Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca–Bogart, Bergman, and World War II

It is 50 years since “Casablanca” opened up in America. Little did Humphrey Bogart know when he uttered the final line – “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship” – that he had just closed what would be one of the most enduring and popular movies ever. Aljean Harmetz believes that “every movie is a creature built from accidents and blind choices – a mechanical monster constructed of camera angles, the chemistry between actors, too little money or too much and a thousand unintended moments”. Her portrait of the making of an unmatched classic reveals some of the how the stars of the movie almost weren’t Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman; how “As Time Goes By” nearly didn’t make it to the final cut.