At 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 27, the Appalachian Theatre will host an in-person screening of “Casablanca,” one of the most enduring romances in movie history.
Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the film is set during World War II in Vichy- controlled Casablanca, where nightclub owner Rick Blaine must choose between a life with the woman he loves and becoming the hero that both she and the world need. It focuses on an American expatriate (Bogart) who must choose between his love for a woman (Bergman) or helping her and her husband (Henreid), a Czech resistance leader, escape from the Vichy- controlled city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Germans. The supporting cast features Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Dooley Wilson.
The original play was inspired by a trip to Europe made by Murray Burnett and his wife in 1938, during which they visited Vienna shortly after the Anschluss and were affected by the antisemitism they saw. In the south of France, they went to a nightclub that had a multinational clientele, among them many exiles and refugees, and the prototype of Sam. A Tangier movie theatre in Spanish territory filled with spies, refugees and underworld hoods, secured its place in cinematic history as the inspiration for Rick’s Cafe in “Casablanca.”
For audiences in 1942, much of the emotional impact of the film was attributed to the large proportion of European exiles who were extras or played minor roles (in addition to leading actors Paul Henreid, Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre), such as Louis V. Arco, Trude Berliner, Ilka Grünig, Ludwig Stössel, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, and Wolfgang Zilzer. A witness to the filming of the “duel of the anthems” sequence said he saw many of the actors crying and “realized that they were all real refugees.” Author Aljean Harmetz argues that they “brought to a dozen small roles in ‘Casablanca’ an understanding and a desperation that could never have come from Central Casting.”
Casablanca went on to win the 1943 Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Its reputation has gradually grown, to the point that its lead characters, memorable lines, and pervasive theme song have all become iconic, and it consistently ranks near the top of lists of the greatest films in history. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress selected the film as one of the first for preservation in the National Film Registry for being, “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Tickets to the in-person screening of “Casablanca” are $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 12 and under and are available online as part of the theatre’s touchless ticketing program online. Seating capacity in the theatre is reduced with reserved seating. Everyone, regardless of age, must have a ticket.
The Appalachian Theatre is committed to the safety and well-being of its community and will continue to follow the guidance of health and governmental officials in the development and implementation of COVID related policies.
You must be logged in to post a comment.