Film Courage: When I look at a lot of Humphrey Bogart movies he seems to play the same
character all of which is enjoyable to watch but I don't see him especially
flawed. Maybe I haven't seen all of them so there's others he's maybe very very
confident definitely arrogant but what do you
think a lot of times is his his flaw that he needs to overcome because I see
him is like you know he's got to push women away I mean they're like falling
all over him so what is his flaw? Jill Chamberlain, Author/Writer/Instructor/Script Consultant: Well I think I'm gonna criticize Humphrey
Bogart a little bit okay that I like him but there is something in the way and I
try not to blame actors too much cuz you never know what all was going on so I'll
say the way hims directed in that he's a little too reserved so much in some ways
someone actually on Amazon I noticed docked me a point they liked my book a
lot but they they didn't like that I pointed out that it had Casablanca
followed my method it would have been a better movie and they they they took off
a star or that and and and to them I would say yeah but I'm not wrong it
would have been a little bit better that there's something a little bit too
reserved about him and so Casablanca I think it's a great
movie but it does feel a little dated and I think a lot of modern audiences
particularly younger people don't even get what happened and I think part of it
is a little bit of Humphrey Booker it's the way he was directed then he's a
little bit too much reserved and also it was missing and this is the what I was
recommending in my book it was missing a scene I felt where we we needed to hear
his enter his inner struggle with what was going on and he is you know he
doesn't articulate that what happened the dilemma he has of having to the fact
that he has the whole the weight of the whole world's fate is on his shoulders
he doesn't articulate that and he's also directed in such a way that we don't
only get what's going on behind the mask when it's so it's we have to reboot
behind we have to read between the lines quite a bit and I think that's what's
what what's really power go about Casablanca unfortunately you
have to read between the lines of that this this man who has you know his flaw
is that he has become cynical and that he has lost faith in the world now has
the weight of the whole world is looking towards him from making this to you know
this decision that literally the the fate of world war two lies in the
balance a little bit but we're given kind of the Humphrey Bogart mask a
little bit and and nor does he say it in dialogue nor is he an actor that you
know as someone who wears the heart on a sleeve so it's a little hard to pick up
sometimes is his flaw sure words to take Jimmy Stewart's character
oh yeah life exerts on the sleeves that's a great example yeah I was trying
to think of who would be the good or the right one but something like a Jimmy
Stewart exactly right you could imagine him at the crisis of Casablanca you know
having to deal this you would feel his pain alright and we don't really
humphrey bogart won't let us feel his pain right and I guess that was part of
maybe that type of man at that time more concern more reserved nothing got to him
you know sort of impenetrable or and saying the word you know just this sort
of like tough outer shell that you're trying to crack and you know yeah what's
in there and so yeah but we wanted to see it at least at some moment Lee and
the my suggestion was that we haven't we do have that one moment where he's
crying to Sam he gets drunk and he's kind of crying to Sam about about and
drunk about what happened and she out of all the bars she had to come back and
mine you know and I would have reserved that moment and had him do that at the
crisis to be upset and drunk and say that to Sam right because that's just
such an important important moment but we don't we don't get to know that
because he's got that that tough outer shell so they didn't let it crack
through and I understand you probably don't want to scenes of that cracking
through but I would had it cracked through at the moment of the crisis
because that's the really powerful moment that people don't get the
sacrifice he's going through we don't get it because he's
has such a tough outer shell
you