Casablanca (1943)

Written by Julius & Philip Epstein and Howard Koch

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Going into this review, I feel the same way that I did when I set out to write my review for Gone With the Wind: what do I say? What do I have to contribute that hasn’t already been said time and time again by decades of film critics?

Nothing. I have nothing to say, other than: I loved this film.

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the iconic final scene

This is actually not my first time watching it: my high school drama teacher put it on for us one day, and my attention on the film came and went as it played (as it does with most high school students, I think). To be honest, however, there wasn’t much I could tell you about the film that the average public doesn’t already know: WW2, an airplane, and the oft-misquoted “Play it again, Sam” (and yes, I know I’m using the wrong version of the line here). Giving the film my undivided attention here, I was instantly entranced with the film, and it quickly shot up my list thus far.

What struck me first was the multitude of characters. The actors all bring indelible qualities to their characters, and each one, no matter how large or small the role, feels like a real person. This realness then seeps into the rest of the film, making Rick’s cafe seem like a real place, full of real people, with real problems. The obvious stars are Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and they do a superb job, but I was more fascinated with Peter Lorre and Claude Raines’ performances. Lorne’s part is small, but vitally important, while Raines has quite a bit more to do, and is still utterly amazing to watch, despite his characters’ actions.

Bogart and Bergman during the Paris flashback

The plot is pretty straightforward; it’s a love story/war drama set against WW2. Bogart and Bergman, both of whom I’ve yet to see another performance from, are exceptionally convincing as lovers torn apart by circumstance. Particularly, the extended flashback sequence to Paris is exceptionally well put together, with Bogart seemingly getting younger by years, just by his carefree, head over heels (yet still in character) attitude. This shift helps sell the Rick we see in the bulk of the film...a heartbroken man without a home.

(Another minor yet interesting (to me) point to make about the Paris sequence: the end of the sequence, with Rick and Sam jumping onto a train and leaving, felt very much, visually and musically, like the end of the Fall of Saigon sequence from Miss Saigon. I don’t know how much of that sequence is inspired by this film, but it definitely felt like an homage)

Rick’s Café Américain, the most popular place in town

The Paris sequence is just one of a number of great sequences that fill the film. Each one builds upon the last, and each is stellar in its own right. More astonishing is that there isn’t much, visually, that seems to break the mold, as it were, although 75 years is a long time to make something feel a bit rote. I was also pleasantly shocked by how much of the dialogue I already knew, simply because it’s become such a referenced film. Throughout the film I was constantly saying to myself, “Oh, it’s THAT line! I didn’t know it was from this!”

While my interest in film history and early Hollywood certainly includes this era of film, I’ll admit that I’m not incredibly knowledgeable about the Noir genre. However, if most of them are half as well crafted as this film, then it’s a genre I’d be more than happy to explore more in-depth.

So, in short, Casablanca is a very, very well made film, and it stands up to the test of time remarkably well, which is the highest testament to its brilliance that I can think of.

FINAL GRADE: A