Casablanca

You might have been wondering when my namesake would finally make its appearance. The reasoning behind making "Casablanca" my fourth post and not my inagural one is this: movies to me are entertainment first and anything else they might be considered second. While I find "Casablanca" extremely entertaining, my overall interest and respect for it lies more in the realm of academic. "Casablanca" is, in my opinion, the greatest produced screenplay ever. Meaning pound for pound, frame for frame, what the Epstein brothers wrote, to what made it to the screen, is the greatest piece of cinematic synergy ever. Movies like"Ben-Hur", "Gone With the Wind", and "Singin' in the Rain" are more about the "show", they represent movie making spectacle, but mostly lack the intimacy that a smoky, black and white image can convey. "Casablanca" has become the definition of sophisticated Hollywood movie making. Because it lacks the spectacle and grandeur of movies like "Gone With the Wind" or "Ben-Hur", or even the cinematic sense of realism (i.e. the lack of any) of films like "Singin' in the Rain", "Casablanca" is the epitome of what could be produced on the backlot of a studio: pure magic. Just a great script, a talented director, and an amazing cast, nothing flashy, nothing big. Align these necessary ingredients and everything else, lavish costumes, sets, and colors, they just do not compare when you have a great story being told by a great cast and crew.

However the movie many regard today as the greatest piece of Hollywood entertainment almost did not happen. When discussing a movie like "Casablanca", which is as much a piece of Hollywood mythology as it is a tangible piece of cinema from 1942, it is nearly as enjoyable to simply get caught up in the behind-the-scenes lore, and "Casablanca", much like "Gone With the Wind", has nearly the same stranger than fiction story of its days in pre-production. Take for instance the original cast of Ronald Reagen, Ann Sheridan and George Raft as the three members of the central love triangle, Rick, Ilsa and Victor, respectively; a cast indicative of the B movie, conveyor belt aura that surrounded the film before the A list trio of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid stepped in. Or the fact that the script, now regarded as one of the greatest ever, was written almost entirely on the fly, with the actors getting that day's lines when they came to the set each morning. All that is fine, and makes the finished product even more remarkable, but when the finished product is "the greatest piece of cinematic synergy ever" it warrants mentioning too. (and yes, I just quoted myself) Initially Jack Warner envisioned the film to be one of many cheaply made studio films cashing in on current events, in this case Nazi occupied North Africa. The film was to be done quickly with a talented, but unheralded and distinctly non-star trio. However producer Hal B. Wallis, possessed with the same sense of scope as David O. Selznick, slowly convinced Warner to make "Casablanca" a priority, and as the budget increased, so did the star quality. Wallis even secured Selznick's star actress Ingrid Bergman for the role of Ilsa, proving that great minds think alike. All this, and yet not one mention of the actual film itself!

The first 20 minutes or so don't prepare you for what actually is to come. With the great, but completely unrelated opening score (a pulsing, pounding theme more suited to a jungle adventure, about a million miles away from 'As Time Goes By', the unofficial, but entirely apropos "Casablanca" theme) and a chase/shootout with the great Peter Lorre, the movie then down shifts dramatically to what it really is, a melancholy, bittersweet love story. The movie is almost Shakespearian in its dramatic intensity. Burned out cynic Rick Blaine, owner of the Cafe Americain, who "sticks his neck out for no one", is confronted with a dilemma he never expected: Ilsa, the woman who broke his heart, has come back into his life, with her freedom fighter husband, Victor Lazlo, whom both thought dead during their time together in Paris, and need his help. Rick does a lot of playing tough, playing indifferent, and playing depressed, but when push comes to shove, and Rick is forced to "stick his neck out" for someone other than himself, he does so, in spades, killing the Nazi Colonel Strasser and giving two priceless exit visas to Ilsa and Victor so they can get out of Nazi occupied Casablanca and back to Europe. In between is some of the best stuff Hollywood has ever put forth, including 102 minutes of classic dialouge (6 quotes from this appeared on the AFI's list of the top 100 all time), and 'As Time Goes By', sung by Dooley Wilson, which became a classic in its own right. And of course, the unforgettable ending: watching Ilsa leave his life for a second time, Rick and Louis, the cheerfully corrupt French lieutenant, walk off into the fog as Rick comments on the "beginning of their beautiful friendship"; really, the ending of a perfect movie.

