Very good! Just the excuse I need to own my own copy. Won't be in any shape to watch it again till near the end of the month, but have oh 75% confidence I can make it happen by July. Can you tell I'm at work?
I will definitely make time for this. Can you believe that I have never seen this movie? Since this next month is all about taking it as easy as I can under the circumstances, this is just what the doctor ordered!
Speakin' a buying movies, on the way home tonight I'm going to get a used copy of "The Warriors" for my son's birthday. I was all into it when it came out in '79. He'll be all "Wha-a-a?" and then I'll tell him it's based on Xenophon's "Anabasis" and he'll be all "Ye-e-ah, okay."
The first time I saw this movie, I had actually rented it so me and my girlfriend at the time would have an excuse to make out alone in the family room.
But we both got so into it from the beginning, there wasn't a bit of canoodling. I was shocked, shocked to find there was actually movie-watching going on in there.
Got myself to B-Buster today to rent this one (yes, Jeff, I am playing along ;). And since the DVD was shelved in the letter "C's", got an inspiration for an upcoming FFFC double-feature; Capote and In Cold Blood. Contrast, compare, discuss a bio-pic of the writing of the book that led to the making of said movie.
The greatest film critic ever, Pauline Kael, almost wrote a book about this film, and so obviously lesser lights have turned their attention on it down the years. every point of view has been espoused, but the main one seems to be that Rick is isolationist America faced with the dilemma presented by warring Europe: intervene or not?
In the beginning he refuses to take a position. Document thieves are arrested in his premises. He becomes aware of Capt. Renault's little sexual scam. He doesn't seem to care.
But then Ugarte asks him to hide the letters of transit, and for no apparent reason, and against what ought to be his better judgement, Rick agrees. At that point it becomes clear his isolationism is a pose, adopted in order to make his occasional resistance work more effective.
So the conventional wisdom about Rick doesn't stand up. Not does any other tacked-on theory, to be honest. That's because Casablanca is not an allegory, it's a love story. And it's a particular kind of love story: not boy gets girl, but boy has girl but lets her go.
That's almost unique in the history of romance, and that may be why Casablanca is such a famous film. It certainly explains why it's a film people like to see over and over: because only those who know the ending can get a thrill out of the airport scene.
I'll leave it at that, with my position: Casablanca is a cheesy love-story that pulls all the right strings. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not, sorry, a great film in the usual sense of that term.
14 comments:
Very good! Just the excuse I need to own my own copy. Won't be in any shape to watch it again till near the end of the month, but have oh 75% confidence I can make it happen by July. Can you tell I'm at work?
Hey, you can have mine.
Ooh baby.
Great idea. I'm all over this. I may even splurge at the Target and buy it, since we only own it on VHS.
I will definitely make time for this. Can you believe that I have never seen this movie? Since this next month is all about taking it as easy as I can under the circumstances, this is just what the doctor ordered!
Looks good. Isn't that the same cast as Wizard of Oz???? :-)
LOL Joe. Yeah, Bogie was the Tin Man.
I am pretty damn sure I can get this flick in a video store, but I should just buy it!
Speakin' a buying movies, on the way home tonight I'm going to get a used copy of "The Warriors" for my son's birthday. I was all into it when it came out in '79. He'll be all "Wha-a-a?" and then I'll tell him it's based on Xenophon's "Anabasis" and he'll be all "Ye-e-ah, okay."
Aww yeah, baby.
The first time I saw this movie, I had actually rented it so me and my girlfriend at the time would have an excuse to make out alone in the family room.
But we both got so into it from the beginning, there wasn't a bit of canoodling. I was shocked, shocked to find there was actually movie-watching going on in there.
Got myself to B-Buster today to rent this one (yes, Jeff, I am playing along ;). And since the DVD was shelved in the letter "C's", got an inspiration for an upcoming FFFC double-feature; Capote and In Cold Blood. Contrast, compare, discuss a bio-pic of the writing of the book that led to the making of said movie.
The greatest film critic ever, Pauline Kael, almost wrote a book about this film, and so obviously lesser lights have turned their attention on it down the years. every point of view has been espoused, but the main one seems to be that Rick is isolationist America faced with the dilemma presented by warring Europe: intervene or not?
In the beginning he refuses to take a position. Document thieves are arrested in his premises. He becomes aware of Capt. Renault's little sexual scam. He doesn't seem to care.
But then Ugarte asks him to hide the letters of transit, and for no apparent reason, and against what ought to be his better judgement, Rick agrees. At that point it becomes clear his isolationism is a pose, adopted in order to make his occasional resistance work more effective.
So the conventional wisdom about Rick doesn't stand up. Not does any other tacked-on theory, to be honest. That's because Casablanca is not an allegory, it's a love story. And it's a particular kind of love story: not boy gets girl, but boy has girl but lets her go.
That's almost unique in the history of romance, and that may be why Casablanca is such a famous film. It certainly explains why it's a film people like to see over and over: because only those who know the ending can get a thrill out of the airport scene.
I'll leave it at that, with my position: Casablanca is a cheesy love-story that pulls all the right strings. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not, sorry, a great film in the usual sense of that term.
I may have jumped the gun.
Casablanca is... cheesy ... not... a great film
It is SO OVER between me and Sour Grapes.
There's just no pleasing you, is there?
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