Strange, but no coincidence
Noah Isenberg and Glenn Frankel published two books recently, namely "We'll Always Have Casablanca" and "High Noon" respectively. It would be a remarkable coincidence, as both films were released ten years apart. The date of publication didn't come at a better time, though.
Julius J. Epstein, the more colorful screenwriter of the Epstein twins, wasn't thinking about a classic. He and his brother wanted to make a living, and the big-screen adaptation of "Everybody Comes to Rick's" was their latest project. (In case you don't have a clue about the siblings, Philip G. Epstein was Julius's twin.) The movie was set in Casablanca, Morocco, then a playground for Allied and Axis spies. Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, was an American expatriate who operated an upscale nightclub in that area that brought varied clienteles. (Aside from spies and French and German officials, Casablanca was the place for refugees desperate to leave for America.) The United States was a neutral country, but Rick's attitude might prompt some American military officials to brand him as an unpatriotic Yank. “I stick my neck out for nobody,” he said. (This was one of the movie's memorable lines aside from "We'll always have Casablanca.") Isenberg wasn't thinking about the current state of American politics, but it happened that what he discussed in the book resonated with Donald Trump's foreign policy. The real estate mogul could be Rick Blaine in flesh and blood.
On the other hand, "High Noon" was adapted from John W. Cunningham's "The Tin Star", but screenwriter Carl Foreman had McCarthyism in his mind all along. Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper) was about to get married Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly), but the ceremony had to be postponed. The notorious Miller brothers and their cohorts wanted Kane's head. No one in the town was willing to help the Marshall confront the group, but it didn't matter at all. Will Kane prevailed against all odds, but it was far from a bittersweet victory. The final scene showed Marshall's disillusion and contempt at the collective cowardice of his soon-to-be former town mates. It would ring a familiar bell, right?
Modern-day Hollywood would try too hard to be politically correct at times, such as "Moonlight" winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. (And Bonnie and Clyde would rob the public one more time.) It was subtle, if not unintentional, during the studio days. There was a divided feeling on peers accused of leaning to the left, as well as America's involvement in the Second World War. It would be too early to tell if the Trump era showed that history could repeat itself, as whatever insight that could be gained from the past year or two should be drowned by the loud chorus of fanaticism. Isenberg and Frankel wanted to write about the backstory behind the making of two popular classics, which might lead to the two thinking about another book. After all, it would be hard to ignore the link back then and now.
