Casablanca--the Greatest Motion Picture of All-Time

How do you describe the best movie ever made? Sure it's easy to explain what makes the worst movie bad or the saddest film sad, but how can a person tell another person the sheer power of the ultimate film.
The answer is simple: you can't.
But I'll try.
Made in 1942 from Warner Bros. Pictures and director Michael Curtiz, Casablanca taking it's place among the elite films of Hollywood(or anything) was an accident. For the odds were against them in numerous ways. The cast couldn't be assembled, the sets were short of spectacular, and the film was shot with a script being finished as they went; but despite all of the meant-to-be textbook failings, the power of Casablanca still could not be dulled.
The casting was perfect: leading man Humphrey Bogart in the prime of his career, Ingrid Bergman perfect as always in every way, Claud Rains still everpresent in almost every timeless classic film, and Paul Henried sealing the deal. Their collective delivery of the most quotable ( directly from the film, from pop-culture and just adopted everyday phrases) script ever written could not have been more flawless if the film was retouched by airbrushers. But the true heart of what makes Casablanca what it is, is the story.
It takes place in the town of Casablanca where people trying to escape the horrors of the Nazis during the Second World War, wait as if in limbo, to see if they can earn an exit visa or any other means to somehow travel to Lisbon and then the United States. Amidst all of this is Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, a man who owns the most popular cafe in Casablanca, and the shaking up of his life quite symbollically reflected by the consequent state of the world, when the love of his life, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) returns with her husband, a freedom fighter Victor Lazlo (Paul Henried) who is the target of every pair of German eyes in Casablanca. The story of war, love, loss and friendship is not only immortalized by the Nazi-era surroundings but by just that: it's a story of war, love, loss and friendship-human emotion that will never grow obsolete.
Sixty-seven years after it's release Casablanca is still as fresh as it was post-release and continues to be that way upon every viewing.
Despite efforts to explain and convince it is impossible to make one understand why Casablanca is the masterpiece of all masterpieces, without viewing it yourself. Still, in all honesty never has there been another film that moves you, in every way, the way that it does. Watching it you are back in the War, in times of extreme peril and chaos, and never will there be another beautiful friendship like that between Casablanca and film history because it will forever be perfect--no matter how much time goes by.

The Swashbuckling Technicolor Wonder

Is it a coincidence that the greatest adventure film of all time has the word "adventure" in the title? Probably not, and it is, without any question the best ever in the swashbuckling genre. Out of Warner-Bros. from 1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood is the classic Robin Hood tale about the evil Prince John, played brilliantly, as always by the incomparable Claude Rains, unrightfully capturing the throne in place of his kidnapped brother, the beloved King Richard "The Lion-Heart"(Ian Hunter). But when Prince John and all of his Norman Lords start oppressing the Saxon people of England beyond counteraction, Robin Hood, played classically by Errol Flynn, steps up into the spotlight to fight the tyranny. The Maid Marian to Errol's Robin is Olivia de Havialland, and though of course their chemistry on(and speculatory off-) screen is luminescent, not just one aspect of this film makes it the masterpiece that it is.
The choice to use Technicolor for The Adventures of Robin Hood, is maybe, next to Gone With The Wind(1936), the most inspired and fitting way to showcase such a picture. In accordance with the look of the film, thanks to cinematographers Tony Gaudio and Sol Polito, the music is among the finest ever composed. From the first frame and the joyous eruption of the trumpets, Erich Wolfgang Kornhold's score is simple in it's composition but, more importantly, the most seamless combination ever in the history of cinema. The stunt work which was lightyears ahead of it's time is magnified 1000x by the lighting (most apparent in the classic swordfights with the projected shadows on the castle walls) and directing of William Keighley, and predominately, Michael Curtiz(Casablanca 1942).
But if one had to pick the true shining star of this picture, it would be the illustriast cast that deliver still one of the best esemble Hollywood performances after all of these years. The stars, of course, Errol Flynn (in his prime), Olivia de Havilland and Claude Rains. And the supporting cast: Sir Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisbourne, Alan Hale as Little John, Patrick Knowles as Will Scarlett, Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck, Una O'Connor as Bess, and Melville Cooper as the High Sheriff of Nottingham.
The true test of any adventure film is it's ability to engage the audience from start to finish. To get your blood pumping, your heart beating, make you laugh, make you cry, make you angry, make you sad, hold your breath in moments of uncertainty, sigh after every kiss of true love and smile until the very last frame. I do not know many pictures who can boast every aspect of the aformentioned but one I do know, The Adventures of Robin Hood, is not only the greatest swashbuckling-adventure of all time, but rightfully takes it's place among the best films ever made--and we are so lucky to have it.

