There's a bar is Casablanca called Rick's Café, it attracts the kind of crowd that's gone astray, people looking for escape, in a world knocked out of shape, Victor Laszlo, Ilsa Lund, have found their way. They're in search of documents to help them flee, from a war that's left so many refugee, in the gin joint ties rebind, as past loves are realigned, a pianist opens doors with a lost key. The owner of the bar is compromised, as he looks into the past at eyes that lied, a mercenary of sorts, takes advantage of imports, sneering, cynical, contemptuous and quite snide. It's a world that's built around a roulette table, where rewards can be significant, substantial, but the costs can be severe, without Américain Rick Blaine's ear, in this legendary and quite fabulous forties fable.
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Xstal24 March 2023
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gleslie-5320315 February 2023Personally The Third Man is the best film ever, but this is up there. As innovative as Citizen Kane was, I'm gonna put this one ahead of it.
But in one way this film beats all others - the dialogue. Yes, the cinematography is great, the acting is second to none, but how many eternal lines of dialogue came from this? 'Here's looking at you, kid,' 'This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,' 'We'll always have Paris,' 'Round up the usual suspects,' 'The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world,' 'I'm shocked to find out that gambling is going on,' 'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine'.
As much as I prefer a happy ending, I'm gonna go ahead and say the ending felt perfect. It had to go that way. I think I'll end by saying Humphrey Bogart just might be the most watchable actor in cinematic history. -
I think Casablanca will start a great friendship between me and the classic movies!!! Casablanca, an amazing story on friendship love and patriotism is one of the best movies I've seen. Magnificent as always , Humphrey Bogart played Rick a saloon owner in Casablanca , an unoccupied region in France during the WW2. His ex lover Ilsa now wife to Victor Lazlo an escaped prisoner of the Nazis come to the saloon owned by Rick in fortuity. With no other choice but to seek help from her ex lover Ilsa tries to persuade Rick to help Victor escape the german to America. I was infatuated by the performance of Ingrid Bergman who plays Ilsa. She was an absolute peach with her amazing yet painful dialogues. Casablanca will always be a monumental work in the history of the cinemas.
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Jaymay23 August 2003There are literally hundreds of comments about this movie on IMDB. Many of them exhort its greatness. I don't disagree with them.
But I'd like to add a suggestion to those of you out there who haven't seen this film. I'd like to tell you HOW to watch it.
The people who made this movie didn't think they were producing a masterpiece. Bergman left the shoot disgusted. The screenwriters were on salary for Warners, writing half a dozen movies a year, and this was just one more. Bogie was punching the clock in the middle of a workhorse career.
So as an audience member, you can't sit down expecting gilded greatness.
Don't have a Casablaca party. Don't watch it on your first date, hoping it will lend that "Romantic Touch." Don't watch it as part of your "I need to watch the Best 10 movies of all time" Film School project.
Buy this movie on DVD. Have it at the ready. And then, one Friday night, when your plans fall through and you find it's 10:30pm and there's nothing on TV that's any good, open a six pack of beer, or pour yourself some wine, and watch this movie in a darkened room.
The characters in Casablanca are absolutely devoid of sentimentalism. Every one of them sees the world without a hint of rose color in their lenses. As Rick says, "Three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this big old world." If you're in a mood where you understand what he's saying, watch this movie and it will transport you.
There is no single movie that deserves to be called the best movie of all time. Because movies, when all is said and done, don't amount to a hill of beans. They are meant to entertain us, not for us to worship THEM.
But no movie has ever known this fact like Casablanca.
If you watch Casablance this way, with no expectations, with no "hype," you might catch 10 percent of its greatness on one viewing. And that will be enough to start you on your way.
Happy viewing, kid. -
ElMaruecan8214 July 2011A few movies managed to achieve such a legendary status. Think about it, all you have to do is to hum the first notes of 'As Time Goes By' ta-da ta-da ta-daaa and a whole universe resurrects in your memories, forever incarnated by these two profiles staring at each other, Humphrey Bogart in the iconic trench-coat of his career-defining role, and Ingrid Bergman, as gracious as ever.
One word : "Casablanca", and a gallery of characters revives, Sam, the piano player, these unforgettable second-billed actors who graced the silver screen in these black and white days, Conrad Veidt, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, an international cast and so many immortal scenes, Rick Blaine's bourbon-driven melancholy while remembering the good old days with Ilsa, the patriotic fervor expressed during the singing of La Marseillaise and probably the most emotional farewell scene ever, followed by "the beginning of a beautiful friendship" as the ending of a beautiful movie. Of course, the list would be incomplete without the mention of Michael Curtiz' masterful direction, the dazzling shadowy cinematography and the Esptein twins' perfect script that lurched the film into Pop-Culture : "Here's looking at you, kid", "We'll always have Paris" and so many unforgettable lines that became catchphrases on their own. But still, everything would all have been secondary if it wasn't for THE element that made "Casablanca" such a legendary film : it's a beautiful romance.
