As long as they don’t try to remake Casablanca I’ll be happy. Even Spielberg needs to leave it as is,there aren’t any actors today that could replace Bogey and Bergman. Not even close!

Casablanca becomes an even greater classic every day...as time goes by.

The perfect make believe night club. An owner who knows your name, cool music, gambling, petty criminals everywhere. Perfect.

"I love you." "I know." One of the most famous exchanges in Star Wars, but spoken first in Casablanca.

Spielberg is right - the theatrical artificial sets, the characters that are symbolic and archetypal, the fact that it's in glorious black and white, gives Casablanca a mythic, fairy tale quality that transcends realism. This is why it will always be timeless.

Despite this being 80 years old, it remains one of my favourites. It has SO much to offer, and SO much to take away! The term “masterpiece” is often thrown around, but Casablanca is one of the quintessential movie masterpieces along with The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 12 Angry Men, Once Upon A Time In The West, and Seven Samurai to name a few :)

One of many things I appreciate about Spielberg is how much he values the importance of film music (hence why he always works with legendary composer John Williams)

I saw Casablanca for the very first time today. As a fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark since I was young, you can definitely feel the style and also some of the casting choices that were similar to both films. The sets as well. Both films are incredible masterpieces. I'll never feel the same again after seeing Casablanca. ❤

Casablanca, Rear Window, and Vertigo are my three favourite classic films.

Greatest film ever

With a cast to die for

I watched this for the first time a few years ago after always hearing about how it was one of the greatest movies ever. I was floored by how entertaining it still was ~75 years later. This movie has aged masterfully. I recently watched Citizen Kane, and can respect the hell out of it's craft, but I didn't find it to be nearly as captivating as Casablanca. This one is an A+ and truly deserves to be called a top 3 movie of all time.

I've watched this film several times over the years. The fact it was shot on sets never ever affected the way I felt about the drama. It's one of those movies that when you realize it's over, you glance at your watch and wonder where the time went and you want it to go on for a while longer!

This is truly one of the greatest and best films ever made. Every time I see it I fall in love with it all over again.

Humphrey Bogart's monologue in the climax beat all climaxes of 30s and 40s

When Casablanca was in theaters; WWII was on but it wasn't over. Can you imagine how much more intense that would make the movie? Nobody at the time knew WWII would come out all right for the Allies, the USA, and really, the world. Watching it nowadays, knowing how WWII ended makes it a different experience.

A dance of actors and cameras...

Lump in my throat ,everytime l watch it...its damn near perfection ..just magical..

I didn't notice the theatricality of the presentation; it all looked real to me and the most memorable feature for me was the cool dialogue and Ingrid Berman's close ups.

When he refers to that artificiality of the scenes its absolutely correct. They're almost like comic book pictures where the background is artfully minimised to bring forward the focus on the cartoon characters. It brings them forward in a way that modern 3d techniques can. The use of light/shadow and black and white also gives depth to the images, bringing the characters talking to the forefront.

Spielberg you are so right!

It just proves that Casablanca is THE greatest movie of all time

Excellent cinematography and great love triangle story: "Casablanca" a movie like no other, ageless.

all time memorable classics. all the characters played extreamely well.😀

Michael Curtiz was a great director, if you look at his resume , it's incredible. He was as successful as Spielberg in terms of box office.

Spielberg is nerding out hard, it's great

He forgot to mention the dialogue; so witty and endlessly quotable.

Thanks STEVEN SPIELBERG. How fitting, Casablanca and E.T. are my two favorite movies I watch again and again.

Steven makes some great points. He's right actors make the film.

For several years I was teaching a grade eleven English course where we studied the novel called The Orphan Master's Son, which features very prominent references to Casablanca. I would show the students the movie. They generally seemed to like it and some of them seemed to love it.

One of my favorite movies ever

I just watched Casablanca again and it struck me as pure fantasy, as much a fantasy as the Wizard of Oz. Even the theme is the same, they're both about love and wanting to go home.

1:36 her tears in her eyes look, amazing and hypnotic - even in black and white, maybe even more so, in black and white !

Bogart`s Richard Blaine.... an imperfect man with a dubious past. But when it came down it, he found his better side & did all the right things out of innate decency & knowing the fact that Victor Laslo was a better man with grander convictions.

Casablanca works because everything comes together at just the right time for just the right sort of film for the time

Simply a Masterpiece of Cinema!!

A lot turned our just right on Casablanca: Curtis did a fantastic job, and so did the writers and actors. But having read up on the film a bit, I don't think Curtis was the unifying factor, since he was often one of the most confused on set, although he created magic with his use of dark/light etc. If we have to pick one person to praise for the "rock solid" feel of the final product it's Hal Wallis. He was the one in the whole studio with the most faith in Casablanca, he picked most of the people to work on the movie, and decided to add bits and pieces to both the beginning and ending last minute (including the famous "beautiful friendship" line) to make it all come together.

Update boys and girls, this movie makes the spine tingle and the heart take a leap.!!!!

A lovely summation by Steven Spielberg of the film CASABLANCA. However I was always told that the airport used in the film was the Burbank Airport which was in close proximity to Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank.

Did you know?? That the actor who played the German General was the basis for the Joker in Batman. He was in a silent film and Bob Kane saw the poster/movie and used it for the Joker.

Loved the film. What would Spielberg say about fog in the desert?

This was a great analysis.

Great photos of the sets from a perspective not seen in the film. You can see how there were small changes made such as a fence that disappeared and cars that changed positions.

Thank you for this.....

1:33 Seeing the board in this shot reading Casa Blanca made realise it means White House... I think.

Great points about a great film.

Steven stole that dramatic DUN DAH DUN DUN Daaaaaahhh entrance for the Nazi's in Raiders. Completely inspired from Casablanca

Probably my favorite

There was a longer video, of which this commentary was a part. It included contributions by William Friedkin and others and was very well done. I wonder what happened to it.

Casablanca WAS a broadway play, "Everyone comes to Rick's"

Love this film. It's a war movie, romance movie, even a comedy.

Listening to these types of commentaries on such films as Casablanca, I’m struck by how something that did not even exist a mere 50 years earlier can become almost a science, dissected down to its distinct particularities, and requiring time and discipline to master and understand. But I am also struck by how that mastery can then degenerate and turn what might have been an elevating and enlightening art form into mere entertainment that only stultifies the mind by those who own it but have not the enlightenment themselves necessary to utilize it in its best forms for the betterment of their audiences.

No Steven, it was the old Glendale airport tower not the tower at Van Nuys airport. And BTW, the building is still there but not the airport. It's on Grand Central ave.in Glendale.

The searchlight plays a role. Rick goes out to the balcony after hearing the truth from Lisa. The searchlight hits him. He sees the light. I told this to Mick LaSalle, our S.F. film reviewer, and he got angry. Because he hadn't thought of it.

"And I let her pretend"

Well boys and girls, there are two schools of opinion on this movie. It is the greatest movie ever made or one of the greatest movies ever made. I think it is the greatest movie eber made, everything thing works it doesn't miss a note. Yes there was a lot of turmoil around the movie it all turned out fabulous.

I swear to God I hope no one ever tries to remake this movie.

I feel Spielberg and Williams took some inspiration with their use of music in Indiana Jones, especially the Last Crusade.

I think Casablanca is the best movie of all time!

Excellence!

It is beautiful and contrived and you have to look at it. The colors jump off the screen.

Michael Curtiz was rather good at what he did. In my humble opinion.

Excellent commentary

What is the music called that is in the background of the beginning of this clip (from :12 to :50)?

Great movie

Does anyone know from which program or documentary was this segment taken?

where is this piece from?

Interesting how the less realism, and obvious theatricality increased drama and power of the story. Reminds me of Dr. Who. The Tom Baker years were the best. Yet, the sets and costumes looked like they were done by the local high school. It was obviously cheeky, silly, and fake. It was fun and charming. It worked wonderfully. Now, with CGI, Dr. Who is more detailed, and seemingly more realistic. But, that very realism takes away its innocence and charm. For me, the newer Dr. Who's are not as much fun. It was not just suspension of disbelief, but creation of belief - that I was a child once again. The new Dr. Who's deny me that.

My favourite movie is Gone with the wind and second is Casablanca both with a musical score written by the musical genius Max Steiner . Pity Casablanca which was intended to be a low budget B movie wasn’t filmed in technicolor...And i bet Warner’s rued this also in later years.

Absolutely loved Casablanca. Could anyone suggest similar movies as Casablanca from the same era? Thanks.

What is this from? I’d love to watch the whole thing.

Many people hope they don't do a remake of this film, well, a black director/producer has announced an all black remakes of The Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life, so , Casablanca and Gone with the Wind is not out of the question! Oh, and they're working on a remake of Singing in the Rain, too!

To appreciate the full genius of Casablanca, you have to watch it multiple times. The human mind is simply incapable of absorbing every line, every movement, every emotion in a single sitting. So, each time you watch it, you pick up meanings and nuances you missed in all prior viewings. For example early in the movie when Rick and Ugarte (Peter Lorre) are conversing in the cafe at Rick's, Ugarte says, "You despise me, don't you Rick?" to which Rick responds dismissively, "If I gave you any thought at all, I probably would." What an elegant, understated insult! Today someone would likely respond, "You're an AZZHOLE!"

Michael Curtiz may have been, as Olivia de Havilland once said, "a sonofabitch" ! But no director of Hollywood`s Golden Age succeeded so brilliantly in directing masterpieces in every genre - from "The Charge of the Light Brigade", to "Casablanca" and "Robin Hood" to his own favourite, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" ! You can stick your Hitchcock showing off his pretentious directing, give me Curtiz (and John Ford) every time !!

Way more movies should be in b/w..

Spielberg looks mad as a hatter in his old age.

The nazi music (Steiner) and the storm troopers in "Star Wars" (John Williams) -- same dramatic music.

A remake? Somebody will try … but there will be Brad Pitt realism, not “shameless theatricality.” See 2:19

This to "Must-Remember-This!"! I am sure for us Film OLDIE-LOVERS! A-Film watched over and Over again Why? Well Look here to find out! it is here to find why? A Classic To beat all Classics(for us Oldies) We must remember the "Massive talents" As 2-RULES-HUMANITY starts off with USA The Man/Woman as Leaders of The-Nation A Vote You Tuber remember-This-Saves US/ Do remember this! men/women GOVERNING thanks to publisher Oxyboldine

I like this movie cause Rick Blaine went from being kind of a douche who thinks so highly of himself to someone who cares for others and doesn’t always think about himself. By the end, he did the right thing and it was sad see Ilsa leave without him, but you knew it was the right thing to do

It's a classic because the camera moves and the sets don't look real .... I don't understand.

Nice comb-over, Steve

actually its all about writing. nothing else in this movie is so outstanding

Enough, already, with these endless, high-budget, low-intelligence "remakes!" There have been scores of Godzilla movies made, but none of them can compare to the black & white original (with Raymond Burr). Even the soundtrack in the original was better than all the rest. The same goes for King Kong. And while Spielberg's version of West Side Story was fine, it's still no forget no get out of

Speilberg would have suported the NAzis

An amazing film despite a weak ending

A bit overrated imo. Spielberg himself has made MUCH better movies.

"He was a unified field theory..." -- trying to sound smarter than you are.

it was about the writing guess who wrote it two black brothers Spielberg kept quite on that I see

I don't really care what Spielberg thinks about great movies, I want him to try harder or shut up. The full title was hidden and the small picture? Perhaps the guy on the right as an old man. "Saving Private Ryan" fans should watch "Atonement" to see how Spielberg cheated them. "Atonement" has NOTHING to do with war save the last few scenes yet the director cares enough to give you a sense of scale of the evacuation at Dunkirk. Spielberg, made a lousy "A.I." then spent time on one Press Release after another trying to get Stanley Kubrick, a dead guy, associated with the movie - excuse me, 'with the disappointment'. "Schindler's List" was also poorly done. The very moment that I am supposed to be the most sympathetic and tense, booby fan Spielberg shows me beautiful boobs center stage, beautifully lit. Perhaps Spielberg should not have ended his movie with Jews waiting their turn to put rocks they picked up at their feet to 'give' to the man who saved their lives or their family's life. Hate to think how that would play with audio. Finally, Reverand Martin Niemöller lived in Germany and was sent to Dachau. His very famous poem points out *"FIRST, they came for the Communists,* THEN they came for the Jews..." (and the Germans were far from done:Trade Unionists, Gypsies, Russians, Poles and so on kzfaq.info/get/bejne/adKKh7h1mdTbo5s.html *ACCORDING TO SPIELBERG, THEY WERE NOT WORTH A MENTION IN HIS MOVIE.* I _COULD_ go on but I don't waste time nor money on Spielberg.

Very much overrated, despite the beautiful filming.

Spielberg is one of the most highly over-rated directors of all time. His movies are propaganda films for dummies.

Little Jewboy Spielberg is about as masculine as Woody Allen-not very much more than Boy George! However he has produced some amazingly masculine movies. He is right on about the score from GWTW, the best movie ever made.

Overrated propaganda WWII, and sappy romance film ~

I have got really into movies from the 40s and 50s in the past 2 years (I'm only 22) I put off watching it for so long as I didn't know I would actually enjoy it but.. I love this film it is indeed timeless - I wish my friends would appreciate movies like these. My favourite scene is where they are singing 'La Marseillaise' the first time that scene played out I had so many thoughts and feelings rushing through me it was beautiful and tense. Bogey n Bergman are class acts!!