Fan-o of Brando

It is impossible-simply impossible-to discuss the Hollywood Golden Age of cinema and not mention the man labeled as the greatest actor of all-time. Marlon Brando, an American Icon, is known as the Godfather to most, but his earlier work, circa the late 1940's throughout the 1950's, is what those attributions garner life from.
If one was forced to pin-point the power of Marlon stemming from a single picture, the task of choosing would be no easy one at that. His filmography, although not an extensive one, boast more than 30 feature films, ten during the 40's and 50's. Performances from A Streetcar Named Desire(1951), Julius Caesar(1953), Guys and Dolls(1955) and Sayonara(1957) marked his brilliance throughout his early career. But his genius is never clearer than when he's on screen in Elia Kazan's 1954 crime-drama masterpiece On the Waterfront.
Marlon plays Terry Malloy a former heavyweight prize-fighter who is unwillingly involved-through family and friendship-in a crime ring that controls everything and, to an extent, everyone, on the waterfront. When young Joey Doyle is murdered because of his courage to testify against Johnny Friendly, played by Lee J. Cobb, a series of reactions led by Joey's sister Edie's(Eva Marie Saint in her Oscar winning film debut) inability to give up looking for answers to what happened to her brother, forces Terry to make his own choices regarding morality, loyalty and love.
Describing Marlon's performance in On the Waterfront is unimaginably trying. All that is required is too watch his emotion and his feeling, but when it comes to analyzing and seperating the phenomena of his acting, it grows increasingly difficult. Marlon paints arguably the most genuine portrait of any character ever on film. But simultaneously when one is watching Terry, it is never forgotten that one is watching Marlon Brando. He throws himself completely into the role but never loses his persona nor his presence. In my opinion, a feat never matched; and that is what makes it incomprable.
The beautiful and talented Marlon Brando may have been rivaled by Lawrence Olivier for the title of greatest classic actor, and by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino for modern, but no matter who he's compared to he surpasses them unabashedly without contest-and will continue to unless we're blessed with someone greater who has yet to come along.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Burt!

When it comes to brute physicality in classic films the normal names that come to mind are Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., but it seems the only man who found the perfect balance between sensitivity, masculinity and power was Burt Lancaster.
Originally a trapeze artist in the traveling circus, Burt got his first crack at Hollywood in the 1946 drama The Killers, one film out of the only two successful adaptations of the works of Hemingway, and cinema was never the same again.
What sets Burt aside from most actors working at that time, was the intensity he brought to every role. It was not only his sex appeal, of which was probably what drew most to his features, but it was his passion that illuminated the screen.
When talking about Burt Lancaster it is impossible not to mention Fred Zinnemann's 1953 masterpiece From Here To Eternity, for it is this film that showcases Burt's talents at their highest point.
Set in the first few days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor at a Hawaiiann military base, From Here to Eternity is a character study that delves into the minds of the men and women who live there. Burt plays 1st Sgt. Milton Warden, a man overqualified for his low ranking position, who has a contempt for authority and who is in love with his superior's wife. Despite the refusal of technicolor, everything is far from black & white on the island. But despite the sea of stars, among them Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed, Burt shines the brightest--especially in the scene on the beach.
In portraying Warden Burt had to employ almost every human emotion: anger, jealousy, love, happiness, pride, shame and....drunkenness. Yet in every scene he never once let's his emotions run away with him, and this restraint is what makes his performance as masterful as it is.