60 years later, the movie still divides, should have Ilsa gone with Rick or Laszlo? The consensus is that she did the right choice, but there's no doubt that the truer love was Rick. The film perfectly captured the dilemma of a real triangular love as Ilsa's husband, Viktor Lazslo is fundamentally a good man, a heroic resistant fighter who escaped from a concentration camp, and the only man who inspired Rick Blaine a bit of admiration. As an ex-freedom fighter, Rick sure understands the value of courage and visibly, something from the past has metamorphosed his idealistic nature into the cynical and detached mask of a lone wolf figure. Who else than Humphrey Bogart could have played this role with such intensity? Intense but still profoundly romantic as the wound in Rick's heart opens when Lazslo comes back with Ilsa, Rick's former love, back then in Paris.
The international atmosphere of the Rick's Café nightclub gives it a unique and absolutely endearing flavor spiced up that pivotal night, when Ilsa asks Sam to play 'As Time Goes By', we understand that this song has a poignant significance, as the last one she and Rick heard as lovers, before the War came and ruined everything. Ilsa ran out of Rick who, like most of the refugees, escaped from the German invasion leaving Paris to Marseilles, then Marseilles to Oran, and from Oran to Casablanca, in French Morocco, freed from the German control, to get visas to the neutral Portugal, the only way to America. Rick exiled himself in Casablanca, as if something was unconsciously keeping him within the War, and when he delivers the legendary : "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" is he really lamenting? When Ilsa re-enters his life, his office, Rick's bitterness made him say the wrong words, but then he painfully realizes he still loves her, and that Lazlso took her from him.
Lazslo and Ilsa need two 'letters of transit' to go to Lisbon, and by an ironic coincidence, Rick got those two tickets from a suave criminal named Ugarte who got them by murdering two German couriers. With the death of Ugarte, the two tickets for freedom were in Rick's hand and a great moral dilemma in his heart : contributing to the War effort and lose the love or his life, or following his motto : "I stick my neck out for nobody". Rick's true nature can't fool anyone, but the romance gains in complexity when Ilsa revealing to Rick why she left him, reconciles with him and realizes she loves him more than ever and can't leave him again. The romance is in a dead-end, and compromised by the antagonistic presence of the Major Heinrich Strasser who can't allow Lazzlo to escape. Strasser counts on the collaboration of Vichy's government, incarnated by Captain Renault, another character we still don't know where his heart belongs to, as he said : "This is my least vulnerable spot"
Ultimately, and I guess this is what makes the movie so inspiring, as said Roger Ebert in his brilliant commentary, all the characters aren't bad people. Even the ambiguity of Captain Renault is a nice writing touch that allows to keep uncertain the role he's going to play, although the roulette episode proved his good heart. Even Greenstreet as the head of the criminal underworld and Rick's business rival accepts to buy him out and keep all the employees, even Yvonne, the French girl who dated a Nazi officer couldn't hide her tears when the Marseillaise was sung. Finally, the heroic nature of Rick Blaine prevailed as he decided to take care of everything, fooling Ilsa, Lazzslo, and Renault, but ultimately getting them in the plane. Renault also redeemed himself by the "Round up the usual suspects" to clear Rick of shooting Major Strasser before he could order to cancel the flight.
Rick, #4 hero in the American Film Institute, explains his decision to Ilsa : "I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world". He's twice wrong. First, Rick is excellent at being noble. Secondly, now that WW2 is over but not "Casablanca"'s legendary status, whether you love old, classic, black and white films or not, you should ask yourself if the problems of three little problems aren't finally the essence of the most beautiful acts that humanity could inspire. -
kdryan10 November 2004There is a scene about halfway through the movie Casablanca that has become commonly known as 'The Battle of the Anthems' throughout the film's long history. A group of German soldiers has come into Rick's Café American and are drunkenly singing the German National Anthem at the top of their voice. Victor Lazlo, the leader of the French Resistance, cannot stand this act and while the rest of the club stares appalled at the Germans, Lazlo orders the band to play 'Le Marseilles (sic?)' the French National Anthem. With a nod from Rick, the band begins playing, with Victor singing at the top of HIS voice. This in turn, inspires the whole club to begin singing and the Germans are forced to surrender and sit down at their table, humbled by the crowd's dedication. This scene is a turning point in the movie, for reasons that I leave to you to discover.
As I watched this movie again tonight for what must be the 100th time, I noticed there was a much smaller scene wrapped inside the bigger scene that, unless you look for it, you may never notice. Yvonne, a minor character who is hurt by Rick emotionally, falls into the company of a German soldier. In a land occupied by the Germans, but populated by the French, this is an unforgivable sin. She comes into the bar desperately seeking happiness in the club's wine, song, and gambling. Later, as the Germans begin singing we catch a glimpse of Yvonne sitting dejectedly at a table alone and in this brief glimpse, it is conveyed that she has discovered that this is not her path to fulfillment and she has no idea where to go from there. As the singing progresses, we see Yvonne slowly become inspired by Lazlo's act of defiance and by the end of the song, tears streaming down her face, she is singing at the top of her voice too. She has found her redemption. She has found something that will make her life never the same again from that point on.
