Event

Curtiz @ 2019 SLIFF

In this fictionalized account of Casablancas creation, Hungarian-born Jewish film director Michael Curtiz whose credits include Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Angels with Dirty Faces receives a chance to influence public opinion about the war that America has only recently entered. In an effort to rally the citizenry, the government has exerted pressure on Hollywood to promote the war effort, and Casablanca becomes one of many films that are specifically designed to stir patriotic fervor. Curtizs background gives him a compelling personal interest in the conflict, but the timing of Casablanca poses a challenge, forcing him to juggle the films production with a pair of pressing concerns: Hes both attempting to help his sister emigrate from Hungary to escape the Nazis and coping with a daughter who suddenly confronts him about why he abandoned her as a child. What sacrifices is the famously arrogant and cynical Curtiz willing to make to become a good brother, an honest father, and a patriot in his adopted country? Like Rick at the end of Casablanca, Curtiz must make some hard choices.