The Making of Casablanca: Bogart, Bergman, and World War II

by Aljean Harmetz, Scott Brick (Narrator)

Critically acclaimed when published in 1992 as Round Up the Usual Suspects, The Making of Casablanca offers the ultimate insider's look at the politics and personalities behind the most celebrated movie of all time--Casablanca. Updated and timed for the 60th anniversary (Thanksgiving Day, 1942) of this movie, this critically acclaimed book draws upon years of research, including access to Ingrid Bergman's personal acting diaries and the vast Warner Brothers archives, as well as interviews with many of those close to the film, including the late Paul Henreid, Lauren Bacall, and scriptwriters Howard Koch and Julius Epstein. Richly detailed and full of surprises, The Making of Casablanca debunks many cherished myths about the casting, script, story, and stars, to reveal the realities of the highly pressured Hollywood studio system during World War II.

Genres: Film, History, Audiobook, Nonfiction

Audio CD

Published November 26, 2020

Reviews

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty)]

For serious Hollywood junkies only.

There's a huge amount of historical information here that is only tangentially related to Casablanca, which in my view makes the book all that much better. I've read quite a few books about Hollywood, but had never learned much about how the film industry had to modify its production activities during and shortly after World War II. Not only did they have to deal with shortages of everything from film to movie stars to nails, but they also had to please the Office of War Information, which ensured that the right kind of propaganda was greeting American moviegoers. Fascinating.

This is a book I would very much like to have read in print, but my library only had audio available, and I was grateful to get it. Should I ever run across a print copy, I would enjoy giving it a re-read. I found it that interesting. But I'm an old-movie nerd. If you just have a casual interest because you love the Casablanca movie, this book might kill the magic for you with all the dirty details.

[Ben]

A solid history and a pretty good template for what books like this should be like, in my humble opinion.

[William Stephenson]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved all of the historical information and how they broke down nearly every step of the movie-making process, while also detouring into how Hollywood had to adapt because of World War 2 and how that affected the movie’s reception. This is a great historical book and is a must-read for any cinephiles out there who love to learn about the history of Hollywood

[Ashley Owens]

Great and richly detailed but it’s not a light read. It’s pretty dense with the history of the studio system and WWII, not just Casablanca. Which I enjoyed but may not be for everyone. Don’t really appreciate the authors snide remarks about movies these days not having beloved character actors that add to the movies or movies not having ambiguity anymore.

[Jane Greenhalgh Weinkrantz]

Loved this book. It’s not just about “Casablanca.” It’s about the studio system, the stars, the war and its impact on Hollywood, the writing process, Bergman, Bogart, racism in casting, the effect actors who had refugeed to escape Hitler had on the film and so much more. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Robert]

This exhaustive study of Casablanca both reinforced admiration for the film, and ate away at the mysteries. The book has been out long enough, and we've seen the film so many times, plus all the existing commentary from others, that there weren't many revelations that I hadn't seen other places. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the stories again.

[Shelly Ruth]

First off I want to say I am a huge Bogart fan and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about Ingird Bergman as well. The author did an excellent job talking about the making of the movie and what went on behind the scenes. This book also goes into the history of WWII and how the making of the movie was affected by the war. The studio had to do a lot of the sets "on the cheap" because of shortages. I was also very interested in the BIG picture about the making of the movie. Do not go into reading this thinking you will learn a lot about Bogart or Bergman because a huge part of this is about how the film was developed and the history of the script and how the movie was based on a play called "Everybody goes to Ricks" I just recently saw online they are auctioning off one of the copies of the play and it was at 50,000 dollars. If you are a Bogart fan I recommend you read the book written by his son Stephen Humphrey Bogart. That books goes into great detail. I also recommend the book by Lauren Bacall who goes into great deal about her time with him and his early death. Bogart is the quintessential "cool guy" who everyone wants to be like and be friends with. It came naturally to Bogart and the character he plays in this movie is not far off from what he was really like (minus the way he treated the women he loved or was entangled with) Bogart was not a womanizer. I give this book my utmost highest rating of five stars. I learned a lot about the war and the Hollywood Studios as well. Casablanca was not always such a beloved film as it is now. It did not gain its current popularity until much later (the book talks about this as well).

