It's A Wonderful Life is Better Than Casablanca!

[BeenHereBefore 1,682]

Prove me wrong!

 

Post Script I love both!

[MikeMatt 505]

I never seen either one. 
 

I win. 

[BeenHereBefore 1,682]

2 minutes ago, MikeMatt said:

I never seen either one. 
 

I win. 

You will thank me if you ever do.

[Strike 6,049]

Unless you watch it on Amazon Prime

[BeenHereBefore 1,682]

1 minute ago, Strike said:

Unless you watch it on Amazon Prime

Dang Spam Ads

[Strike 6,049]

Just now, BeenHereBefore said:

Dang Spam Ads

Not due to ads

[SUXBNME 1,633]

10 minutes ago, MikeMatt said:

I never seen either one. 
 

I win. 

Thank you for your insight, posty

[BeenHereBefore 1,682]

51 minutes ago, Strike said:

Not due to ads

I watched mine out of a new plastic unopened vhs tonight. that's how John Wayne would do it!

[Strike 6,049]

1 minute ago, BeenHereBefore said:

I watched mine out of a new plastic unopened vhs tonight. that's how John Wayne would do it!

Nah.  He was a Betamax guy.  

[BeenHereBefore 1,682]

Just now, Strike said:

Nah.  He was a Betamax guy.  

Thanks for the laugh!

[weepaws 3,452]

OP , it’s not even close.  

[BeenHereBefore 1,682]

12 minutes ago, weepaws said:

OP , it’s not even close.  

Agreed but Casablanca is very cool in it's own right!

[weepaws 3,452]

1 hour ago, BeenHereBefore said:

Agreed but Casablanca is very cool in it's own right!

If I had a snow day, and I had to stay in, and decided to watch movies all day, and I could pick any of my favorites, both of those movies would make my list.   Also, check out YouTube 19 interesting facts about its s wonderful life.  

[BeenHereBefore 1,682]

What is awesome about both these movies is the main Characters sacrificed what they wanted to help a better cause. George stayed at home to help the family business and Town but really wanted to see the world. Rick gave up the love of his lifetime to help the war effort and a better life for her.

[MikeMatt 505]

1 hour ago, BeenHereBefore said:

What is awesome about both these movies is the main Characters sacrificed what they wanted to help a better cause. George stayed at home to help the family business and Town but really wanted to see the world. Rick gave up the love of his lifetime to help the war effort and a better life for her.

 

 Spoilert Slert.  

[edjr 7,055]

they both suck

[Fnord 2,663]

4 hours ago, edjr said:

they both suck

If you're talking about Donna Reed and Ingrid Bergman, all the more reason to watch!

[SaintsInDome2006 816]

13 hours ago, BeenHereBefore said:

What is awesome about both these movies is the main Characters sacrificed what they wanted to help a better cause. George stayed at home to help the family business and Town but really wanted to see the world. Rick gave up the love of his lifetime to help the war effort and a better life for her.

It’s Casablanca for me. But I love IAWL too. The main difference for me is that for Rick a light switches off & on for him morally & personally. For George the forces are all beyond his control, he’s lost by the fault of others & saved by the grace of others. With Bogart you can’t tell how he will land, he’s inscrutable, sometimes unscrupulous, & you know he could kill & has killed. Bogart’s performance is one of the greatest in history IMO.

[cmh6476 1,163]

bought my mom tix to see It's a Wonderful Life with the KC Symphony and Orchestra at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts last week and she loved it.  

 

I mean it's ok, but movies are better in color

[squistion 2,676]

Apples and Oranges comparison IMO.

IAWL is a beloved film, but over the years it has worn on me and with each viewing I find its sentimentality or simplicity slightly "trite" or dated compared to contemporary films.

Casablanca I never get tired of watching, incredible cast of Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet and Paul Henried.

And Casablanca is responsible for so many memorable film quotes:

"Round up the usual suspects"

 "I'm shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here"

"Here's looking at you, kid" 

"Play it again, Sam" (Misquote): The actual lines are "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'" (Ilsa) and "Play it, Sam" (Rick)

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine!" 

