Wednesday, August 28, 2024, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Instructor: Paul McEwan, Ph.D., Muhlenberg College
When Casablanca was filming on the Warner Bros. lot during the summer of 1942, no one guessed that it would turn out to be among the most lasting of Hollywood classics. Made in the era of the studio system, during which movies were churned out in something like assembly-line fashion, the film earned solid box office and garnered generally positive reviews from critics when it was released in January 1943. Indeed, director and film historian Peter Bogdanovich regards what he calls the most “enduring cosmic lucky accident in picture history” as “the single favorite vindication of the studio system . . . because there is no other way Casablanca could have been made and worked as well.”
Today, it stands as a captivating portrait of America’s reluctance to get involved in World War II, even if the bombing of Pearl Harbor had resolved our ambivalence by the time the film was made, and as a reminder that sometimes the problems of three little people do, after all, amount to more than a hill of beans in this crazy world.
Are you interested in “just” seeing this movie? Visit the public screening page here.
Cinema Classics Seminars offer an entertaining and engaging way to learn more about some of the true classics of world cinema. All students receive an introductory lecture before the film and a guided discussion after the film. In addition, those in attendance receive a ticket to see it on the big screen, as well as popcorn and a drink. Please note: the screening associated with this seminar will be open to the public, as well.
Please email BMFI Programs and Education Coordinator Jill Malcolm with any questions.
$25 for members, $35 for non-members
Schedule