Singin' in the Rain

Back when movies didn't have to worry about things like cynicism and snarky film critics and moviegoers, movies like this could be made and appreciated. You watch something like this today and it seems hopelessly corny, its tagline is "What a glorious feeling!"(!!), but still, as you watch it, if you are able to get underneath the levels of pre-conceived notions most people have when they watch movies today, you will not be able to resist smiling, singing and dancing. Everyone thinks they know what this movie is about: Gene Kelly is in love with some girl and he dances in the rain because of it. End of story. This is essentially what I thought for a good many years as well, but was, to put it mildly, pleasantly surprised when I found out that the movie actually has an ingenious and engaging plot. Most movie musicals, especially considering the time period, went light on plot, as more emphasis was placed on making the song and dance numbers stand out; everything in between was merely filler, a device to get from one set piece to the next. This is where "Singin' in the Rain" distinguishes itself above all other movie musicals. Thanks to legendary producer Arthur Freed, "Singin' in the Rain" is a fully realized film, not only arguably the greatest musical ever, but one of the greatest movies ever. Freed was a legend at MGM, demanding that his product be the best, and he made this happen by securing the top talent in every area, allowing creative geniuses like Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, Betty Comden and Adolph Green carte blance during production. Making a name for himself as a songwriter, Freed knew what went into making a musical picture, and thus he refrained from meddling, as so many of the golden age moguls loved to do, instead letting the artists do what they do. When the results are as great as "Singin' in the Rain", it is hard to argue with his methods.

Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) is a big star in silent Hollywood. He and his on screen partner, Lina Lamont, are worshipped by star crazy movie fans (another fad not unique to the later 20th century). At the after party for their newest picture, 'The Dueling Cavalier', the studio chief (an extremely benevolent RF, only in the movies) introduces the crowd to the newest cinematic technology, synchronized sound for motion pictures. Everyone laughs and dismisses it at first, but when the grosses for "The Jazz Singer" come in, RF decides 'The Dueling Cavalier' must be remade with sound. Needless to say, hilarity ensues. There is a wonderful scene where the cast finds all types of problems concerning the placement of microphones, and then there is the small matter of Lina's voice. Allegedly based on the shrill, Brooklyn-accented Clara Bow, Lina Lamont's voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Ignorant to all of these inherent problems, the cast and crew re-release 'The Dueling Cavalier' and the audience finds new meaning for the words "unintentionally funny". Don is depressed, Lina is indifferent, and RF develops an ulcer. However, Don's friend, and studio piano player/clown (again, only in the movies would a job like this exist) Cosmo has the bright idea to make 'The Dueling Cavalier' into 'The Dancing Cavalier'. But what to do about Lina's voice?

Enter chorus girl Kathy Seldon. After losing her job, thanks to the impossible Lina, Don and Cosmo convince Kathy to secretly dub the speaking and singing voice of Lina's character. Kathy reluctantly agrees, and during this time Don and Kathy fall in love. Two of the movie's greatest songs are featured in these few scenes, "Good Morning", and the legendary title number. However Lina finds out and she threatens to bury Kathy and the studio thanks to a loophole in her contract. This being a movie musical though, Don inexplicably tells the entire premiere audience who the real voice of Lina's character is, and the audience embraces her, which is apparently enough to shut Lina up and insure everyone their happy ending. The silly ending aside, this movie stands alone among movie musicals not only because of the classic songs, compiled from the MGM catalogue, but also because of the strong comedy which runs throughout. The early scenes of Don and Cosmo breaking into Hollywood are hysterical, Cosmo's song "Make 'Em Laugh" and Don and Cosmo's duet "Moses" are hilarious numbers, and even though she plays a tyrant, Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont does brilliant work (receiving the film's only acting nomination). There really is no area of the film that is weak. It can be looked upon as the crowning acheivement in the careers of everyone involved, even Freed himself donated his own songs that he wrote some 20 years before to the film and honestly, they never sounded better. This is THE movie musical of Old Hollywood.

