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Casablanca returns to Vietnamese audiences at DANAFF IV
Minh Trang
18/06/2026
23:29
VTV.vn - At the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV), audiences will have the opportunity to re-watch Casablanca as part of the American Cinema Spotlight program.
More than 80 years after its release, Casablanca is still considered one of the most classic romantic films in world cinema. The work by director Michael Curtiz not only tells a romantic story between two people in love during wartime but also raises questions about sacrifice, responsibility, and human choices in the face of historical upheavals.
At the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV), audiences will have the opportunity to re-watch Casablanca as part of the American Cinema Spotlight program, a thematic section introducing 13 representative works of American cinema across various eras. Alongside films such as The General, Singin' in the Rain, The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Saving Private Ryan, and Moonlight, the presence of Casablanca offers the public a chance to look back at one of the most influential works in Hollywood history.
Released in 1942, Casablanca is set in the city of Casablanca, Morocco, during World War II. The film revolves around Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), the owner of a popular nightclub, who unexpectedly reunites with Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) – the woman he once loved deeply and a wound from his past that never truly healed.
That encounter becomes complicated when Ilsa appears with Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), an anti-fascist resistance leader seeking a way to escape from German pursuit. From here, Rick faces a difficult choice between personal love and an ideal greater than himself.
Many critics argue that the enduring appeal of Casablanca lies in the fact that it is not just a love story. Critic Roger Ebert once remarked that this is a work about people who must make the right decision even when it means giving up what they want most. According to him, it is the nobility in the characters' choices that helps the film transcend the limits of a conventional romantic work to become a story with universal values.
Unlike many Hollywood romantic films of the same era, Casablanca does not end with a reunion. Rick chooses to let Ilsa leave with Victor Laszlo. That decision gives the film a bittersweet aftertaste but also creates one of the most famous endings in cinematic history. It is not a victory of personal love, but a victory of altruism and responsibility.
Notably, the success of Casablanca did not come from massive production scale or pioneering special effects. The film conquered audiences with the power of its script, characters, and emotions. More than eight decades later, the questions the work raises about love, choice, and responsibility remain as relevant as ever to today's audiences.
The inclusion of Casablanca in the American Cinema Spotlight program at DANAFF IV is therefore not just an occasion to enjoy a classic film on the big screen. It is also an opportunity for Vietnamese audiences to access a work that helped shape Hollywood's storytelling language and continues to influence generations of filmmakers worldwide.
DANAFF IV will take place from June 28 to July 4, 2026, organized by the Da Nang City People's Committee and the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA). The event carries the slogan "Bridging Asia to the World," affirming its role as a meeting point connecting cinemas, artists, and audiences in the region. In addition to the two main competition categories, Asian Film Competition and Vietnamese Film Competition, DANAFF IV also introduces curated programs such as Asian Cinema Panorama, Vietnamese Cinema Today, along with special programs like American Cinema Spotlight and 40 Years of Vietnamese Cinema since Doi Moi.
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