"Vive la France" It has been reported that French born actress Madeleine Lebeau has died in Spain at the age of 92. She was the last surviving member of the cast of the 1942 Hollywood film "Casablanca". This is a link to the BBC news report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36295621 Her best known line in "Casablanca" is crying out an emotional "Vive la France" after the singing of 'La Marseillaise" in Rick's Café. The Germans then asked the Vichy police to close down the café. It is arguably one of the most emotional scenes from a wartime Hollywood film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTsg9i6lvqU
I must be one of the few on here that had never seen the film from start to finish. Finally watched all of it on BBC2 yesterday. BBC iPlayer - Casablanca Dunno why I had never watched it before. I suppose it's because I'm not the world's biggest film buff.
Now watch A Night in Cassablanca and read Groucho's hilarious letter to Warner Bros when they threatened to sue.
"Dear Warner Brothers: Apparently there is more than one way of conquering a city and holding it as your own. For example, up to the time that we contemplated making a picture, I had no idea that the City of Casablanca belonged exclusively to Warner Brothers. However, it was only a few days after our announcement appeared that we received a long, ominous legal document, warning us not to use the name “Casablanca”. It seems that in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, the great-great grandfather of Harry and Jack, while looking for a short cut to the city of Burbank, had stumbled on the shores of Africa and, raising his alpenstock, which he later turned in for a hundred shares of common, named it Casablanca. I just don’t understand your attitude. Even if they plan on re-releasing the picture, I am sure that the average movie fan could learn to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and Harpo. I don’t know whether I could, but I certainly would like to try. You claim you own Casablanca and that no one else can use that name without their permission. What about Warner Brothers — do you own that, too? You probably have the right to use the name Warner, but what about Brothers? Professionally, we were brothers long before you were. When Vitaphone was still a gleam in the inventor’s eye, we were touring the sticks as the Marx Brothers and even before us, there had been other brothers — the Smith Brothers; the Brothers Karamazoff; Dan Brouthers, an outfielder with Detroit; and “Brother, can you spare a dime?” This was originally “Brothers, can you spare a dime” but this was spreading a dime pretty thin so they threw out one brother, gave all the money to the other brother and whittled it down to “Brother, can you spare a dime?” The younger Warner Brother calls himself Jack. Does he claim that, too? It’s not an original name — it was used long before he was born. Offhand, I can think of two Jacks — there was Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk”, and Jack, the Ripper, who cut quite a figure in his day. As for Harry, the older brother, he probably signs his checks, sure in the belief that he is the first Harry of all time and that all other Harrys are impostors. Offhand, I can think of two Harrys that preceded him. There was Lighthorse Harry of Revolutionary fame and a Harry Appelbaum who lived on the corner of Ninety-third Street and Lexington Avenue. Appelbaum wasn’t very well known — I’ve almost forgotten what he looked like — the last I heard of him, he was selling neckties at Weber and Heilbroner; but I’ll never forget his mother, she made the best apple strudle in Yorkville. We now come to the Burbank studio. This is what the Warner Brothers call their place. Old man Burbank is gone. Perhaps you remember him — he was a great man in a garden, he was the wizard who crossed all those fruits and vegetables until he had the poor plants in such a confused and nervous state, that they never were sure whether they were supposed to come in on the meat platter or the dessert dish. This is just conjecture, of course, but, who knows — perhaps Burbank survivors aren’t too happy over the fact that a plant that grinds out pictures settled in their town, appropriated Burbank’s name and uses it as a front for their films. It is even possible that the Burbank family is prouder of the potato produced by the old man than they are of the fact that from this town emerged “Casablanca” or even “Gold Diggers of 1931”. This all seems to add up to a pretty bitter tirade but I don’t mean it to. I love Warners — some of my best friends are Warner Brothers. It is even possible that I am doing them an injustice and that they themselves know nothing at all about this dog-in-the-Wanger attitude. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to discover that the heads of Warners’ legal department know nothing about this dispute for I am acquainted with many of them and they are fine fellows with curly black hair, double-breasted suits and a love of their fellow man that out-Saroyans “Dr. Gillespie”. I have a hunch that his attempt to prevent us from using the title is the scheme of some ferret-faced shyster serving an apprenticeship in their legal department. I know the type — hot out of law school, hungry for success and too ambitious to follow the natural laws of promotion, this bar sinister probably needled Warners’ attorneys, most of whom are fine fellows with curly black hair, double-breasted suits, etc., in attempting to enjoin us. Well, he won’t get away with it! We’ll fight him to the highest court! No pasty-faced legal adventurer is going to cause bad blood between the Warners and the Marxes. We are all brothers under the skin and we’ll remain friends till the last reel of “A Night in Casablanca” goes tumbling over the spool."
