CASABLANCA: SPECIAL EDITION
A film review by Scott Renshaw
Copyright 1997 Scott Renshaw
(Warner Bros.) Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Dooley Wilson. Screenplay: Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, with additional material. Director: Michael Curtiz. MPAA Rating: PG (adult themes, Nazis) Running Time: 111 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
I suppose it was inevitable given the confluence of trends. The surprising success of THE ENGLISH PATIENT, culminating in its sweep of the 1997 Academy Awards, proved that there is an audience for sweeping period romance with a political dimension; the phenomenal success of the STAR WARS re-release demonstrated that there was an audience for re-worked versions of classic films. Warner Bros. claimed that this "definitive" version of the legendary 1942 film CASABLANCA has been in the works for a while to coincide with its 55th anniversary, but the timing seems a bit too convenient. Whatever the reasons and however the suits at Warners might be trying to spin it, this re-release probably strikes fear into the hearts of movie lovers everywhere, yet it need not do so. Under the supervision of the Warner Bros. marketing department, CASABLANCA has been updated with intriguing results, and may find a new, younger audience it never had before.
The story, of course, finds American expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) operating a nightclub in Casablanca during the Second World War with friend and piano player Sam (Dooley Wilson). Rick is content to let the swirling political events go on without his interference, but that is before, out of all the gin joints in the world, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) walks into his. Ilsa is an old flame, the one that got away, now married to resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) after leaving Rick at a train station in Paris. Laszlo is wanted by Nazi authorities, and the letters of transit obtained by Rick are just the ticket to get Laszlo out of the country. Rick must choose between honor, love and self-preservation as the much-desired letters of transit become the most wanted items in Casablanca.
The familiar story of CASABLANCA is quite enough to warrant another trip to the big screen, but the elements added in this new version make it perhaps even more compelling. Max Steiner's glorious score has been digitally re-mastered, providing a lush background for the film. New sequences include an additional exchange between Rick and rival club owner Ferrari (Sidney Greenstreet) which did not make it into the original version due to technical limitations. Greestreet has been computer-generated for this sequence, and the character provides an amusing reaction shot when Rick steps on his tail while moving around him. Dooley Wilson's famous rendering of "As Time Goes By" has also been jazzed up, given a more up-tempo arrangement and the addition of more background dancers. Most impressive is the final scene at the airport, where Laszlo's plane takes off and soon explodes with a spectacular corona effect.
A dozen well-known screenwriters have also contributed to this effort by providing additional dialogue and sub-plots which flesh out the story and characters. Joe Eszterhas gives Ilsa a new dimension by making her a predatory bisexual, fascinated by the innocent young girl whom Rick saves from the clutches of Renault (Claude Rains). Quentin Tarantino adds a few choice expletives to Rick's conversations with Renault and Ferrari, including an exchange regarding the racial politics of contemporary radio programs, while Carrie Fisher (who also makes a cameo appearance in a bronze bikini) gives Ilsa a few barbed comebacks to Rick's hard-edged reactions. The least effective additions may be those provided by Woody Allen, who makes Rick considerably less decisive when he consults a therapist before deciding what to do with the letters of transit.
Undoubtedly there will be film purists who consider the mere idea of such supplementary material to be a travesty, but there is a danger to such knee-jerk, reactionary opposition to the opportunities modern technology can provide. Perhaps the nay-sayers would have denied us the chance to see Fred Astaire tap-dancing with a vacuum cleaner, or Marilyn Monroe hawking Chanel No. 5. This is not your father's CASABLANCA; indeed it is something more. Sacrifice is for suckers in the 1990s, and this version acknowledges that reality when Ilsa slips out through the cargo hold after planting the bomb which sends Laszlo to the only place where resistance genuinely is futile. CASABLANCA: SPECIAL EDITION will only be available in major markets to begin with, which is a true shame. Perhaps intense support in cities will allow others the chance to see the problems of two people amounting to a hill of beans, and a pile of money.
Happy April Fool's Day.
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