Gone With the Wind

Just look at that poster. No studio in Hollywood would make a poster like that today, unless it was a spoof movie or parody. David O. Selznick didn't care though. He knew he was making the biggest movie ever. He knew he had Clark Gable, "The King", and an all star supporting cast featuring Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, and Thomas Mitchell, and thanks to the publicity bonanza surrounding the casting of Scarlett O'Hara (not just an innovation of the latter 20th century), Vivien Leigh was a star by virtue of just being cast. He knew he had a blank MGM check to adapt the best selling novel ever, an epic in every sense of the word, Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind", a movie which virtually invented an entire sub-genre: the epic romance. Everything from "Doctor Zhivago" to "The English Patient" owes this movie a huge debt of gratitude. There simply had never been anything as big as "Gone With the Wind".

So, is it actually good or is it just big? That debate still rages to this very day, and I have found myself having to defend it more and more to either ignorant or indifferent so-called "film lovers". Now I don't want to be labeled as a "film snob", but if you love movies, I don't see how you can not at least appreciate a movie like "Gone With the Wind", which is grandly entertaining on virtually every level. The film is as much a part of pop culture history as it is cinematic history, thanks to its eminently quotable screenplay, the soap opera casting process which fascinated an entire nation, and its inclusion on virtually every film critics/organizations "best of" lists. There simply has never been anything else like it. Clark Gable's Rhett Butler carries the film, playing the charlatan/playboy of the South, who is dashing, cunning, and handsome, all a little too much if you ask Scarlett O'Hara. Played by Vivien Leigh, Scarlett is a difficult role, because the part is a hard one to like. Scarlett is conceited, conniving, obnoxious and a brat. You hate her, yet she's on the screen for nearly all of the film's 239 minute running time, so when she launches her famous monologue "As God is my witness.....!" and reinvents herself as the heroine of Tara (her beloved family home) you start to feed more into her strength and cold charm, as she refuses to let the South's losing the war affect her or her family's well being any longer. Of course by doing so she alienates herself from virtually everyone else in Atlanta (by marrying for convienance and employing convicts to help run one of her mills) but by this point the audience likes her, because she's not the spoiled little girl anymore.

It is during this, the latter third of the movie, where, after much flirting and scandalizing, Rhett and Scarlett marry. Their happiness lasts for all of about 20 minutes in the film, before Rhett realizes Scarlett still loves Ashley Wilkes, a defeated and pitiful man, and this enrages him to no end. The shocking "marriage rape" scene, where Rhett forcefully takes Scarlett to his bed results in the birth of their child, Bonnie Blue. However, happiness was just not meant to be for the Butler family, and Bonnie Blue dies in a horse riding accident. Rhett is absolutely devastated, and focuses the majority of his depression on Scarlett, who never really loved the child. Rhett rallies himself though and makes the classic decision to abandon his loveless wife and marriage, leaving her with the "greatest quote ever", "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Scarlett again decides to return to Tara and the epic concludes. Until 50 years later when some garbage called "Scarlett", based on an oppurtunistic "sequel" was turned into a mini-series, where Rhett comes back and he and Scarlett live happily ever after, thus negating one of the greatest endings in movie history. Think about, when else does a man leave a woman, and you cheer him on!? Never. Stupid revisionist history. David O. Selznick was one of the true moguls of the time, daring to operate outside of the studio system, snatching up hot properties then forcing studios to give him what he wanted for a piece of the pie. "Gone With the Wind" was his greatest success, grossing an unprecedented (then and now) sum of $75 million in 1939 dollars, which translates to over a billion dollars today, or more than twice the gross of "Titanic". "Gone With the Wind" is also famous for, among other things, Hattie McDaniel becoming the first African American Oscar winner, taking the Supporting Actress prize for her work as the indomitable Mammy. There was also quite a stir when the owners of the movie house the film was to have its gala premiere in in Atlanta forbid McDaniel from attending, due to the Jim Crowe laws which were still in place. At great personal expense Selznick threatened to move the premiere if the owners did not relent, but McDaniel told her Selznick there was no need, his point had been made, and she withdrew from the proceedings. An unfortunate circumstance, but one which just adds to the legend that today is "Gone With the Wind".