Basically, this is Casablanca in a nutshell. On the surface, you may see it as a romance, or as a story of intrigue, but that is only partially correct.
The thing that makes Casablanca great is that it speaks to that place in each of us that seeks some kind of inspiration or redemption. On some level, every character in the story receives the same kind of catharsis and their lives are irrevocably changed. Rick's is the most obvious in that he learns to live again, instead of hiding from a lost love. He is reminded that there are things in the world more noble and important than he is and he wants to be a part of them. Louis, the scoundrel, gets his redemption by seeing the sacrifice Rick makes and is inspired to choose a side, where he had maintained careful neutrality. The stoic Lazlo gets his redemption by being shown that while thousands may need him to be a hero, there is someone he can rely upon when he needs inspiration in the form of his wife, who was ready to sacrifice her happiness for the chance that he would go on living. Even Ferrai, the local organized crime leader gets a measure of redemption by pointing Ilsa and Lazlo to Rick as a source of escape even though there is nothing in it for him.
This is the beauty of this movie. Every time I see it (and I have seen it a lot) it never fails that I see some subtle nuance that I have never seen before. Considering that the director would put that much meaning into what is basically a throw away moment (not the entire scene, but Yvonne's portion) speaks bundles about the quality of the film. My wife and I watched this movie on our first date, and since that first time over 12 years ago, it has grown to be, in my mind, the greatest movie ever made. -
Sleepin_Dragon22 December 2022American in Casablanca, Rick Blaine holds the fate of his former lover Ilsa Lund and her husband, who's trying to flee The Nazis.
I've just watched this film for the very first time, and I plan to watch it again on Christmas morning, before the events of the day start.
What an enchanting, magical experience this couple of hours of viewing was, true screen greats bringing to life a magical story.
Casablanca is not what I was expecting, it's a war film with a twist, a story seen through the eyes of people fortunate to escape Europe, it's a love story, with a difference.
The characters are captivating, they all feel very real, a mix of hope and fear etched over their faces, a harsh reality to all of them, none of them are syrupy sweet or sentimental, you feel a true sense of desperation.
Ingrid Bergman's finest hour, a gracious beauty, her presence is quite enchanting, Bogart delivers a superb performance, the presence of the pair is quite something, the whole cast are terrific.
Amazing to think that this was made in the middle of The Second World War, indeed I believe several of The German characters, were German Jews who had fled The Nazis.
Watching this was quite an experience, 10/10. -
slokes16 January 2005"Casablanca" remains Hollywood's finest moment, a film that succeeds on such a vast scale not because of anything experimental or deliberately earthshaking in its design, but for the way it cohered to and reaffirmed the movie-making conventions of its day. This is the film that played by the rules while elevating the form, and remains the touchstone for those who talk about Hollywood's greatness.
It's the first week in December, 1941, and in the Vichy-controlled African port city of Casablanca, American ex-pat Rick Blaine runs a gin joint he calls "Rick's Cafe Americaine." Everybody comes to Rick's, including thieves, spies, Nazis, partisans, and refugees trying to make their way to Lisbon and, eventually, America. Rick is a tough, sour kind of guy, but he's still taken for a loop when fate hands him two sudden twists: A pair of unchallengeable exit visas, and a woman named Ilsa who left him broken-hearted in Paris and now needs him to help her and her resistance-leader husband escape.
Humphrey Bogart is Rick and Ingrid Bergman is Ilsa, in roles that are archetypes in film lore. They are great parts besides, very multilayered and resistant to stereotype, and both actors give career performances in what were great careers. He's mad at her for walking out on him, while she wants him to understand her cause, but there's a lot going on underneath with both, and it all spills out in a scene in Rick's apartment that is one of many legendary moments.
"Casablanca" is a great romance, not only for being so supremely entertaining with its humor and realistic-though-exotic wartime excitement, but because it's not the least bit mushy. Take the way Rick's face literally breaks when he first sees Ilsa in his bar, or how he recalls the last time he saw her in Paris: "The Germans wore gray, you wore blue." There's a real human dimension to these people that makes us care for them and relate to them in a way that belies the passage of years.
For me, and many, the most interesting relationship in the movie is Rick and Capt. Renault, the police prefect in Casablanca who is played by Claude Rains with a wonderful subtlety that builds as the film progresses. Theirs is a relationship of almost perfect cynicism, one-liners and professions of neutrality that provide much humor, as well as give a necessary display of Rick's darker side before and after Ilsa's arrival.
