Back in 1942, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman starred in Michael Curtiz’s romantic drama, Casablanca. Set and filmed during World War 2, the story follows Bogey’s American expat Rick, the owner of a nightclub in Vichy-controlled Morocco.
When his old flame (Ingrid Bergman) seeks him out, he soon realises she needs her help. Her Czech rebel husband needs to escape the country before being captured by the Germans, led by Conrad Veidt’s Major.
Veidt was a refugee German actor who fled the Nazis with his Jewish wife, was the highest paid actor in the film despite second billing and died a year after its release. Despite being an A-list movie, Warner Bros didn’t expect Casablanca to stand out as it did. Nominated for eight Oscars, what is now considered one of the greatest films of all time took home Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Casablanca is on BBC Two at 2:50pm this Saturday afternoon.
Next up is Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. The ancient world epic stars Russell Crowe as a Roman general betrayed by Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus, who kills his father, the Emperor (Richard Harris) and seizes the throne. Crowe’s Maximus is forced into slavery and becomes a gladiator at the Colosseum, bent on revenge for the murder of his wife and son. A box office smash, Gladiator won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe. Oliver Reed died in a drinking contest during the shoot, meaning the script had to be rewritten to accommodate. Gladiator is on BBC One at 10:20pm this Saturday evening.