Posted 13 December 2016 - 04:29 AM
https://www.amazon.c...=A2A4IXJAAZTYDR
I have to say that I've never particularly cared for Ingrid Bergman as an actress, nor do I believe this to be the best movie ever made.
It just happens to be my own personal favorite movie that's ever been made.
Posted 13 December 2016 - 07:57 AM
I'm shocked -- absolutely shocked -- that you don't think this is the best movie ever made.
It's in my top two
If a certain other of Bogart's leading ladies had been old enough to play the Bergman role convincingly when it was filmed, then it would without a doubt make it to my top one, but even with Ingrid it's still my favorite movie of all time
Posted 13 December 2016 - 10:54 AM
She's never been a big favorite of mine. Just something about her.
Yeah I know, and she's okay in Casablanca, so I'm probably being a bit hard on her acting capabilities, it's just that I can't help but think what might have been if it would've been possible for Bacall to be the female lead. It's all conjecture now of course.
Posted 13 December 2016 - 07:15 PM
It is one of my favorites but imagine how it could have been with Lauren.
Bacall (b. 16-Sep-1924 : d. 12-Aug-2014) would've been only seventeen, or perhaps just past her eighteenth birthday when Casablanca was released and maybe even as young as sixteen while it was being filmed. Just that bit too young for the Ilsa Lund character I think. There's a few other actresses might have carried the role, but now I've thought about it a bit more, the entire movie is just so perfect (to me) I do wonder if it would have been the same without Bergman?
Grace Kelly could have been born for the role -- but she was around five years younger than Bacall.
Rita Heyworth? Maybe.
Barbara Stanwyck? Claudette Colbert? Both just that bit too old I think.
Vivien Leigh? Hmmmm....
Who knows? It's one of those questions we could kick around until doomsday and still not get a consensus of opinion.
By the way, I've got "The Ultimate Collectors Edition" and the transfer to disk is excellent. Going to watch it again later today and see what else I can pick out.
Posted 13 December 2016 - 07:58 PM
Bacall (b. 16-Sep-1924 : d. 12-Aug-2014) would've been only seventeen, or perhaps just past her eighteenth birthday when Casablanca was released and maybe even as young as sixteen while it was being filmed. Just that bit too young for the Ilsa Lund character I think. There's a few other actresses might have carried the role, but now I've thought about it a bit more, the entire movie is just so perfect (to me) I do wonder if it would have been the same without Bergman?
Grace Kelly could have been born for the role -- but she was around five years younger than Bacall.
Rita Heyworth? Maybe.
Barbara Stanwyck? Claudette Colbert? Both just that bit too old I think.
Vivien Leigh? Hmmmm....
Who knows? It's one of those questions we could kick around until doomsday and still not get a consensus of opinion.
By the way, I've got "The Ultimate Collectors Edition" and the transfer to disk is excellent. Going to watch it again later today and see what else I can pick out.
Yeah I know she was too young but just musing about what might have been had it been filmed a few years later. I think she could have carried it at 19, who says she had to be older than 20 something, which she proved she could do in her first outing.
Of those you mentioned, only Grace would have been a better choice, the others were just not the right types.
I have the collector's edition on BRD. The transfer is indeed fine.
Posted 13 December 2016 - 09:10 PM
Yeah I know she was too young but just musing about what might have been had it been filmed a few years later. I think she could have carried it at 19, who says she had to be older than 20 something, which she proved she could do in her first outing.
Of those you mentioned, only Grace would have been a better choice, the others were just not the right types.
I have the collector's edition on BRD. The transfer is indeed fine.
Yeah it's fun just kicking these kind of discussions around.
Katherine Hepburn wouldn't work, and certainly not Maureen O'Hara. I don't think either of them could've portrayed Ilsa's vulnerability, but how about Hedy Lamarr? or even Ava Gardner?
I've got it on playback right now and am at the 1h:32m mark -- things ain't looking too promising for Victor Laszlo....
Favorite quotes:-
Round up the usual suspects
Play it Sam
Here's looking at you kid
Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine
Posted 14 December 2016 - 12:46 AM
A great movie with a great cast...I wouldn't change a thing.
Andy.
And that's fine Andrew, glad you like it as it is -- so do I.
I don't think anyone's suggesting that changes to the cast would have resulted in significant improvement to an already fantastic movie, one that I'll watch time after time and still take something new out of it. A couple of us are simply indulging in speculation and playing the old "what if" game for our own amusement.
Posted 14 December 2016 - 09:24 AM
Nothing wrong with that, Harry... According to movie legend...George Raft and Ronald Regan were also considered for the part of 'Rick'...
Andy.
Ooooh Andy, You put me right off my fresh fried lobster with those possibilities. 
So many negative waves, so early in the morning. 
Raft was totally wrong for the role and as for Ron, let's just say I enjoyed him MUCH more as a president than an actor. 
Posted 14 December 2016 - 09:49 AM
Nothing wrong with that, Harry... According to movie legend...George Raft and Ronald Regan were also considered for the part of 'Rick'...
Andy.
It's not legend. They were certainly considered along with Bogart, but Raft was tied up with a different project and Ronnie was just about to enter the Army, so the part went to Bogart almost by default. But by all accounts he was the preferred choice for both Curtiz and Wallis in any case. So all's well that ended well.
