英语影视欣赏《卡萨布兰卡》

1、CasablancaBasic informaionDirector： Michael CurtizType： war film Proucing area： America Language： English Classicfiction： USA:PG,USA:Approved Distributor： CBS/Fox Production Company：Warner BrosRelease date： 1942-11-26Main charactorsRichard "Rick" Blaine-Humphrey BogartIlsa-Ingrid BergmanVi

2、ctor Laszlo-Paul HenreidCaptain Louis Renault-Claude RainsMajor Heinrich Strasser-Conrad VeidtSam-Dooley WilsonUgate-Peter LorreSenor Ferrari-Sydney GreenstreetCarl-S.Z.SakallYvonne-Madeleine LeBeauPlot summaryThis film is the classic story of an American café owner, Rick Blaine, who is living

3、in Casablanca, Morocco, during World War 2. Rick is both a cynical and caring individual who came to Casablanca after falling in love with a Norwegian woman,Ilsa, during his time in Paris. Although their affair was a short one, Rick believed that they would leave Paris together, after the German arm

4、ies occupied France in the summer of 1940. Unfortunately, and for reasons that Rick did not understand at the time,Ilsa chose to stay in Paris, and apparently leave Rick forever. Naturally, Rick was broken hearted.A year later, in 1941, Rick is running his own successful café in Casablanca, whe

5、n Isla unexpectedly arrives with her Czechoslovakian husband, Victor Laszlo.Laszlo is well known for leading the underground movement against Hitlers armies in Europe, and for having twice escaped from a German concentration camp. Both Isla and Victor had come to Casablanca, like so many others, to

6、find a French exit visa that would allow them to fly to Portugal, and then travel on to America. But when they arrive, Isla is shocked to find herself with Rick again, and both Isla and Victor find it much harder than they thought it would be to obtain the exit visas that they so desperately need. W

7、hile waiting for a chance to escape from Casablanca, Rick learns the real reason that Isla had left him back in Paris, and the real story of her marriage to Victor. Although Rick and Isla clearly still loved each other, Rick makes sure that when Isla and Victor get a chance to escape, Isla chooses t

8、he man she is truly supposed to be with. My commentWhile there's not anything new to be said about "Casablanca", it's good to see one of the classics still getting some attention. By most standards it is at least very good, and there are good reasons why so many still remember it s

9、o fondly. Not everyone who watches it today shares the opinion that it is a classic, but it's still good to see fans of modern movies giving it a try for themselves.The cast is one of its main strengths, not just Bogart and Bergman but also the fine supporting cast. Rains, Greenstreet, Lorre, an

10、d the others are indispensable to the atmosphere and the story, and each has some very good moments. It does have its imperfections, but it was not expected to be a classic or blockbuster - everything you read about the production suggests that it was made in a rather slap-dash fashion, under constr

11、aints that would have wrecked most other films. It's not hard to see the little ways that this affected the finished product, such as the times when the plot strains credibility a bit, or the characters seem to behave somewhat oddly. The first time I saw Casablanca, I remember remarking how &quo

12、t;modern" it seemed. While many movies from the '30s and '40s appear horribly dated when viewed today, Casablanca stands up markedly well. The themes of valor, sacrifice, and heroism still ring true. The dialogue has lost none of its wit or cleverness. The atmosphere (enhanced by the st

13、erling black-and-white cinematography), that of encroaching gloom, is as palpable as ever. And the characters are still as perfectly-acted and three-dimensional as they were more than fifty years ago. Just about everyone knows the story, which takes place about a year after the Germans invaded Franc

14、e. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband, Czech freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), wander into Rick's Cafe in Casablanca. The two are on the run from the Nazis, and have come to the American-owned nightspot to lie low. But the German-controlled local government, headed by Captain Loui

15、s Renault (Claude Rains), is on the move, and Laszlo has to act quickly to get the letters of transit he came for, then escape. Little does Ilsa know that the cafe is run by Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), the one true love of her life. When the two see each other, sparks fly, and memories of an ench

16、anted time in Paris come flooding back. Bogart and Bergman. When anyone mentions Casablanca, these are the two names that come to mind. The actors are both so perfectly cast, and create such a palpable level of romantic tension, that it's impossible to envision anyone else in their parts (and in

17、conceivable to consider that they possibly weren't the producer's first choices). Bogart is at his best here as the tough cynic who hides a broken heart beneath a fractured layer of sarcasm. Ilsa's arrival in Casablanca rips open the fissures in Rick's shield, revealing a complex per

18、sonality that demands Bogart's full range of acting. As Ilsa, Bergman lights up the screen. What man in the audience wouldn't give up everything to run away with her? Less known is Paul Henreid, a romantic lead who was on loan to Warner Brothers for this project. Most viewers know Henreid as

19、 "the other guy" in the romantic triangle, and, while his performance isn't on the same level as that of his better-known co-stars, Henreid nevertheless does a respectable job. Casablanca features some other well-known faces. Conrad Veidt plays the Nazi commander on Laszlo's trail,

20、 Peter Lorre is the man who steals the letters of transit, and Sydney Greenstreet is the city's black market overlord. But the best performance in the film belongs to Claude Rains, who is magnificent. Bogart and Bergman are great, but Rains is better. This is the top role in an impressive career

21、, and it's a shame that the actor didn't win the Best Supporting Oscar for which he was deservedly nominated. Rains is a standout in nearly his every scene, but, like the consummate professional, he constantly cedes the spotlight to the higher-profile star. Another curious thing about Casabl

22、anca is that hardly anyone ever talks about the director. It isn't as if Michael Curtiz is a journeyman hack who got lucky here. From the '20s to the '50s, Curtiz was one of the hardest working directors in Hollywood, helming over 100 films including White Christmas, Mildred Pierce, and

23、Yankee Doodle Dandy. (Before that, he made nearly 50 movies in Europe, where he began his career in 1912.) Curtiz was a well-respected film maker and his work on Casablanca was first rate, but, for some reason, few non-cineastes associate his name with this picture. It's not much of a stretch to

24、 say that Hollywood doesn't make movies like this any more, because the bittersweet ending has gone the way of black-and-white cinematography. If Casablanca was made in today's climate, Rick and Ilsa would escape on the plane after avoiding a hail of gunfire (Rick would probably be doing the

25、 two-fisted gun thing that John Woo loves). There would be no beautiful friendship between Louis and Rick. Who knows what would have happened to Victor Laszlo, but he wouldn't have gotten the girl. One of the things that makes Casablanca unique is that it stays true to itself without giving in to commonly held perceptions of crowd-pleasing tactics. And because of this, not despite it, Casablanca has become known as one of the greatest movies ever made. Maybe the modern generation of screenwriters should consider this befo