Casablanca: Script and Legend Paperback – January 1, 1995

Included in this wonderful collection is the original screenplay, along with various essays and reviews which are truly worth reading! There is a huge amount of material available on Casablanca, but this book, certainly, is among the most valuable and insightful.

A 1992 revision of a 1973 book of the same title by the same author and publisher. Howard Koch was primarily responsible for writing the screenplay of Casablanca, called in after the Epstein brothers (Julius and Philip) had hammered out concepts and dialogue based on an unproduced play (i.e., it had never been staged), and then left for a war assignment. About a third of the screenplay was finished when principal photography began; the rest was done in a mad rush on a daily basis as shooting continued. No one knew how the film would end until the final pages arrived near the end of the production. How the elements of a film classic came together under such conditions is a miracle of the Hollywood studio system. For this revised edition, Koch cuts some articles and adds others. The screenplay itself is made up of dialogue, descriptions of action, and large photographs, some of them publicity stills taken on set. It is not a shooting script (what is used for filming) or a continuity script (a description of each shot in the film as released to theaters). This version is easier to read, especially for dialogue (which in the film's multilingual settings can be tricky to catch), but for in-depth study, a shooting or continuity script is needed. The supplementary articles focus on the film's influence, its status as a classic, or memories of first seeing it. The reason Casablanca won the Oscar for best picture of 1943 (and not 1942) is this: it was not in general release until January 1943. When the Allies overran the Nazi occupation of the city, the film was hurried out to take advantage of reportage at the time. It is now a cult film, regarded to be a great (if not the greatest) Hollywood film. This book is recommended to all those who, like Rick, Ilsa and Sam, must remember this.

This book is pretty much what it claims to be. It is a copy of the script, along with some narrative about the movie. My copy, which is identical to the photograph of the book here, does have several photographs. These photographs are mostly movie stills. There are not a large number of them. Most of the book is the script. At the end of the book are some essays and analysis. The highlight of this work for me is a 15 page analysis composed by Richard Corliss.There was another extremely scholarly analysis by a gentleman named Umberto Eco that was above my level of comprehension. I sort of felt he was telling me why it helps if I am a moron if I really wish to enjoy this movie. But I was not smart enough to follow him. I think he used the term "déjà vu" twice... Or maybe I just thought I read it twice. Hmm.... After that my self esteem was then rescued by the next essay by Aljean Harmetz. Anyway, I think a lover of this movie, as I am, can enjoy this book. I am glad I purchased it.

Who knew that the screenplay for Casablanca hadn't been completed by the time filming started? In fact Ingrid Bergman was unsure how to act some scenes with Bogie because she didn't know if she was going to end up with him in the end or not. Also, there are some inconsistencies in the screenplay that would have been ironed out if more time had been available. This book is a wonderful companion to the film. It is remarkable how faithful to the screenplay the film actually is. The film critics' essays at the end are interesting, though they all benefit from twenty-twenty hindsight. The large format black and white photos of scenes from the film are keepsakes in themselves, and they appear alongside the relevant text. All in all it's hard to imagine a Casablanca aficionado not wanting to own this book.

I love this book! I don't care so much about the reviews of the movie at the end. I just like having the complete screenplay to read and refer to. I can "read" Casablanca anytime I want to! It's almost like watching the movie! I am able to notice a few lines I have missed in my repeated viewings of the greatest movie ever made!!!

All epic films, such as Casablanca, should have a reference book such as this one. It has the entire script of the movie, has many full page still frames from the movie, as well as articles of different lengths by the makers of this film, the writers, the producer, the director and some of the stars. Anyone who finds Casablanca to be a great story/love story should order this book, before it is no longer available!

Since Casablanca is a classic, I wanted to study the script. This Script and Legend provided much, much more than I expected. The article by screenwriter Howard Koch provides excellent insight into the process and dispels myths. The commentaries each take a different perspective, but the one by Roger Ebert distilled the real reason why Casablanca will always be a classic.

Very interesting and entertaining book. Insights from the movie director are profound. Analysis of the screenplay/movie are extremely helpful in understanding what makes a screenplay/movie work.