Play It Again, Sam (1972 film)

Play It Again, Sam
original movie poster
Directed by	Herbert Ross
Produced by	Arthur P. Jacobs
Screenplay by	Woody Allen
Based on	play by Woody Allen
Starring	Woody Allen Diane Keaton Tony Roberts
Studio	APJAC Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	May 4, 1972 (1972-05-04)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Play It Again, Sam is a 1972 film written by and starring Woody Allen, based on his Broadway play. The film was directed by Herbert Ross, which is unusual, as Allen usually directs all his own written work.

The film is about a man obsessed with the movie Casablanca and the character Richard "Rick" Blaine (Humphrey Bogart). The film is liberally spread with clips from the movie and ghost-like appearances of Rick (Jerry Lacy) giving advice on how to treat women.

The film is set in San Francisco.

Plot

The film starts with the closing scenes of Casablanca, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. We then see that it is the main character, Allan Felix (Woody Allen), who is watching the film in a cinema, mouth agape. He leaves the cinema regretting that he will never be like Rick.

Apart from apparitions of Bogart he also has frequent flashbacks of conversations with his ex-wife, who constantly belittled his sexual adequacy.

Allan Felix has just been through a messy divorce. His two friends, Linda Christie (Diane Keaton) and her husband Dick (Tony Roberts), try convincing him to go out with women again, setting him up with a series of blind dates, all of which turn out to be unsuitable. He agrees, and throughout the film, he is seen receiving dating advice from the ghost of Humphrey Bogart (played by Jerry Lacy), who is visible and audible only to Allan. Allan's ex-wife Nancy (Susan Anspach) also makes fantasy appearances, as he imagines conversations with her about the breakdown of their marriage. On one occasion, the fantasy seems to run out of control, with both Bogart and Nancy appearing.

As the film goes on we see that, when it comes to women, Allan puts on a mask. He attempts to become sexy and sophisticated, in particular he tries to be like his idol, Bogart, only to end up ruining his chances by being too clumsy. Eventually, he develops feelings for Linda, around whom he feels relatively at ease and does not feel the need to put on the mask.

At the point where he finally makes his move on Linda (aided by comments from Bogart) a vision of his ex-wife appears and shoots Bogart, leaving him without advice. He then makes an awkward move. Linda runs off but returns, realizing that Allan loves her. "As Time Goes By" plays as they kiss, with flashes from Casablanca.

However, their relationship is ultimately doomed, just as it was for Rick (Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) in Casablanca.

Dick comes home early from Cleveland and confides in Allan that he thinks Linda is having an affair, not working out that her affair is with Allan, but expresses his love for Linda to him.

The ending is a parody of Casablanca's famous ending. Dick is catching a flight to Cleveland, Linda is chasing after him, and Allan is chasing after Linda. The fog, the aircraft engine start-ups, the trenchcoats worn and the dialogue are all reminiscent of the film, as Allan nobly explains to Linda why she has to go with her husband, rather than staying behind with him.

Allan says "if that plane leaves the ground and you're not on it, you'll regret it, maybe not today maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life". "That is beautiful," she says, causing Allan to reply "It's from Casablanca. . . . I've waited my whole life to say it". His journey is complete. The music from the scene in Casablanca resumes the theme "As Time Goes By" and the film ends.

Characters

Allan is allegedly 29 years old. He writes for a film magazine, Film Weekly. He is neurotic, and as interested in antidepressants as in Bogart, a trait shared by Linda (as Dick quips "the two of you should get married and move into a hospital"). His favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh.

Dick is a workaholic businessman, dealing in real estate. Each time that he appears on screen, he calls into his office to give a phone number of how to contact him and for how long, and then the next contact number.

Linda is a gentle soul with much in common with Allan, who accepts her husband's lack of attention. She has the same sense of humor as Allan and feels sorry for him. She tells him to just "be himself" as that is who she likes. She wears a hat in most scenes including the disco. When Allan gives her a gift of a plastic skunk on the beach one day, she clearly appreciates it because it is from him.

Nancy, Allan's ex-wife, is a free spirit, constantly criticizing Allan. She was married to Allan for two years. When he at one point he meets her in an antique shop she is not the ogre he remembers.

Cast

• Allan Felix - Woody Allen
• Linda Christie - Diane Keaton
• Dick Christie - Tony Roberts
• Nancy - Susan Anspach
• Humphrey Bogart - Jerry Lacy
• Sharon - Jennifer Salt
• Julie - Joy Bang
• Jennifer - Viva
• Disco girl - Suzanne Zenor
• Museum girl - Diana Davila

• Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman appear in archival appearances from Casablanca as Richard "Rick" Blaine and Ilsa Lund, respectively.

External links

• Play It Again, Sam at the Internet Movie Database
• Play It Again, Sam at the TCM Movie Database