May 07, 2004

Rick's Cafe opens in Casablanca You'd have thought this would have happened ages ago! Despite the State Department's recommendation that Americans in Morocco "consider seriously their personal security", I can't help but but be shocked - SHOCKED - at this bit of whimsy by an American in these troubled times. Let's hope she sticks her neck out for nobody, that there is indeed gambling in Rick's Cafe, and the piano player is of sufficient talent. Cheers!
posted by Fes 20 years ago
  • Yes, and there's a "Cheers" here in Boston, but you won't find Sam, Woody, Cliff, et.al. in it.
  • Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she opens one up to commercialize off of a great movie. I have visions of a global chain, sort of a "Planet Bogeywood" kind of thing. But seriously, she should be careful. Casablanca is full of vultures, vultures everywhere... Ah, I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, she wore blue. Okay, I'll stop.
  • So... this Rick's Cafe... is this something you would have had to have seen Casablanca to understand?
  • We'll always have Paris at a reasonable rate?
  • From Fes's 2nd link, under warnings about crime in Morocco: Commonly reported crimes include falsifying credit card vouchers and shipping inferior rugs as a substitute for the rugs purchased by the traveler. That's a good one. But what about selling exit visas?
  • Y'know another good idea would be to make a live action movie version of Dr. Suess' books. Or the Flintstones. /poo
  • Buscemi is the obvious choice for Ugarte, and I like Clooney for Rick. The rest of their choices, I'm not so sure about. Nice find, TUM...probably worthy of the front page to generate more chat.
  • Hmm. Well. Rather. I'll have to give this some thought, but offhand, I think some of the suggested actors are too well known for the supporting parts. The focus has to be on Ilsa and Rick. Mostly Rick. As for Rick, I disagree with the suggestion that Clooney can't do dour (to wit, Syriana), but I think I'd have to go for Clive. Clive's got the physical presence, and I'm sure he can say a slurred "If she can stand it, I can..!" in an American accent just fine. And Gervais as me is just wrong. Yes, there's a comedic element to the role. But there's also a frustrated nobility and buried idealism that parallel's Rick's. Gervais has none of that. Leave this with me a couple of days...
  • Rutger Hauer as Strasser.
  • Actually, he's getting a little older, little rounder. The Dutch Anthony Hopkins, as it were. But perhaps the older doesn't matter so much... Scratch that. Lemmie think.
  • None of the women mentioned, IMO, has the maturity to play Ilsa. Not in years, but in character and gravity. I'm hard-pressed to think of a modern leading lady of the right age who does, though. Blanchett, maybe, but physcally and vocally she's all wrong.
  • Oh, no. They're all wrong. Yes, there has to be a striking beauty there, but it has to be balanced by tenderness, occasionally hurt. A nascient maternal aspect, as it were. Like Eva Green -- she has the va-va-voom, and her turn as Vesper Lynd showed us she has a far greater rage than perhaps we'd thought, but she wouldn't be able to do the scene 'threatening' Rick without it becoming something totally different. McAdams? Gimmie a fucking break. In terms of looks alone, I'm inclined to go with Romy Schneider's daughter, Sarah Biasini. She's got the right look, and she's an actress, but I can't speak to whether she's a good one or not. What am I saying? She's a French actress. Of course she's good...
  • Although, Ingrid's granddaughter Elettra might be an interesting experiment. Can she act? Does it matter?
  • I'm thinking of Jeremy Northam in the Raines role. He has the same sort of devilish twinkle in the eye, and is handsome without being a pretty boy.
  • Mmm...Jeremy Northam...what were you all on about?
  • Not nearly handsome enough to play me. *cough*
  • Mads Mikkelsen as Lazslo? Possibly, possibly...
  • Enough with the pretty boys. I think Philip Seymour Hoffman could pull off the Signor Ferrari role.
  • Could. But you don't necessarily need a big man. Joe Pesci could do well, too. Play up the underhandedness of the character. Throw in a lot of f-bombs.
  • Hell, half the cast of the Sopranos would make a good Ferrari. Phil Leotardo, Johnny Sack, Bobby Bacala...
  • I totally thought that link up there was this Here's lookin' at you . . monkeys.
  • And the Bun-O-Vision Casablanca is always worth another look. Casablanca in 30 seconds, re-enacted by bunnies.
  • If he can do the accent, Christopher Eccleston for Rick. And I should play Ilsa.
  • Teehee! I enjoyed this more than I should have. "I'll call Ilsa a cab. Ilsa, you're a cab."
  • I can't stop giggling. I loved the waiter.
  • I saw Ashley Judd in something the other night, and it struck me that if she could handle the accent I could buy her as Ilsa.