"We'll always have Paris"

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"

 

[Fnord 2,663]

20 hours ago, SaintsInDome2006 said:

It’s Casablanca for me. But I love IAWL too. The main difference for me is that for Rick a light switches off & on for him morally & personally. For George the forces are all beyond his control, he’s lost by the fault of others & saved by the grace of others. With Bogart you can’t tell how he will land, he’s inscrutable, sometimes unscrupulous, & you know he could kill & has killed. Bogart’s performance is one of the greatest in history IMO.

 

20 hours ago, squistion said:

Apples and Oranges comparison IMO.

IAWL is a beloved film, but over the years it has worn on me and with each viewing I find its sentimentality or simplicity slightly "trite" or dated compared to contemporary films.

Casablanca I never get tired of watching, incredible cast of Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet and Paul Henried.

And Casablanca is responsible for so many memorable film quote:

"Round up the usual suspects"

 "I'm shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here"

"Here's looking at you, kid" 

"Play it again, Sam" (Misquote): The actual lines are "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'" (Ilsa) and "Play it, Sam" (Rick)

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine!" 

"We'll always have Paris"

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"

Excellent points, all. Stewart and Bogart are both all-time leading men and both appeared in many great films. While Stewart is great in IAWL, it is not his best film or performance IMO. For Bogart, it was arguably both. I'd give the nod to Casablanca and it's not particularly close. One of my 5-10 favorite films ever.

ETA: The music in Casablanca is better, too. Old Sam really knows his way around a tune.

[weepaws 3,452]

20 hours ago, cmh6476 said:

bought my mom tix to see It's a Wonderful Life with the KC Symphony and Orchestra at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts last week and she loved it.  

 

I mean it's ok, but movies are better in color

Wrong Grasshopper, movies made in without color always better without color.   Ps KC isn’t.  

[squistion 2,676]

14 minutes ago, Fnord said:

Excellent points, all. Stewart and Bogart are both all-time leading men and both appeared in many great films. While Stewart is great in IAWL, it is not his best film or performance IMO. For Bogart, it was arguably both. I'd give the nod to Casablanca and it's not particularly close. One of my 5-10 favorite films ever.

ETA: The music in Casablanca is better, too. Old Sam really knows his way around a tune.

If you are a big fan of Casablanca (like me) there is an excellent book on the making of the film. I see that there are currently several copies on EBAY that you can get for less than $7.00.

Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of "Casablanca" by Aljean Harmetz 

From Google AI:

Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca by Aljean Harmetz is a detailed, well-researched book that explores the behind-the-scenes story of the classic film, revealing the accidents, politics, and personalities that shaped it. 

Published in 1992, it draws on interviews with cast and crew (like Paul Henreid, Lauren Bacall, Howard Koch, and Julius Epstein) and access to Warner Bros. archives and Ingrid Bergman's diaries to debunk myths and provide an insider's look at the WWII-era Hollywood studio system. 

The book covers everything from casting and script changes to the near-removal of "As Time Goes By" and the film's unexpected success. 

[Fnord 2,663]

7 minutes ago, squistion said:

If you are a big fan of Casablanca (like me) there is an excellent book on the making of the film. I see that there are currently several copies on EBAY that you can get for less than $7.00.

Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of "Casablanca" by Aljean Harmetz 

From Google AI:

Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca by Aljean Harmetz is a detailed, well-researched book that explores the behind-the-scenes story of the classic film, revealing the accidents, politics, and personalities that shaped it. 

Published in 1992, it draws on interviews with cast and crew (like Paul Henreid, Lauren Bacall, Howard Koch, and Julius Epstein) and access to Warner Bros. archives and Ingrid Bergman's diaries to debunk myths and provide an insider's look at the WWII-era Hollywood studio system. 

The book covers everything from casting and script changes to the near-removal of "As Time Goes By" and the film's unexpected success. 

Thanks for the recommendation!

One of the most astonishing things about the film was how of the moment it was when released. They rushed the premiere to coincide with the Allied invasion of North Africa, and the wide release coincided with the Casablanca conference between Churchill and Roosevelt. 

It's only about a year after Pearl Harbor, America has entered the war and it's all anyone can talk about. Can you imagine being in the theater watching the scene where Laszlo leads the band in singing La Marseilles to drown out the Nazis? That scene gives me goosebumps now. I'd probably have been a blubbering mess if experiencing it at the time.