[Stephen Terrell]

The Making of Casablanca: Bogart, Bergman and World War II is a wonderful book for anyone interested in movies, the history of the film industry or WWII history. It touches on all those topics in a fascinating and entertaining way.

Casablanca wasn't intended as a classic movie. It was planned to be a relatively low-budget movie with a rather limited run. But as a result of timing, happenstance and fate, it became a part of America. And in the opinion of many, including me, the greatest movie ever made.

This book does a wonderful job of not only telling about the making of this movie, but also about the circumstances that surrounded its making. The casting was fortuitous. So, too, was the combination of writers that wrote the script -- and the ending which wasn't filmed until months after the movie first wrapped - and without a final script ever having been written.

The book does drag a little in the final parts, but that's rather inconsequential. This is a MUST READ for any movie buff or anyone who loves Casablanca. "Here's looking at you, kid."

[Andrew]

I listened to this book via Audible.

Casablanca is one of my all-time favorite films, something I am hardly alone in feeling. Not many movies get entire books written about their creation, and it speaks to the longevity of the movie that someone went back and collected this much information and interviewed so many people to put it all in a book.

Despite enjoying Casablanca immensely, I had never learned much about its creation, other than that it was based on a play. So this book was incredibly enlightening on any number of topics - the histories of the actors, the studio, the creators - the list goes on. I enjoyed every bit of insight and gained a deeper appreciation for the film I already loved so much.

If you are a fan of Casablanca, or are interested in the history of Hollywood and one of its all time standout films, you will enjoy The Making of Casablanca!

[Henry Mishkoff]

I very much enjoyed the book from the standpoint of the information it conveyed. But don't publishers employ copy editors anymore? I can't tell you how many times I had to re-read a sentence or a paragraph because I had no idea of what it said. Some simple editing would have made the experience so much more pleasant for the reader.

This is not a criticism of the writer. All writers' drafts need to be edited, which is an essential function of the publisher. This one failed.

But if you're interested in learning more about Casablanca and are willing to tolerate sloppy editing, this is the book for you.

[Christine]

I listened to an interview with the narrator, Scott Brick, and he mentioned that "The Making of Casablanca" was both his favorite book and his favorite audiobook. I subscribed to Audible specifically to listen to it (during a good promotion) and I was not disappointed.
The author delves into the intricacies of the studio system during Hollywood's heyday, the careful tightrope walk filmmakers had to tread during the war, and the lives of the stars, the character actors, and the crew. It all made for a captivating story that had me riveted, along with a lot of inside stories about the origin of the script and the evolution of the storyline. Brick's narration is mesmerizing and had me eager to listen every day. Highly recommended for fans of classic Hollywood. Casablanca is one of my favorite films, and if you count it as a favorite, this book is a must-read!

[Michele]

Gets 4 stars for being a film geek’s book. Serious, in-depth look at the movie, with studio, producer, director, writers, composer, and actors info. Covers the war period quite well, discusses the past and present influence of the film, which American Film has listed as #3 in the 100 best movies of all time.

[Mary Miller]

Very thorough and wildly informative...so much more than I imagined-a wonderful read!

[Katherine Thornton]

Three stars only because I didn’t really learn anything I didn’t already know. Not the author’s fault really.

[Nathan Hale]

Really good, just gets a little distracted at times and therefore felt too long.

[Sylvester Francis Alonz]

A comprehensive look into one of the most recognisable films of the era and in the scheme of filmmaking. Little does one appreciate the unique context of a film that seems to stand the tests of time.

[Lisa]

This was my "read at night and end of falling asleep" book. I did like it though because I love the movie. I liked how the author explained the making of the movie right there at the beginning of World War 2. The author explained the role of Hollywood in propaganda movies and the many Jewish directors and producers who had left Germany due to the rise of Nazism. So many of those great writes, producers, directors were from Germany and Hollywood benefited as we did from their talent.

I appreciated getting an inside look into how movies are made, what actors go through and technicians, some of the history of the actors like Claudes Rains but especially Ingrid and Humphrey.

It was interesting about the ending. Just loved that.