“CinéCasablanca, the white city in 100 films” at the Book Club Kiosk

Like the mythical “Casablanca” of Michael Curtiz has nothing really Casablanca in Moroccan, Roland Carrée et Rabéa Ridaoui selected around a hundred films to best capture the soul and spirit of the white city.

Through a careful exploration of 100 cinematographic works produced between 1933 and 2023, “CinemaCasablanca» offers an insight into the neighborhoods, squares and unique atmosphere of this metropolis.

Casablanca appears like a chameleon actor, by turns fascinating and disconcerting. It is this ogress which stifles its inhabitants, but opens majestically onto the sea. It shelters the most beautiful residences while rubbing shoulders with the darkest neighborhoods, forming a vibrant patchwork of social classes. The city is boiling with social demands just as much as it is bursting with unexpected bursts of joy. Moroccan in its essence, it remains profoundly cosmopolitan.

Published by the Editions Le Fennec with the support of theFrench Institute of Morocco“CinéCasablanca” is the fruit of the work of Roland Carrée, cinema teacher at theHigher School of Visual Arts (ESAV) of Marrakechand Rabéa Ridaoui, cinema trainer and former president of theCasamémoire association. Together, they give Casablanca a dazzling face, devoid of artifice, while introducing us to sharp and uncompromising film criticism.

Casablanca is a nest of social disparitiesbut we don’t teach you anything. It can accommodate films as different as “Morocco», emblem of the golden youth, and “The Hairdresser of the Rue des Pauvres», anchored in popular modesty. Timeless love stories like “A love in Casablanca» or social frescoes like “The Moroccan Symphony“. But Casablanca can also be the scene of stories where two worlds rub shoulders without ever mixing, as in “Casanegra» or «Sofia».

Casablanca also appears as a mirror of Morocco’s political and social tensions, revealing struggles for freedom and justice. This is the case in “Before the day fades” of Ali Essafithe city is the scene of repression and protest, with places like the infamous police station of Derb Moulay Cherif and the municipal theater. In “Apartheid Casablanca” of Nadir Bouhmouchclass inequalities contrast with the modernist discourses of local development companies. It shows the reality of workers, thanks to a critical montage combining colonial archives and contemporary videos. The book also cites “Of some meaningless events”, a docu-fiction by Mustapha Derkaoui where Casablanca becomes the setting for a progressive and rebellious youth, confronted with censorship and oppression.

The book reveals to us an astonishing number of foreign films filmed in Casablanca. Chosen for its timeless charm or its striking contrasts, the city has established itself as a setting of choice for numerous productions. Casablanca welcomes the humor of Blake Edwards In “The Return of the Pink Panther”, or the intriguing mystery of “Bob Fleming… Mission Casablanca» d’Antonio Margheriti et «Casablanca nest of spies» d’Henri Decoin. Adventure and action take place in “The Green Dogs of the Desert» d’Umberto Lenzi and/or in “Casablanca Express” of Sergio Martinoin a historic atmosphere. More recently, “Mission impossible : Rogue Nation” of Christopher McQuarrie used Casablanca for breathtaking and visually intense scenes.

But Casablanca sometimes lends its body to interpret other places. We discover it in the filming of the film “Cairo confidential” of Tarik Salehbanned in Egyptor even in “South” of Martin Scorsese which was filmed partially in Morocco to reconstitute the Tibet. Casablanca will play Beyrouth In “Spy game – Nid d’Espions” of Tony Scott. And the list is very long…

For the authors of the book, the Moroccan directors in the past depicted Casablanca as a Eldoradoa place of hope and opportunity where people come to transform their lives. On the other hand, contemporary filmmakers tend to move away from the city, considering it more as a starting point or a simple stage in their stories. “Perhaps we are witnessing the beginnings of a real abandonment of Casablanca as a source of stories?” the authors ask, before suggesting: “In the future, the city could be perceived as an outdated setting, losing its appeal to filmmakers and characters in search of deeper roots.”

Leaf through at leisure or read in one go, “CinéCasablanca” invites the reader to dive into a narrative where the city and cinema intertwine, offering a rich and nuanced panorama of Casablanca on the big screen. More than a book, it is a tribute to a city which has marked the imagination, while revealing the tensions and transformations of its identity. For cinema lovers and Casablanca enthusiasts, this book is a real gold mine not to be missed.