The movie wasn't supposed to be released until later, maybe sometime in January 1943 I believe. Warner Brothers decided to cash in on the free advertisement and publicity generated by the Allied invasion of North Africa, and specifically liberating the town of Casablanca itself. Movie reels were rushed to theaters around the country for the big release. I guess that the ploy worked out for them. I still watch it several times a year, and view assorted video clips on Youtube, especially the La Marseillaise scene in Rick's Cafe Americain. . Man the don't make'em any better than that anymore! I had the opportunity to see the movie on the big screen several years ago here in Baton Rouge. At the time, the cinema at Perkins Rowe were showing classic flix during the week at nights and on Sunday afternoons. And I was surprised to see that there were few empty seats when the movie rolled. Seeing it on TV just not do it the proper justice, and if any of you people get the chance to see it on the big screen by all means plan your day around it and take it in. You won't be let down. When they started singing La Marseillaise in the cafe, I started to jump up and sing along with them, but I didn't know the words or speak French. I looked around and saw some people were singing along, but not as enthusiastically as they were in the movie. Nobody jumped up.
Back in 84 I had a long weekend in Dubai, which in those days was a little different than the city of today. The idea of themed bars was just coming in and one hotel had a facsimile of Ricks Bar, complete with Afro American pianist. It made a nice change from dry Qatar but I thought that the very short Arab and very tall Australian just down the bar earnestly discussing how misunderstood Hitler had been were taking the Vichy theme a little too far!
I said exactly the same thing to my wife on Saturday when I spotted it in Sunday’s listings. A much vaunted classic from which I’ve seen clips and heard the famous, often misquoted, lines but never watched the complete film, so yesterday I did. Thoroughly enjoyed it, helped too by a most engaging ‘supporting programme’ on Ingrid Bergman.
See that's the thing. I've seen the film in various clips on here for years. Now I know how they all fit together.
I've seen the colorized (colourized) version back in the 80s when Ted Turner bought the rights to the film. Have to say that I did enjoy it and felt that having it colorized (colourized) did not take anything from the original as the purists screamed bloody murder that it would. Would love to see it again though.
On another forum that is a catch phrase The film is an absolute classic - probably one of my top 5 favorites and in terms of number of times watched. I have seen in the theatre - I would guess around 2003 or 2004, after it was remastered. Many of the European actors had fled to America for exactly the reason that the refugees in the film want to flee. My understanding is that when the woman Yvonne is teary while the cafe is singing La Marseillaise, that wasn't scripted, that was the actor's reaction in the moment. And so many of those little character parts are so well written and fun. "Boss! Boss, you have done a beautiful thing!" *mwah mwah* "Get off of me you crazy Russian!"
It is one of my favorites and I watch it quite often. There is argument as to whether or not it is film noir. My vote is yes, although it lacks a femme fatale, it has most of the other important elements. It also has Bogey and you can't beat that.
Once of my favs from Casablanca. "It's not so much that you're a parasite it's that you're a cut-rate parasite." and "what watch?" "ten watch" "such watch" It took me several years to figure out what they meant. I was about 10 years old the first time I saw it. And my all time favorite line from this and all movies.... "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" Man, the don't write'em like that anymore. Well, this is my all time close second best line from a movie. A true classic in it's own. And that movie was a great source of one liners as well.
The BBC have latched on to this thread because they are showing the film again tomorrow evening on BBC 4, always provided you still get BBC 4. Classic romantic drama. Rick's Cafe is a centre for criminals, refugees, resistance fighters and Nazis. Its cynical owner takes risks for no-one - until the arrival of Ilsa. 27 days left to watch 1 hour, 38 minutes On TV Tomorrow 20:00 BBC FOUR Credits Role Contributor Producer Hal B Wallis Major Strasser Conrad Veidt Rick Humphrey Bogart Yvonne Madeleine Lebeau Sam Dooley Wilson Director Michael Curtiz Victor Laszlo Paul Henreid Ilsa Lund Ingrid Bergman Capt. Louis Renault Claude Rains Carl SZ Sakall Sascha Leonid Kinsky Writer Howard Koch Annina Brandel Joy Page Ugarte Peter Lorre Berger John Qualen Broadcasts Sunday 15:50 BBC TWO WALES & WALES HD ONLY Sunday 16:20 BBC TWO EXCEPT WALES & WALES HD Tomorrow 20:00 BBC FOUR Ingrid Bergman Parkinson: The InterviewsSeries 2 Michael Parkinson looks back on his meeting with Ingrid Bergman - an actress he confesses to falling in love with the first time he saw her on screen at his local cinema. 29 minutes On TV Tomorrow 21:40 BBC FOUR More episodes Interviewer Michael Parkinson Interviewed Guest Ingrid Bergman Producer Annie Lewis Marffy Broadcasts Fri 5 Sep 1997 23:10 BBC ONE LONDON Tomorrow 21:40 BBC FOUR I have lost my BBC 4 HD after I have completed a retune. Why is this? | Help receiving TV and radio The biggest Ofcom project you’ve probably never heard of
But does anyone remember his signature line when he first got into acting on he stage? He bounded in through the French Windows, in flannels enquiring "anyone for tennis?"
