the mommy avenger

I’m embarrassed to tell you, I have never seen Casablanca. While I have a pretty good knowledge of classic movies, this one slipped through the cracks. I decided to rectify that and take an evening to see it on the big screen. What better way to do that than to see it at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City when they presented it as part of their Films in Concert series? I couldn’t think of a better way to experience it than to have a live orchestra play the score.

We arrived to Abravanel Hall and, as always, it is such a great place to be. The acoustics of the hall are wonderful and, to me, there is no better place to see a movie than there. When you settle into your seat, the orchestra takes theirs, and the lights dim. The screen teases the movie that is about to be shown and you know you are in for a treat.

As I said, I was unfamiliar with every aspect of the movie. I was not aware of the score at all. This was actually the first time I’ve ever experienced a movie with the Utah Symphony that I didn’t already really know and love. The conductor Connor Gray Covington introduced us to the background of Max Steiner who was responsible for all of the music. Max, an extremely talented musician (he wrote his first operetta by the age of 12). He was an Austrian Jew and had escaped to London during World War I. Escaping internment, but anxious to get out of Europe, he was able to access exit papers by making friends with the Duke of Westminster. He arrived in New York City in December 1914 with only $32.  He began writing scores for Broadway and was very successful doing so. He transitioned to creating the music for on screen productions, like King Kong and Gone With the Wind, eventually creating scores for hundreds of Hollywood movies.

Knowing his own background gave an interesting insight to the story of Casablanca. Released in 1942, we find ourselves in Casablanca, Morocco, in free-French territory during World War II. Refugees are escaping Europe (interesting fact, most of the extras in the movie were, indeed, real-life refugees from the war) and awaiting exit papers to get to Lisbon and on to America. Getting these papers seems to be the impossible task, unless you have help with the Black Market. Local police collaborate with Nazis, making it extra dangerous to accomplish the goal of leaving.

In the midst of the chaos, we are introduced to Rick, a hardened nightclub owner with a complicated history, and Ilsa, the wife of infamous Resistance fighter, Victor Laszlo. We soon learn there is more than meets the eye between Rick and Ilsa. Rick holds the keys to helping them escape Casablanca, but can he choose to help the husband escape and go on to fight the Germans over his love for Ilsa?

I was so engaged in the movie. I was surprised to hear so many familiar quotes and music in the movie. Even though I had never seen it before, there was so much familiarity, it almost felt like I had. So much of the movie is engrained in popular culture today. It was enthralling to listen to the Utah Symphony play such familiar music. They did a beautiful job and it was a wonderful way to view and experience the movie for the first time. There was a pretty good mix of people, like me, who had never seen the movie, but both the experienced and novice viewers loved it equally.

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.” Walk into our concert hall Valentine’s weekend and see the classic Casablanca on the big screen—one of only three films to rack up 11 Oscar nominations! Cozy up with a loved one as you savor the story of Rick and Ilsa’s romance, the beautiful visuals, and the Utah Symphony performing Max Steiner’s Oscar-nominated score live in sync with the movie.

Order your tickets online, grab your favorite Valentine, and don’t let the opportunity to see Casablanca in Concert at the symphony pass you by. Tickets are still available for the February 10th performance!  To learn more about Casablanca in Concert or the remaining 2023-2024 Utah Symphony Season, visit them online.