Hello, Friends!
Today, I am excited to
introduce a new contributor to Sentimental Journey. Lindsay Poling, our newest
Visitor Services Assistant, came on staff in December. I have known Lindsay for
a few years now from our time studying history together
at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Check out her first post below
and feel free to comment with any suggestions on topics you would like to see
in the future!
-Maggie
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In our fast-paced, ever
changing world of information, our society is influenced by images produced for
the screen. During wartime, media coverage increases even more stimulating a
growing amount of response from the public. With a massive conflict, an Allied
fight against Nazi domination and the rise of Fascism, the movies produced
during the Second World War were affected by key events throughout the war. The
Best Picture at the Oscars of 1944, one of the greatest movies even today, called
Casablanca reflected and corresponded
with the events of the war.
Movie attendance in the
early 1940s increased drastically, with an estimated 80 million people buying
movie tickets (per month). With an
increase of production in Hollywood and the Office of War Information, the film
industry entered the Golden Age of the 1940s. Also, films produced by the
government, with correspondence between the Bureau of Motion Pictures and the Office
of Censorship, included short films and feature-length documentaries for the
public to witness on a weekly basis. One classic wartime drama though, Casablanca, swept the hearts of the
audience of 1942 and continues to rank in the top 50 movies made of all time.
Casablanca started
with a semi-completed script based on a play called “Everybody Comes to
Rick’s.” Warner Brothers purchased the play in 1941, just two weeks after the
attack on Pearl Harbor, for an approximate amount of $20,000. The writing of
the story started in 1938 under the direction of Julius and Philip Epstein. The
script continued to change and be rewritten throughout production. Ingrid
Bergman, who played Ilsa, even said it was difficult to really understand her
character with an unfinished script. The entire film was completed in the
studio in Burbank, CA, which included the main and gambling rooms, and Rick’s
(played by Humphrey Bogart) upstairs room.
But even with continuous
drafts of the script, the movie produced some of the most famous lines in film
history and sent powerful yet subtle messages throughout. In the film,
symbolism towards the war is apparent. For example, the use of Nazi imagery and
the smashing of objects related to Vichy France. The crushing of Nazi
occupation and domination becomes apparent from scene to scene. Casablanca finished filming on August 3,
1942. The original release date was for June 1943. Due to the invasion of North
Africa and the meetings in Casablanca with FDR, Winston Churchill, and Joseph
Stalin, the initial release date changed to early November 1942 in New York
City. After the conferences in Casablanca, the film was released to the public
on January 23, 1942.
The film though remains in
the hearts and minds of people, even today. Stimulating positive messages of
love and romance and conveying a positive message for the Allied Powers, Casablanca remains one of the greatest
movies of all time. Two of my favorite lines from the film (and very famous
lines as well), both from Rick, were “We’ll always have Paris” and the last
line of the film, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful
friendship.” :)
Youtube Clip: We’ll Always
have Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa-dGYjSq5k
-Lindsay
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