But there's so much to grab onto with a film like this. You can talk about the music, or the way the setting becomes a living character with its floodlights and Moorish traceries. Paul Henreid is often looked at as a bit of a third wheel playing the role of Ilsa's husband, but he manages to create a moral center around which the rest of the film operates, and his enigmatic relationship with Rick and especially Ilsa, a woman who obviously admires her husband but can't somehow ever bring herself to say she loves him, is something to wonder at.
My favorite bit is when Rick finds himself the target of an entreaty by a Bulgarian refugee who just wants Rick's assurance that Capt. Renault is "trustworthy," and that, if she does "a bad thing" to secure her husband's happiness, it would be forgivable. Rick flashes on Ilsa, suppresses a grimace, tries to buy the woman off with a one-liner ("Go back to Bulgaria"), then finally does a marvelous thing that sets the whole second half of the film in motion without much calling attention to itself.
It's not fashionable to discuss movie directors after Chaplin and before Welles, but surely something should be said about Michael Curtiz, who not only directed this film but other great features like "Captain Blood" and "Angels With Dirty Faces." For my money, his "Adventures Of Robin Hood" was every bit "Casablanca's" equal, and he even found time the same year he made "Casablanca" to make "Yankee Doodle Dandy." When you watch a film like this, you aren't so much aware of the director, but that's really a testament to Curtiz's artistry. "Casablanca" is not only exceptionally well-paced but incredibly well-shot, every frame feeling well-thought-out and legendary without distracting from the overall story.
Curtiz was a product of the studio system, not a maverick like Welles or Chaplin, but he found greatness just as often, and "Casablanca," also a product of the studio system, is the best example. It's a film that reminds us why we go back to Hollywood again and again when we want to refresh our imaginations, and why we call it "the dream factory." As the hawker of linens tells Ilsa at the bazaar, "You won't find a treasure like this in all Morocco." Nor, for that matter, in all the world. -
RWiggum29 March 2004Spoilers ahead, but then again, who isn't familiar with Casablanca, even if one hasn't seen it?
I've been watching 'Casablanca' over and over again since I bought the Special Edition DVD, and is there any film out there one can watch again and again without ever being tired of it? And does any film appeal to a broader audience? Just everything about it seems to be as close to perfection as it only can be.
But what exactly is so special about it? Is it its great genre mix, never equaled by another film? When we think of 'Casablanca' first, we remember it as a romantic film (well, most of us do). But then again, its also a drama involving terror, murder and flight. One can call it a character study, centering on Rick. And there are quite a few moments of comedic delight, just think of the pickpocket ("This place is full of vultures, vultures everywhere!") or the elderly couple on the last evening before their emigration to the US ("What watch?").
But 'Casablanca' is not only great as a whole, it still stands on top if we break it apart and look at single lines of dialog, scenes or performances alone. Is there any other film which has more quotable dialog than 'Casablanca'? 'Pulp Fiction' is on my mind here, and 'All About Eve' and 'Sunset Blvd.' come close, too, but still I think 'Casablanca' tops everything else. And not only is the dialog great, it's unforgettably delivered, especially by Humphrey Bogart ("I was misinformed.") and Claude Rains ("I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here"). Many of scenes have become a part of film history; the duel of 'Die Wacht am Rhein' and 'La Marseillaise' is probably one of the greatest scenes ever shot (the only I can think of that would rival it for the #1 spot is Hynkel and the globe from Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator'), and the last scene is probably even familiar to the few people who've never seen 'Casablanca'. Am I the only one who is absolutely convinced that the film wouldn't have become what it is today if Rick and Ilsa would have ended up as the lucky couple?
About the performances: So much has been said about the uniqueness of Humphrey Bogart's and Ingrid Bergman's chemistry as Rick and Ilsa, about Claude Rains' terrific turn as Renault, about the scene-stealing performances by Peter Lorre (one of the 10 all-time greatest actors) as Ugarte and Sydney Greenstreet as Ferrari and about Dooley Wilson stopping the show as Sam. I'd love to emphasize here two other performances, one that is not mentioned quite as often and one which is blatantly overlooked: Conrad Veidt as Major Strasser had a really difficult task here, as his character is the only evil one, but still Strasser is not a one-dimensional character, and it took more than 50 years until another actor gave an equally (maybe even more) impressive performance as a Nazi, Ralph Fiennes in 'Schindler's List'. But why no one ever mentions S. K. Sakall, who plays Carl, the jolly waiter at Rick's Café Américain, is beyond me. He has definitely more screen time than Lorre, Greenstreet and Wilson, and probably about as much as Veidt, and he's a joy whenever he's on the screen. I simply love his reaction when the pickpocket ("Vultures everywhere!") accidentally bumps into him, or the reaction to the "What watch"-dialog. Or how he says he gave Strasser the best table, "being a German, he would have taken it anyway". His performance is simply criminally overlooked.
