what to say!
CURTIZ AND the production:
The flourishes of Bergman knocking over the glass in the Paris cafe, the Vichy water bottle hurled in the trash by Rains at the finale, and Bogart’s curling cigarette smoke that precedes the flashback sequence underscore Curtiz’s brilliance. One of “Casablanca’s” most striking attributes is its exquisite imagery. Perhaps the most emblematic example is the initial interior sequence in Rick’s Cafe. It is a visual panorama of waiters with trays, patrons, and soldiers, all moving about or seated in the crowded nightclub in a faultless choreography of bustle. The sequence transitions from a closeup of Dooley Wilson singing into a dolly shot that reveals the darkly lit interior before dissolving into a quick series of shots of shady black marketers surreptitiously touting all manner of escape to a mixture of bewildered Europeans.
IN CONCLUSION:
Dooley Wilson sang about how '“the fundamental things apply as time goes by” but he could have been extolling Warner Bros. at its zenith: superb acting by charismatic stars, and supporting actors, efficient production, a timeless screenplay constructed by a stable of skilled writers, excellent photography and inspired direction.
“Casablanca” was a picture that key participants strove to improve until the last possible moment.
Alan K. Rode is the author of “Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film” (University Press of Kentucky, 2017). He is also the author of “Charles McGraw: Film Noir Tough Guy.” A noted film scholar, he is the producer of the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs, California, and the director-treasurer of the Film Noir Foundation. He can be followed on his Facebook page and on his website at Alankrode.com.
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Images used with the permission of Warner Bros for promotional purposes.