Mr. Capra Goes to Hollywood

A director's aesthetic is established throughout their career. Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense and innovative camera angles, Billy Wilder truly understood all human emotion, David Lean was the king of epic pictures and John Ford knew how much a setting can impact a picture in every way. But unlike every other mainstream director, it is only necessary to watch one picture to comprehend the themes that drive Frank Capra--it's all about the American Dream.
Capra directed over 50 major motion pictures over the course of his 39 year long career and most of them focused on simple American ideals. Working hard, never forgetting the necessity of humor in life, and putting family first were major themes found in all of his films. What may sound redundant--the same themes over and over again is anything but in the Capra filmography.
Both tales of growth in popularity and the importance of never forgetting one's true self, Mr. Deeds Goes To Town(1936) and Meet John Doe(1941) but in true Capra fashion have very different means of getting to their happy endings. You Can't Take It With You(1938) and It's A Wonderful Life(1940), considered two of Capra's greatest films boast the importance of family and yet, again, do this in opposing ways. Yet when it comes to choosing the primary example of Capra's work one mustn't look further than 1939.
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington in addition to being Capra's best film is the epicenter of every theme Capra projected throughout his career. Jimmy Stewart plays Jefferson Smith, an idealistic young Senator who is picked to serve as proxy but thwarts those plans of the political machine. Abundant in Mr. Smith, is the importance of truth, family, honesty, hard work, love, justice and patriotism--everything that exemplifies the American Dream.
Although one film cannot define a director's career it does not take more than one viewing of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington to understand the purpose of Capra--to make good movies and entertain the American people.

He Made Hollywood So Glamorous!

Perhaps the biggest portion that defined the Hollywood Golden Age of film that has lost almost every bit of momentum as the years of cinema pass by is the popularity of the movie musical. During World War II, dramas were rare and though the few that were made were exceptional, audiences wanted folly and comedy and the studios obliged. Actors from Danny Kaye to Fred Astaire, and actresses from Audrey Hepburn to Doris Day defined what a classic musical should be, but the man who defined above all what it meant to smile through song and dance was the incomparable Gene Kelly.
Gene danced like no one else. He had a power, a masculinity that one could not even begin to describe without the accompaniment of his moves. Choreographing everything he appeared in, Gene just had a natural talent for understanding the body and what made it look beautiful on the silver screen. If it was possible to only look at one work that exemplifies Gene's talent it has to be An American In Paris from MGM in 1951.
Is it the best film Gene is in? Decidedly not. Nor is it the best musical that Gene did work for (that title goes to Singin' In the Rain(1952)). But what makes this the film to watch to understand fully the talent of Gene Kelly, comes in the last 17 minutes of the film--the infamous An American in Paris ballet.
Gene choreographed, directed, staged and danced every aspect of the ballet. It took $500,000 to shoot and one month to complete it-yet without it, the film is incomplete and simply, it is the best example of what dedication and art to the craft of tap, jazz and ballet the brilliant Kelly brought to every frame.
An American In Paris won six Academy Awards including Best Picture but the lack of a Best Choreography statuette did not hold back the recognition of the power that Gene brought to the screen throughout the film, and especially the last 17 minutes. The Academy awarded Gene Kelly with a special honorary Oscar for his work and sheer appreciation for what he did for movie musicals.
In my opinion: the most deserved award; and upon viewing An American In Paris, s'wonderful when Oscar gets it right.