So is there a weakest link in 'Casablanca'? Every film, no matter how close to perfection, has a minor flaw or two, so one can find them in 'Casablanca', too, if one really tries hard. So yes, one might ask how much sense the entire mumbo jumbo about the letters of transit makes. One might point out that Paul Henreid, although his performance is certainly good, doesn't come close to the greatness of any of his co-stars. However, the film is so close to perfection that I'm almost ashamed that I'm so desperately trying to find less-than-perfect elements.
So whatever films will come, how many sequels will overflow the screen, and how much junk we will have to sit through, one thing is certain if we're desperate to see a great film: We'll always have Casablanca! -
mryerson18 November 2005Sunday, November the 20th is the anniversary of Marcel Dalio's death in 1983. It was the end of a serendipitous life. You know him. He was a citizen of the world. Born Israel Moshe Blauschild, in Paris, in 1900, he became a much sought-after character actor. His lovely animated face with its great expressive eyes became familiar across Europe. He appeared in Jean Renoir's idiosyncratic Rules of the Game, and Grand Illusion, arguably the greatest of all films. True to his Frenchman's heart, he married the very young, breathtaking beauty Madeleine LeBeau. He worked with von Stroheim and Pierre Chenal. He had it all.
But then the Germans crushed Poland, swept across Belgium and pressed on toward Paris. He waited until the last possible moment and finally, with the sound of artillery clearly audible, with Madeleine, fled in a borrowed car to Orleans and then, in a freight train, to Bordeaux and finally to Portugal. In Lisbon, they bribed a crooked immigration official and were surreptitiously given two visas for Chile. But on arriving in Mexico City, it was discovered the visas were rank forgeries. Facing deportation, Marcel and Madeleine found themselves making application for political asylum with virtually every country in the western hemisphere. Weeks passed until Canada finally issued them temporary visas and they left for Montreal.
Meanwhile, France had fallen and, in the process of subjugating the country, the Germans had found some publicity stills of Dalio. A series of posters were produced and were then displayed throughout the city with the caption 'a typical Jew' so that citizens could more easily report anyone suspected of unrepentant Jewishness. The madness continued. 'Entree des artistes', a popular film, was ordered re-edited so that Dalio's scenes could be deleted and re-shot with another, non-Jewish, actor.
After a short time, friends in the film industry arranged for them to arrive in Hollywood. Nearly broke, Marcel was immediately put to work in a string of largely forgettable films. Madeleine, a budding actress in her own right, was ironically cast in 'Hold Back the Dawn', a vehicle for Charles Boyer with a plot driven by the efforts of an émigré (Boyer) trying desperately to cross into the United States from Mexico. But the real irony was waiting at Warner Brothers.
In early 1942, Jack Warner was driving production of a film based on a one act play, 'Everybody Comes to Rick's' but had no screenplay. What he had was a mishmash of treatments loosely based on the play and two previous movies. But he had a projected release date and a commitment to his distributors to have a movie for that time slot and little else. Warner Brothers started to wing it.
Shooting started without a screenplay and little plot. Principal players were cast and a director hired but casting calls for supporting roles and bit players continued and sometime in the early spring Marcel Dalio and Madeleine LeBeau were cast as, respectively, a croupier and a romantic entanglement for the male lead. Veteran screen-writers were hired to produce a running screenplay, sometimes delivering pages of dialogue one day, for scenes to be shot the following day. No one knew exactly where the plot would go or how the story would turn out. No one was sure of the ending. And, of course, they produced a classic, perhaps the finest American movie.
They produced a screenplay of multiple genres, rich with characterizations, perfectly in tune with the unfolding events in Europe and loaded with talent from top to bottom. Oh, and they changed the title to 'Casablanca'.
It is so well known, that many lines of long-memorized dialogue have passed into the slang idiom. 'We'll always have Paris', 'I was misinformed', 'Here's looking at you, kid', ' I am shocked! Shocked! To find that there's gambling going on in here!', 'Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship', 'Oh he's just like any other man, only more so', 'I don't mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one', 'Round up the usual suspects', and, of course, the oft quoted, apocryphal, 'Play it again, Sam'.
Madeleine LeBeau plays Yvonne, the jilted lover of Humphrey Bogart, who is seen drowning her sorrows at the bar early in the film and who later, to get back at Rick and looking for solace takes up with a German officer finding only self-hatred. She is luminous.
And when Claude Rains delivers the signature line, 'I'm shocked! Shocked! To find that there's gambling going on in here!' the croupier, Emil, played by Marcel Dalio, approaches from the roulette table and says simply, 'Your winnings, sir.' It is a delicious moment ripe with scripted irony, one among many in this film, but one made all the more so, knowing where Dalio came from and what he and his wife had endured to arrive at that line.
I have often wondered exactly when they saw the final script or if they only realised the many parallels to their own lives when the film was released.
