This week’s LinkedIn Saturday Monster Challenge generative art theme was “Deleted Scene Monsters”: show the monsters that ended up on the cutting room floor.
And so, I am pleased to present these rare stills from the original cut of “Casablanca” (1942)—starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as star-crossed former lovers in a classic tale of wartime romance set against a background of mind-bending supernatural horrors, when a mysterious event causes the gates of Hell to yawn wide and the inhabitants to amble forth across the living earth. (Original tagline: “From Hell… to Casablanca… to YOUR Town!”)
Unfortunately, test audiences didn’t respond well, and studio executives said the macabre elements were “distracting” and ordered it recut to emphasize more of the drama and romance, and less of the shrieking souls of the long dead.
The bowdlerized re-cut became the familiar excellent but sadly not-at-all-terrifying non-monster film beloved by generations since.
Some colorized publicity photos are included.
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