Brunettes Have More Fun

Alfred Hitchcock's affinity for women with blonde hair was reinforced almost everytime his heroine would be on screen. Kim Novak in Vertigo--blonde, Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest--blonde, Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much--blonde, and of course, the luminescent Grace Kelly. But even among all of these beautiful fair-headed ladies, Hitch's favorite actress to ever bring enigma to espionage or sex appeal to suspicion was a brunette--the beautiful Ingrid Bergman.
Ingrid worked in three films for Hitchcock throughout her career, Notorious(1946), Spellbound(1945), and the lesser known Under Capricorn from 1949. In each Ingrid plays a strong beautiful woman with either a horrible past, a plagueing future or an inability to cope with and aliviate the present. She is a wonder to watch in Under Capricorn and alongside a young Gregory Peck in Spellbound but undoubtedly her best performance of the three is as Alicia Huberman in Notorious.
Now this being the second time spotlighting a performance from Alfred Hitchcock's near perfect suspense masterpiece is no coincidence. Rains and Bergman paint perhaps two of the most genuine portraits of any pair of characters ever on screen. Ingrid as Alicia, however, is the greatest example of her work as an actress. Her humanity, grace and comedy can be seen in any film but this role required what usually brought out the best in her and that is the demand for sex appeal.
It is funny that usually when Ingrid is mentioned she is considered one of the sexiest women of the Hollywood Golden Age, but rarely--very rarely is she portraying an overtly sexual woman. Her trademark is her subtly and what makes the roles Hitch cast her in so memorable was his ability to gage flawlessly, not only the overall compatibility between her and her characters but what she could bring to it with just a simple flick of her eyes.
It is not hard to describe other actresses from the same era in a few words, and with the accompaniment of a head shot understand the origin of such a description. Rita Hayworth can be described as vivacious, Grace Kelly as poised, Barbara Stanwyck as elegant and Katherine Hepburn as strong. Yet looking upon Ingrid Bergman it is almost impossible to comprehend her power in every area of femininity and grace, for the only solution is to watch her move and speak on screen, and then, like a waterfall, her talent rushes over you; for they just do not make them like her anymore.

What a voice! What eyes! What an arm!

It's no secret--the contempt Frank Sinatra had for: 1. doing scene rehearsals and 2. Marlon Brando, but when Ol' Blue Eyes discovered that Brando had been tapped for the lead role in Warner Bros. groundbreaking drama, The Man with the Golden Arm, his desire for the chance to play him was unbearable. The work Frank put into it, after winning the part, is reflected in every way, every second he is on screen. The result: Frank's only Best Actor Oscar Nomination and inarguably, the most powerful performance of his career.
For 1955, a mention of drug addiction in film was non-existent, but Director Otto Preminger turned the tumultuous effects of heroin into anything but discreet. Frank Sinatra plays Frankie Machine, an ex-convict card dealer who returns from prison back to his old neighborhood and habit. His wife Zosch, played brilliantly by Eleanor Parker, is bound to a wheelchair after a disasterous car crash at the hands of Frankie. Her main goal in life is to forever keep him by her side and at any cost, that drives him to get those fixes. As one witnessed Frankie fall faster and further down into the dark well past recovery, nothing could warn nor prepare you for the harrowing realism of addiction this film portrays. But the true shining light that comes out of this picture is redemption and the performance from it's star.
Frank as Frankie Machine is an example of acting at it's finest. As with any picture with Frank in it, the main thing noticed, apart from his trademark Jersey accent, is his realism. For this film, anything short of complete believability would cause it to fall, fast and hard, right on it's face. But Preminger and his illustrious cast, to the score of Elmer Bernstein, come as close to real life as Hollywood could.
Adding to The Man with the Golden Arm, in her best peerformance as an actress, Kim Novak brings such beauty and grace to one of the finest female leads ever written for the screen. She plays Molly, Frankie's lover who, despite her occupation and relationship standing is a beautiful, moral and kind woman. Kim's chemistry with Frank sizzles and one cannot help but love her and her charm.
Although The Voice overall is not considered on the same caliber as an actor as Marlon Brando, imagining anyone else playing Frankie Machine is excruciating. The Man with the Golden Arm may have been filmed in black & white but even through the grayscale, Frank's pain and passion behind his blue eyes comes through in true Hollywood gold.

