Cinema Under the Stars presents Casablanca
There are certain legends that even the greediest of studio executives refuse to trample. At the height of his violently insane colorization craze, Ted Turner drew the line at Citizen Kane. (Is it true that Netflix has plans to release a desaturated version of The Other Side of the Wind?) Casablanca went under the chroma-sweetening knife, but the closest Hollywood came to a remake was the short-lived 1983 TV series starring David “Hutch” Soul as Rick Blaine. A decade or so ago, Madonna heard the clock ticking and, deciding the time was right to festoon a classic, got it into her head to once again treat her adoring throngs to a round of reinvention. Madge was to play Ilsa opposite Ashton Kutcher’s Rick. This is Casablanca, not Dude, Where’s My Letters of Transit? Didn’t she learn anything after her dumbed-down update of Lina Wertmuller’s Marxist rehash on Gilligan’s Island capsized at the box office? This weekend, Cinema Under the Stars offers four chances to see the original in glorious black and white. — Scott Marks