Alas, they separated and divorced the next year, both going on to long successful careers. Dalio never remarried.
Late in his career, when Mike Nichols was looking for a vaguely familiar face to deliver a long and worldly, near-monologue in Catch-22, he turned to Dalio. Faced with a hopelessly idealistic young American pilot, Dalio, as simply 'old man in whore house', in tight close-up, delivers a discourse on practical people faced with impractical circumstances, of the virtues of expedience in the face of amorality . Using his wonderful plastic features, now beginning to sag, in a voice full of melancholy, the old man reassures the young man that regardless of what 'grand themes' may be afoot in the world, in the end, little matters but survival. -
I was extremely skeptical when I put the video tape into the cassette player but I was pleasantly surprised by both my focus and the film. The picture was sharper than expected and luckily the film was not very long.
But quite honestly, I don't see what's so special about the movie. Not really my taste, but still! There are probably quite a few details that I didn't notice, but I don't think you should have to google "why is Casablanca great" to understand the hype surrounding the film.
Do not misunderstand me. It was good. It was actually very good from time to time. Stylish environments and lovely vibes. However, I think that the explanations for why the film is good are rather reasons why the film is even better than what you already thought. Should a film really require so much analysis and thought? Yes, a movie like this might need it.
I tried to see the film with an extra critical and objective eye. The plot is good, the characters are nuanced and many good questions are asked. The main character has had his heart broken and his ideologies have changed. It's an interesting premise. It's all good on paper and I imagine the film was a great when it came out during WWII. Can you imagine that? 80 years ago. There are people in this who were born in the 19th century. That is certainly interesting.
In conclusion, I was surprised that it was quite good, but I didn't really like it. It's undeniably a pretty good movie, but is it overrated? In my eyes? Yes, I would say so. Is it just because of the outdated technology? No, the plot wasn't very complex and the moral dilemma the whole thing was about is nowhere near groundbreaking today. Maybe it was 80 years ago but how do I know. -
Probably the most legendary movie of all time, I finally got to see it, it was a great hole in my movie-viewing history. And finally I got to understand why a classic movie like this has made its mark in history. The intricate political plot comes first, and sets the movie on a melting pot of the second world war, where everyone hopes and dies for an opportunity to reach the USA via Lisbon. This would provide sufficient material for hundreds of movies, but enter Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, magnificent cinematography, role model storytelling, a perfect supporting cast, some of the best dialogue ever commited to celluloid and Dooley Wilson singing THAT song, and history was made. More than 60 years of jaw-drops are sufficient to give the sceptics a good reason to make them understand that this is probably the greatest classic movie of all times, and one of the best ever made in the past, present and future.
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IowaJammer12 May 2015I'll open up with my unpopular opinion. I wasn't a fan of Casablanca. It's was over the top, it was pompous and most importantly I just didn't enjoy it. Most of this has to due with context. I had some trouble on the first go around grasping everything that was going on, but I'm not holding any of that against the film.
The credit I will give to Casablanca is the dialog is engaging and the cinematography is excellent. The music is perfect and the acting is amazing. It's at this point I even have to ask myself, why didn't I like it? I don't know, I just didn't. It didn't speak to me in the way that lesser films have. It's quite possible that in repeat viewings I'll pick up a detail I missed the first time around and have a renewed appreciation for the film, but as it stands now I respect Casablanca for everything that it is, but I didn't enjoy it and in my eyes that's the most important part of a film, no matter how important it may be historically. -
Silverzero13 April 2003First off, I'm going to say this once and make it very clear. If you liked "Casablanca" and though it was a work of "sheer brilliance" than that's fine. Hence the old saying "each to his own". If you didn't like it, then I agree with you.
Now before you snobs critically abuse, hear me out. I saw nothing in it that was deserving of the title "epic". Now I am not one of those ignorami who hate movies made before 1970. Many of these live up to their name (Zulu, Singin' In The Rain, Ben-Hur). I found Casablanca to be boring overlong and poorly acted. While the work of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergmen may have been good for it's time it is insufficient compared to todays advanced standards. The settings are dull and rather unimaginative.