Ben-Hur

While not my favorite movie ever, currently it resides at #6 on my all time list, this is a movie where I find myself (and Singin' in the Rain and Gone With the Wind) just completely in love with the Old Hollywood movie making magic that's on screen. I can only imagine seeing the premiere of this at Mann's Chinese Theater, or Radio City Music Hall. My mother, who got me started doing one of my movie geek obsessions, writing down the name of every movie I see in theaters, with the date, location, and principal actors, has this as the first movie in her first book....EVER. Ben-Hur! She was nine years old. My first movie, at a comparable age is An American Tail 2: Fievel Goes West. Terrible! This is why I needed to be born years before I was. But anyway, the movie! While films like "The Ten Commandments" and "Cleopatra" might be more extravagent, none of the period epics of the time were better than MGM's "Ben-Hur". Already filmed once before by the studio in 1925, as a silent spectacle the film is still quite impressive, the 1959 version gets the full epic treatment. A gaudy 212 minute running time, a large international cast, incredible sets, luscious Technicolor, all captured in brilliant MGM patented 65mm film. Producer Sam Zimbalist spared no expense (was any expense ever spared during the bigger is better 1950's studio filmmaking days?), setting up shop at the Cinecetta Studios in Rome, which to that point, had been used primarily as the home of Neo-realism filmmakers such as Federico Fellini and Vittorio de Sicca. Everything got big when Hollywood arrived however, and MGM's gamble to avoid bankruptcy (it would later succumb twice however) paid off with the first film to capture eleven Academy Awards: "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ".

Charlton Heston, who can be pretty cardboard sometimes, is dynamic. His clenched jawed passion and often times silly melodramatic tone are perfect here as the disgraced Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur. Messala, Judah's boyhood friend, now a Roman tribune, unjustly wrongs him and his family, forcing Judah into bondage in a Roman slave galley and imprisoning his mother and sister in the dungeons. After Judah refused to help Messala identify "enemies of Rome", or "patriots" as Judah refers to them in a great back and forth between the two men early on, Messala does not flinch when his word would clear Judah and his family's name of the alleged indiscretion. Thus, Judah devotes the rest of his life to exacting revenge. This being the 1950's, we see more of his "the rest of his life" than you would think. About 150 minutes later (after becoming a Roman citizen thanks to saving the life of a Roman general, Quintus Arrius, in a spectacular naval battle scene) Judah makes his way back to Jersusalem and takes part in, for my money, the best and most exciting action scene in cinematic history: the chariot race sequence. For years, this scene would switch from full frame to wide screen on both dvd and vhs (I believe the 4 disc edition has the entire movie in wide screen) and it is worth it! The sequence is captivating, and knowing little things about it make it even more intense, like the legendary Yakima Canutt's son actually going head over heels as Charlton Heston's stunt double, although rumors of a stunt man, specifically Stephen Boyd's double, being trampled to death in this scene I believe is the stuff of urban legend.

After this knockout sequence, in which Ben-Hur wins and Messala is killed, the story shifts back to a more somber tone: Christ's crucifixion. Earlier in the film, while in a Roman chain gang, Jesus encounters Judah and gives him water, a favor Judah returns while Christ carries his cross to Calvary. I always remember the line "I know this man" from this scene. Intercut during Christ being raised onto the cross is Judah finding his mother and sister, long since exiled to the leper community, and helping them through the crashing thunder and lightning. Finally, as Christ hangs from the cross, He grants Judah one final favor, healing his mother and sister. Film and religion scholars have debated whether or not this signifies a religious "cop-out", with the Jewish Judah undergoing a "Christian" reinvention. While there is definitely a strong subtext running throughout this scene, I think the point William Wyler is trying to hammer home here is one of faith. Judah's realization of the magnitude of his situation contrasted with that of Christ leads to his ultimate salvation: not beating Messala in the chariot race, but a reunion with his family. He had devoted his entire life to killing Messala, and while his mother and sister had never faded from his memory, he suspected them long dead and thus was able to concentrate solely on destroying Messala. However upon acheiving his goal he realizes that revenge is not as sweet as anticipated, even going so far as to pay his respects to the dying Messala, who perhaps saves his tortured soul by telling Judah that his mother and sister still live. With this news, Judah remembers compassion and love, and it is this that Christ rewards. Scholars can debate this all they want though, the fact still remains: "Ben-Hur" is the best epic film of its type, ever.

Intro to Golden Age blog

Hello to all. I haven't decided how I am going to format this blog, if I am going to write about a different classic movie each day, week, or whenever my mood suits it. But when coming here you can count on one thing: love of classical Hollywood cinema. I hope that you find this blog insightful, informative, and fun. After all, I don't think you would be checking it if you didn't already know what the name represents.