FILM TO WATCH--Frank Sinatra: The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) Dir. Otto Preminger. *for more Frank---From Here to Eternity (1943).

The Absent Minded Murder--The Ageless Performance

An actor's most important asset, above all, is his fans. Modern and Classic actors alike. Especially in the Golden Age of Hollywood, a following a particular performer would garner was among the most important figures to the Studio who employed him. As almost everything was either directly or indirectly controlled by the main Hollywood film Studios (M-G-M, Paramount, Warner Bros. etc...) and stars had numerous opinions as to the direction of their careers from their top Execs. When it came to choosing film roles big stars, like Fred MacMurray, almost always considered what his fans would think of them. Fred was, until his self-proclaimed two greatest performances, typecast as the "nice guy" of Hollywood, and when Billy Wilder came to him with visions of him as Walter Neff, MacMurray was hesitant. Previous actors, like George Raft and Dick Powell, weren't able to take the role leaving Wilder leading man-less until he successfully persuaded Fred to take on, inarguably, what became his most recognized and illustriast performance of his long career.
Double Indemnity (1944), among one of Billy Wilder's greatest masterpieces, is a Film-Noir about an insurance man (MacMurray) who is persuaded by an unhappy wife (Barbara Stanwyck) to kill her husband and collect on it. Fred played Walter Neff, a very complicated character, who is horrific in all aspects of his personality except for his talent to charm, which comes in handy in his work. Walter had redemptive qualities but only after he realized his feelings and actions were in vain. He did not possess any remorse or good intentions, thus making him the complete opposite of the Fred MacMurray the public knew.
Now when one watches Fred as Walter Neff onscreen without any previous knowledge of his persona, it is practically impossible to imagine any other type of role that suits him. And still, even after viewing "nice guy" performances, the memorable looks, lines and smiles come from him pretending to be a very bad man. The acting required is not completely simple or over-the-top, but, as with any picture directed produced and written by Billy Wilder, the characters are not complicated in situation but their motives, feelings, and reactions to experiances make them all among the realist men and women to ever be portrayed.
What makes Fred MacMurray's performance one of the greatest of all time, is his understated way throughout the whole of the film. Even when Walter is faced with overwhelming passion, anger, pain and fear, Fred plays him as minimally as possible. That medium he reached between emotion and restraint makes it fantastic, and gives Walter Neff the power required to both play off Barbara Stanwyck's equally astounding portrayal of his achilles heal and despite his awful qualities, a believable, sexy and haunting man.
Fred once said that the only two roles he ever took on that required acting were those given to him by Billy Wilder (the other being Jeff Sheldrake in The Apartment (1960)), and as much as I believe that he did capture every person he played perfectly, everything bows down to Walter Neff. Nothing from a single line or action gets me like the way Fred says "anklet" or strikes a match with his thumbnail in Double Indemnity, and it will always be as poignant and ageless upon every viewing.

FILM TO WATCH---FRED MACMURRAY: Double Indemnity (1944) Dir. Billy Wilder

It's Raining Claude!

