In my previous post, I used the word lore to refer to my phraseological findings regarding "Here´s looking at you!", the expression that whetted my curiosity. Why?
The Free Dictionary explains: "A convivial toast to one´s drinking companions. Sometimes used in the form of "here´s looking at you, kid," a reference to the famous line said by Humphrey Bogart in the 1942 film Casablanca." It is uttered by Bogart 4 times in the film and not only at the end of it, as it is often asserted. However, in that last scene, Bogart is not drinking, so we may also guess that the meaning, as the lovers are parting, is a wish of good luck.
"Here´s looking at you" is used in the films The Bigamist (1953), with Ida Lupino and Joan Fontain, Dillinger (1945), and It´s a Pleasure (1942) where the meaning is ambiguous in every count.
However in the 1939 historical and war film, The Real Glory, the meaning is clear: "Here´s looking at you, Mac. Bottoms up!"
The icing on the cake is the 1936 Spencer Tracy movie San Francisco where we hear: "Water for me. Water? Here´s looking at you, Blackie!" This proves that Casablanca was not the origin of the expression and it has been making the rounds of films since at least 1936, a long time ago.
A parting comment: The Spanish version of Casablanca, and in the last scene, skips the translation of the sentence. This is quite normal among translators: If you cannot translate it, don´t bother and skip it, and none will be the wiser.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario