CASABLANCA

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com


A BIT TRICKY WITH MIXED RESULTS.


THIS THE LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC POPS SERIES AT THE SMITH CENTER... TWO SATURDAY SHOWS.


TREMENDOUS UNDERTAKING AND A SALUTE TO THE PREMISE AND THE PRODUCTION.


IT WOULD NEVER BE EASY TO RUN A LIVE OCHRESTRA SCORE UNDER A MOVIE....TIMING IS EVERYTHING AND IT WENT WELL WHEN THE LVPHIL TRIED THIS BEFORE WITH "SILENT" FILMS.


THIS TIME IT WENT WITH DIALOGUE AND WENT WITH WHAT MY MOVE BOOK CALLED "THE GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME".....I HAD NOT SEEN CASABLANCA IN DECADES ALTHO I AM PLENTY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROJECT.....1942...HUMPREY BOGART AT 43 AT THE PEAK OF HIS POWERS....SIDNEY GREENSTREET IN ONE OF THE THREE FILMS HE MADE WITH PETER LORRE AND BOGGIE....LORRE GETS WHACKED IN THE FIRST SCENE....PAUL HENREID AND CONRAD VEIDT PERFECT FOR THEIR ROLES....AS WAS  S K SAKALL AND DOOLEY WILSON DOING "AS TIME GOES BY"...MORE THAN ONCE.


AND THEN.....THERE WAS INGRID BERGMAN AT 28.....SHE WAS ALWAYS AT THE PEAK OF HER POWERS PRETTY EASY TO JUST LOOK AT HER  .... AND THEN....CLAUDE RAINS THE REAL STAR OF THIS CLASSIC....


JUST 3 AMERICAN ACTORS....DIRECTOR MICHAEL CURTIZ AND MUSIC BY MAX STEINER....SOME KIND OF HALL  OF FAME LINEUP HERE.


AH....THE ORCHESTRA.....LOTS OF THE TIME THE PLAYERS WERE WATCHING THE MOVE AND WHY NOT.....A DIFFICULT MARRIAGE OF WEDDING A MUSICAL SCORE UNDER THIS MASTERPIECE AND TRYING NOT TO KILL THE DIALOUGE....OF COURSE AMONG THE HIGHLITES OF THE MOVIE WAS WILSON PLAYING THE PIANO.


ALMOST INCONSEQUENCIAL TO HAVE A SCORE UNDER THIS AND SOME OF IT DID GET IN THE WAY OF THE DIALOUGE AND ALWAYS PRESENT INCOMPETENT SMITH CENTER SOUND SYSTEM.


THE MOVIE........ GREAT....ANY SYMPHONY ALWAYS GREAT....THIS PICTURE OVERPOWERED THE PROJECT.


VISITING AUDITIONEE CONDUCTOR FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG PROBABLY DID AS GOOD A JOB AS POSSIBLE UNDER THE SENARIO....THE EFFORT ONLY CASUALY INTERFERRED WITH THE PICTURE....AS I WRITE THIS...... A CONCERT WITH THIS SCORE WITHOUT THE PICTURE WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE ALLOWING US ORCHESTRA FANS TO CONCENTRATE ON THE SCORE.


I SALUTE AND THANK YOU TO THE LAS VEGAS PHIL FOR THIS EFFORT AND EVERY EFFORT AND ATTEMPTING AN IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT.


THE WHOLE THING WAS SO GOOD THEY STILL GET AN "A"....94......LOSE SIX MINUTES FOR LATE AND THEY INCLUDED A 26 MINUTE INTERMISSION IN A 102 MINUTE FILM.


CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT LVPHIL AT THE SMITH CENTER DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS..MARCH 8 MASTERWORKS IV "RISING STAR" REYNOLDS HALL. 702 749 2000