Play It Again, Sam (1972 film)
| Play It Again, Sam | |
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original movie poster
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| Directed by | Herbert Ross |
| Produced by | Arthur P. Jacobs |
| Screenplay by | Woody Allen |
| Based on |
Play It Again, Sam by Woody Allen |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
| Cinematography | Owen Roizman |
| Edited by | Marion Rothman |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Play It Again, Sam is a 1972 film written by and starring Woody Allen, based on his 1969 Broadway play. The film was directed by Herbert Ross, which is unusual for Allen, who usually directs his own written work.
The film is about a recently divorced film critic, Allan Felix, who is urged to begin dating again by his best friend and his best friend's wife. Allan identifies with the movie Casablanca and the character Rick Blaine as played by Humphrey Bogart. The film is liberally sprinkled with clips from the movie and ghost-like appearances of Bogart (Jerry Lacy) giving advice on how to treat women.
Set in San Francisco, the film begins with the closing scenes of Casablanca, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. We then see that the main character, Allan Felix (Woody Allen), 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 mocked his sexual inadequacy.
Allan Felix has just been through a messy divorce. His best friend, Dick Christie (Tony Roberts), and Dick's wife, Linda (Diane Keaton), try to convince him to go out with women again, setting him up on a series of blind dates, all of which turn out badly. 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.
When it comes to women, 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.
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Wikipedia