Sure, you "Cinematic Elite" may like it, but is "Casablanca" really the kind of movie that would appeal to the average person at their local cinema. I wanted to like the film (I really did), but I'm not going to pretend I liked it just because all of you fellow critics admired it. But that's my opinion, if you agree with me then please send a message. If you disagree, then enlighten me. -
smatysia30 November 2004Wow! Ingrid Bergman was at her best in this one, as well as her most sad, doe-eyed, beautiful. The part of Rick seemed made for Bogey, with the snappy repartee, and the cynical shell around what Renault refers to as "a rank sentimentalist". It seems like every time I see this film I notice something new. This time it had to do with the Bulgarian woman, Annina Brandel, who Rick rescues from the carnal plotting of Captain Renault. I never gave this scene much thought, just assuming that it was a way to plumb the limits of Rick's cynicism, as noted above. But later, during the scene where Ilsa tells Rick that she'll stay with him if he will use the letters of transit for Laszlo, I realized that the two scenes were a common theme, that Rick realizes he'd be no different from Renault if he followed through with that. I guess one gets lazy seeing modern Hollywood fare. Nowadays, the director would have used a flashback image or something, in order to bludgeon the viewer with the correlation. But back then, with a better-educated public, one could allow audiences to discover things for themselves. It was also skillful how these films could be more or less suitable for children, as well as adults. When I saw this film as a child, it never occurred to me that Rick and Ilsa had had sex. But the clues, while too subtle for a child, were pretty obvious to me as a man. Like many people this film is my all-time favorite. Grade: A+++++
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Lechuguilla28 November 2007Love and sacrifice during WWII underlie the story about a café owner named Rick (Humphrey Bogart), and his link to two intellectual refugees from Nazi occupied France. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) seek asylum here in politically neutral Casablanca and, like other European refugees, gravitate to Rick's upscale café, near the city's airport, with its revolving searchlight.
Rick is a middle-aged cynic who also has a touch of sentimentalism, especially for people in need, like Ilsa and Victor. The film's story is ideal for romantics everywhere.
Much of the plot takes place inside Rick's café, an ornate nightclub with archways and high ceilings. Rick's is a gathering place for an eclectic mix of patrons, from locals to those who have arrived from countries throughout Europe. It's this deliciously international ambiance of Rick's café that renders this film so appealing, with a variety of interesting accents, clothes, and uniforms. And, of course, there's Sam, the piano player, who plays all the favorites, including "As Time Goes By".
All of the film's technical elements are excellent including the script, with its colorful characters, like the debonair Captain Renault (Claude Rains); and Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet), the articulate and portly "leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca". And a minor character that made an impression on me was the guitar playing female singer at Rick's (Corinna Mura), whose beautifully operatic voice was an unexpected delight in this smoke filled saloon.
The film's dialogue, though substantial, is clever and lively, like when Captain Renault observes Rick escorting an intoxicated woman out of the bar: "How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that; some day they may be scarce".
High-contrast B&W lighting renders a noir look. And that pounding score at the film's beginning is stunning; it evokes a feeling of far-off adventure.
"Casablanca" differs from traditional noir films, mostly as a result of its ending. Rick must make a choice between his own interests and the interests of others. The choice he makes enjoins viewers to a sense of courage and optimism, an individual's example of proper collective behavior in the war against Nazi Germany. -
bkoganbing8 March 2006It's one of the great Hollywood legends how George Raft helped make Humphrey Bogart a leading man by turning down in succession, High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. Maybe Raft showed some good sense in letting a better actor handle those roles. In any event we've got some proof in the case of Casablanca.
Check out some time a film called Background to Danger that Warner Brothers did with George Raft that also featured Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. Had Raft ever done Casablanca the film would have been a routine action/adventure story just like Background to Danger. Instead with Bogey we get that, but also one of the great love stories of the century.
Humphrey Bogart set the standard for playing expatriate American soldiers of fortune in Casablanca. Right now he's between wars running Rick's Cafe Americain in Casablanca in Morocco, an area controlled for the moment by the Vicky French government. He's got his fingers in a whole lot of pies, but Bogey operates with his own code of ethics. He sticks his neck out for nobody.
Nobody except the great love of his life Ingrid Bergman who left him mysteriously in Paris as he was fleeing the oncoming German occupation. She walks back into his life with a husband, Paul Henreid who is a well known anti-fascist leader.
The rest of the film is a contest for Bogey's soul. Torn between his great love, his own anti-fascist beliefs, and certain practical necessities of operating a liquor and gaming establishment in a hostile environment.
So many things combine to make Casablanca the great film it is. Ingrid Bergman's lovely incandescence melding and melting Bogey's cynical screen persona. The indelible characterizations of Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt and the whole rest of a 100% perfectly cast film. And the revival of a great ballad which serves as Casablanca's theme song.
I say revival because As Time Goes By was introduced in 1931 in the George White Scandals on Broadway by Rudy Vallee. He made a record of it which sold quite a few disks back then. But by the merest of coincidences there was a strike that lasted two years that just began around the time Casablanca came out. The Musicians Union struck against the record companies. With no new records being made RCA Victor re-released Vallee's record and it became a monster hit on revival.
Also when Casablanca came out as if the White House had a personal interest in the film FDR and Churchill had the first of their wartime conferences in----Casablanca of all places. Jack Warner must have said a prayer for that to happen.
There are so many classic scenes and lines from Casablanca you can write a comment just by listing them. But my favorite has always been when the Germans have taken over Rick's place and are singing some of their songs, Paul Henreid goes to orchestra leader and asks him to lead La Marsellaise. With a nod from Bogey, the orchestra plays, Henreid leads them and the rest of the non-Germans in the cafe join in. Over 60 years later, one still gets a thrill from that act of defiance.
