Casablanca came to theaters in 1942 and to this day remains one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s also still considered by many as the best screenplay ever written. But some people don’t want to watch classic films, not even ones whose place in Hollywood history are unquestioned, because they think they are too old-fashioned. But anyone who has ever visited Rick Blaine’s saloon knows the film is anything but dated. Its themes of love lost, regret, friendship, and being a moral person in an amoral world are timeless. That enduring quality is on full display in a new modern-style trailer for Casablanca.
Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, will soon be coming to HBO Max. Ahead of its premiere, the streaming site has cut together an all-new trailer for the film using a distinctly modern style. It’s moving, exciting, powerful, and relies on dialogue from the film to promote the story rather than over-the-top narration. That approach was the norm for decades in Hollywood, but it feels hokey now.
This trailer is so modern it even shows way too much from the third act. Of course, we’re not actually complaining about that. Even people who have never seen it know its most famous scenes. (Plus it came out almost 80 years ago. That is definitely outside of the statute of limitations for anyone to be screaming, “Spoilers!”)
Warner Bros. Pictures
This new trailer doesn’t just make us want to rewatch the movie; you can really appreciate the evolution of trailers when you compare this one to the film’s original.
Old trailers can feel dated. They aren’t the best way to convince someone to watch a great movie. Hopefully this new modern-day version for Casablanca shows skeptics that the film will always be timeless.
Featured Image: Warner Bros. Pictures