“Probably 95 percent of the things that are written never get on the screen.” Joseph Wambaugh, an American writer.
The number of scripts that get on the screen and have merit seems to have diminished in my lifetime. I don’t know why but it seems like finding a good film is a bit like a day my spouse and I walked the beach in a rainy windstorm against the wind.
Are you having the same problem?
This is a superb film now streaming on Amazon Prime. It is first rate in every aspect of filmmaking and accurate as to this wonderful writer/apologist. The movie is a real treat for the holidays. Try not to miss the streaming video if CS Lewis’ writing has been central to your journey.
My only regret is that it only lasts 73 minutes. Some most engaging Christmas gifts come in small packages.
On the 13th of November, it will be 78 years since the premier of the film Casablanca in New York City.
It is arguably, the finest movie I have ever seen.
The film mixes two strong human passions, the need for justice and the sparks of young love. The key characters are Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman, Victor Lazlo, her husband, played by Paul Henreid, and Rick, Ilsa’s “first love”, played by Humphrey Bogart.
The justice is expressed in the strong anti-Nazi feelings in Rick’s Cafe. All but the Nazis in the café sing the French national anthem despite the hated Nazi presence. Ironically many of those who play Nazis in this film from the early 40s are Jews, who, had escaped the Holocaust
Equally engaging is the love between Rick and Ilsa. It is a love that has never died despite Ilsa’s marriage to Victor, a hero of the resistance. Rick tells Ilsa in the final, airport scene, that, their love is of little consequence in a war-torn world, where her brave husband must escape Casablanca with her. But, Rick reminds Ilsa, “We will always have Paris.”
The film speaks to our first love, the illusory one with few conflicts and no children, mortgages or financial shortfalls. It is that part of our lives to which “You Can’t…,” in Thomas Wolfe’s words,”… Go Home Again.” We were but puppies.
Rick and Ilsa’s love gives the film an incandescent quality enriched by their song, As Time Goes By. It shines even more fully in the distinctive black and white images of the film.
The Academy Award for Best Picture was no accident. This is a film which is unforgettable in its portrayal of heartbreak mingled ever so delicately with justice. It is a sweet, haunting melody that lingers on. It is a picture that took a piece of my heart.
Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey 