Casablanca (1942) (70th Anniversary Edition)

[MJD64]

The great setting, characters and lines from Casablanca are legendary. The themes of courage, honor, sacrifice and unrequited love are universal.

Anybody who doesn't, or can't appreciate Casablanca? It's their loss.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

This is a pretty sad read...

The End of a Beautiful Friendship: Why America fell for Casablanca, and why the classic film is losing its hold on movie lovers. (Slate Magazine article)

I've always thought of this film as a timeless and wonderful story with an appeal that should span through the ages.

The article states that the shadow of World War II is fading, and that the movie's appeal is fading along with it. I guess that the silver lining behind the third world war that I suspect will happen in the not-too-distant future is that it will likely rekindle the ideal mode of thinking for this film.

Yeah, the article states that but it doesn't really make much of an empirical case for that claim. Don't get me wrong, I share the intuitive belief that classics that were once universally admired (if not outright adored) are losing some of their luster but at the same time I can't help but wonder how much of that is me muttering 'these kids today' under my breath.

They point to the fact that Casablanca has slipped on IMDB from 4th to 34th place as evidence of some precipitous decline. Me? I'm actually kind of heartened by the fact that it's on there at all let alone in the top 50.

Given the broadly populist click-bait nature of something like the IMDB Top 500 the fact that films like Casablanca are still hanging in there suggests they might be a little more enduring than the overall tone of the article suggests.

[imsounoriginal]

So why is the movie losing its hold on modern audiences? (article's too long)

[octagon]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

So why is the movie losing its hold on modern audiences? (article's too long)

You might have just answered your own question

[MassiveMovieBuff]

One thing is for sure. I will always love this film and it will never lose anything with me.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by octagon

Yeah, the article states that but it doesn't really make much of an empirical case for that claim. Don't get me wrong, I share the intuitive belief that classics that were once universally admired (if not outright adored) are losing some of their luster but at the same time I can't help but wonder how much of that is me muttering 'these kids today' under my breath.

I don't think it's to do with the distance of WWII specifically -- the themes of Casablanca are universal, and not tied solely to that time or place -- so much as the growing trend in younger generations to only place value or interest in things that occurred within their individuals' lifetimes or with which they share direct personal experience. If you look through the discussions on IMDb (oh, we can't anymore, can we?! ), this is (was!) a frequently-recurring sentiment.

So yes, I'm clearly muttering as well, but I also think it's an objective reality.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by octagon

You might have just answered your own question

But I love me some 'blanca, I don't have an attention span prob- I'm already bored of typing this.

[whiteberry]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

This is a pretty sad read...

The End of a Beautiful Friendship: Why America fell for Casablanca, and why the classic film is losing its hold on movie lovers. (Slate Magazine article)

Obvious clickbait is obvious

[octagon]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

I don't think it's to do with the distance of WWII specifically -- the themes of Casablanca are universal, and not tied solely to that time or place -- so much as the growing trend in younger generations to only place value or interest in things that occurred within their individuals' lifetimes or with which they share direct personal experience. If you look through the discussions on IMDb (oh, we can't anymore, can we?! ), this is (was!) a frequently-recurring sentiment.

So yes, I'm clearly muttering as well, but I also think it's an objective reality.

Yeah, I get that. But at the same time, I'm not sure my (for instance) 20 year old nephew is any more self-absorbed than I was at that age. In fact, I'm not even sure that's possible

I grew up watching 40s detective dramas and WWII movies and westerns not because I was so open to other experiences and other eras but because that's all that was on at 2am back then.

If films like Casablanca are not as much a part of the national consciousness as they once were (and that case can probably be made) it probably has more to do with exposure than any substantive change in the way current generations look at older films.

Sure, there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that 'these kids today' won't watch black-and-white movies or movies made before they were born but people have been making that case for a long time. Case in point: the Great Colorization Kerfuffle of the late 80s. Ted Turner's main rational for wanting to colorize the classics in his library was that a lot of (mainly younger) viewers would just blow past B&W movies while channel surfing. That was almost thirty years ago.

There might be something to this current round of handwringing but Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon have won over one generation after another and I'm fairly confident (or at least optimistic) they'll win over my nephew one of these days too.

Originally Posted by whiteberry

Obvious clickbait is obvious

No, it's actually a pretty interesting read.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

This reminds me of negative things I've read about newer generations finding John Carpenter's Halloween boring but will always be the greatest horror film ever made in my book.

[imsounoriginal]

I've tried showing Aliens to some friends and while they've liked it, they all thought it started off WAY too slow. I can't understand that.

Weirdly, they never had a problem with Alien, though. I always thought that movie was much slower (but not in a bad way).

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by octagon

They point to the fact that Casablanca has slipped on IMDB from 4th to 34th place as evidence of some precipitous decline. Me? I'm actually kind of heartened by the fact that it's on there at all let alone in the top 50.

Casablanca does not have any superheroes in it, and it was not directed by Christopher Nolan, so that's two big strikes against it with regard to its placement on the Internet Movie Database.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

I've tried showing Aliens to some friends and while they've liked it, they all thought it started off WAY too slow. I can't understand that.

Weirdly, they never had a problem with Alien, though. I always thought that movie was much slower (but not in a bad way).

Yeah that is a strange one. Aliens is nothing but absolute amazement. I do find Alien pretty slow though both in a good and bad way. Bad as I really don't care about any of the characters unlike Aliens where I care about everyone.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by whiteberry

Obvious clickbait is obvious

It's not that bad. Slate Magazine is a few steps above Buzzfeed and Upworthy.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Casablanca does not have any superheroes in it, and it was not directed by Christopher Nolan, so that's two big strikes against it with regard to its placement on the Internet Movie Database.

And not a single frame of CGI, which can only be described as a short-sighted production decision.

[anthonyls]

Originally Posted by InLikeFlynn

Let's be honest, the IMDB top 250 doesn't really mean anything.

I think we all can agree with this statement.

[baheidstu]

Casablanca is a great film but it could just be that it's a bit overexposed. It's the sort of go-to film for old classics and it could simply be that people are a bit tired of it. There are plenty of young film fans making their own discoveries and it could just be that what used to be a quintessential film is now simply one of many old films that people are enjoying.

[GeoffOliver]

I'm 22 and adore films from any era. I was a huge fan of "classic" (pre-1960) movies when I was 14, and Casablanca was my first Blu-ray. I always watch movies with an open mind, and I have no bias for any time period. There are even specific qualities of "older" movies that I prefer. It helps that I'm interested in film history and the filmmaking process in general. Even when I was 7, I watched a "Making Of" documentary about The Wizard of Oz, and actually thought it was interesting, even magical, to learn how that movie came together. I'm a dork like that, and it's a reason I'm interested in working/acting in the movies.

Also, I have the 2008 Blu for Casablanca. Would it be worth it to upgrade?

[kristoffer]

Is it worth the upgrade? I can only find it around 30 dollars and I have the original release. I am in the EU.

[kristoffer]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I think UK will finally get it this year, just like they got Citizen Kane from Warner last year for the first time for its 75th anniversary.

I hope you are right!

People talk of 4K, but how would this classic look in HDR?!

Has any black / white films been remastered in HDR yet? How would this work?