Claude Rains came from across the pond--where most classically trained actors originate from--yet despite his English accent, he had the ability to twist and turn any look or action to fit the person he was portraying. Claude was a textbook supporting character actor and in addition to his talent, unlike any other from his time, I believe he had one of the most impressive resumes to ever come out of Hollywood. The people he worked with! Directors Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Micheal Curtiz and David Lean; and actors Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart and Errol Flynn. But of course what would an actor be without his leading and supporting ladies? Well, Claude's were spectacular. Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Jean Arthur, Vivien Leigh and Olivia de'Haviland--just to name a few. Even throughout his entire career of countless classics, the one role that defines Claude's work is without a doubt his portrayal of Alexander Sebastian in Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 suspense thriller masterpiece, Notorious.
Alexander was not over-the-top in hysterics or blatantly psychotic in any way. He was just a run of the mill Nazi trying to poison his wife. Yes, the character sounds outrageous, but what makes Claude's performance memorable is the sheer humanity he brought to the picture. Amidst all of the sympathy and empathy showered onto Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, the heroes, upon viewing Notorious, one finds himself giving their heart to Claude. The talent to make a very bad man who does very bad things seem not so bad at all is complicated, but Claude is effortless, and he gives most, if not all, along with the uncomprable script by Ben Hecht and theme of love, Notorious' power as one of the greatest films ever made.
I laugh with Claude as the ridiculously eccentric Prince John from The Adventures of Robin Hood (1936), I am terrified of him as Don Louis in Anthony Adverse (1936), I have contempt for him as Senator Joe Paine from Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939), I want to be best friends with him as Captain Renault in Casablanca (1942) and I am, even with Cary Grant filling the frame, head over heels in love with him as Alex in Notorious. He was only 5'6'' but Claude Rains was perhaps the biggest talent to ever grace the silver screen.

FILM TO WATCH---CLAUDE RAINS: Notorious (1946) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock.

*The Nitty Gritty*

My first post was not much of anything except for an uninspired explanation of my favorite actress and actor from classic cinema. I barely touched upon any performances from either Hepburn or Holden, the great films they helped make, or their lives offscreen, but trust me it won't happen again.
Now that I have gotten expressing my love for William and Audrey out of the way, I can now talk about the things I think forever important: the greatest acting performances, films and directors from the Hollywood Golden Age.
I undoubtedly believe the greatest acting and directing seen on screen has come from the 1930's oto 1950's. To spotlight unparalleled character actors like Lee J. Cobb and Claude Rains, to more famous players like Fred MacMurray and Jack Lemmon, their leading ladies like Jean Arthur, Norma Shearer and Barbara Stanwyck and the men who directed the finest pictures ever made, is damned good fun. My only obstacle is deciding what to write; but I would take that issue over any problem any day.

"Golden Boy" Holden

From the first moment I saw her in her dark glasses and dark dress, eating breakfast outside of Tiffany’s, I knew that Audrey Hepburn would forever be the classic actress I held dearest to my heart. Her presence and poise, voice and humanity, that could not wane, would and will never cease to astound me. I always thought it strange, though, as I constantly replied “Audrey” when questioned about my favorite actress, I perpetually failed to say the same name more than twice when it came to an actor. How can I choose only one, or, for that matter, keep the same one, when innumerable amounts of gifted men constantly came across the silver screen. I would jump from Cary to Jimmy to Gregory to Errol and back to Cary before moving onto Marlon. Extremely content with this situation, I sat down to finally watch a staple Hepburn, Sabrina. Expecting nothing short of delight from director Billy Wilder and of course, an enjoyable time with Humphrey Bogart, I never expected to be completely floored by the Golden Boy, William Holden.
It would be much easier to describe the reasons why I find Cary Grant so charming or why I think Marlon Brando is the epitome of greatness. When it comes to Bill, he is an actor with immeasurable talent for convincing the audience he is the character he plays, but simultaneously, never letting them forget that he’s on screen. William, as the playboy David Larrabee, in Sabrina(1954), could not have differed more from his only Oscar winning role as the smug, conflicted Sgt. J.J. Sefton in Stalag 17(1953). But even through both Wilder’s, the epitome of Drama and Romantic Comedy, Bill’s effervescent charm and vulnerability shine through, and stay with me more than anyone else I have ever seen. It could be his dimples, or his strong voice, but it’s that something you cannot name that draws me. The Golden Boy had “It”, and it is incredible to watch.