Bogart and Rains were nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Any of the others could have been as well. As I said before Casablanca is perfectly cast right down to minor roles like Curt Bois as a pickpocket, John Qualen as a fellow resistance leader, and S.Z. Sakall as a waiter at Rick's. If there was an award for ensemble cast, Casablanca would have won it. As it was it did win for Best Picture of 1943 and best director for Michael Curtiz.
Casablanca will be seen and loved by filmgoers for generations unto infinity, as time goes by. -
gigan-921 February 2012This film is a monumental piece of film history. I can honestly it might just be one of the best movies of all time. If anything, you have to acknowledge the writing. Almost every single line of dialogue in the film is a household terminology to this day, most people paying tribute to the film without even knowing it. That's why I wanted to use a less popular quote for the title, and it has its own meanings within the film. Another joy of the film is composer Max Steiner; yes, Max Steiner of 1933's "King Kong". His music is timeless, and he captures the mystery and romance of the film perfectly.
It's definitely a love story at a glance, one of the best ever told if not so, but I view it more as a story of sacrifice, on the part of both lovers. The film is also a piece of history, taking place during the Second World War It entails a time when the Third Reich's immense shadow was cast over all of Europe, and the film portrays this quite nicely. However the film is about more than Charlie Chaplin poking fun at the Nazi Party (gotta love Chaplin). There is quite a bit of nicely done comedy within the weaving of it all, but it's balanced just right.
I'm not sure if it qualifies as a film noir exactly, but Rick (Humphrey Bogart) is cynical enough to fit the bill and the use of shadows is quite extraordinary. The setting and lighting during the best scenes of the movie are darkened rooms, making it all the more intense. As I said before, Rick, with his sarcasm and pessimism, is one of my favorite characters of all time. To me the movie is about him most of all. He sees the events taking place before him, knows he must act, but for a while chooses not to. The beauty of it all is that we know why and we feel for him.
All the performances are incredible. Like all golden era Hollywood flicks of the 50s, it draws our attention without the use of bloodshed and sexuality. Although don't be mistaken, it is indeed used here and very subtly I add. Its takes a film lover's eyes and ears to catch it, and the story telling is just marvelous.
One cannot be a true fan of cinema without having seen "Casablanca". -
Questor29 November 2000Casablanca is a film about the personal tragedy of occupation and war. It speaks to the oppression of the one side - and the heroism and self-deprecation of the other. From opportunists, to isolationists - from patriots to disenchanted lovers - the film has everything a man or woman would enjoy. Bravery, courage, intrigue, romance, beauty and love. Leading actors to please any appetite. Watching this film is to step back to a world that doesn't exist - yet to know it. It is to experience lives that have never been lived - but are "real to you." It is to know pain and joy, pride and pity for characters that are a fiction - yet are so real that you can't help but get lost in their story.
Amazing cast, memorable dialogue, unforgettable story. Through this film, Casablanca will always live in my heart and I will think of its characters as family.
Seeing it for the first time is truly the start of a romance with ideals that will live in you long after credits end. -
JFHunt6 December 2006The Petrified Forest convinced the world Bogart was a bad guy. And for years he shocked and awed the audience with roles fitting that image. The Maltese Falcon showed a new kind hero, one with an edge. Bogart, with all the right things to say and seemingly never losing his cool. Then came Casablanca and the ages. The man's man comes with a heart. Arguably, three of his best pictures. All showing a change in a man's character and the depths of what acting is supposed to be. Maybe it was Warner Bros all along. Maybe Bogart was simply Bogart.
What can I say about this film that hasn't been said in over 60 years since its release. Is it a great film? Yes. Is it a showcase for Bogart? If not, than what else. Was Bogart the coolest guy to ever live? Absolutely. Casablanca is a different kind of love story, more likely to infect rather than effect.
She almost makes me believe it every time. When she says, "You're very kind." Bergman was more than just beautiful. And with Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre, cinema magic was created. But to me, Bogart was the greatest actor of all time. It's hard for me to believe he died almost 50 years ago. Every time I watch his films, it's like they were made yesterday. And that's why he is timeless. I'm still trying to figure him out.
"I should never have switched from scotch to martinis." Is said to be Bogart's last words. A legend, indeed. -
In December 1941, American expatriate Rick Blaine owns an upscale nightclub and gambling den in Casablanca. "Rick's Café Américain" attracts a varied clientele, including Vichy French and German officials, refugees desperate to reach the still-neutral United States, and those who prey on them. Although Rick professes to be neutral in all matters, he ran guns to Ethiopia during its war with Italy and fought on the Loyalist side in the Spanish Civil War.
Petty crook Ugarte boasts to Rick of "letters of transit" obtained by murdering two German couriers. The papers allow the bearers to travel freely around German-controlled Europe and to neutral Portugal, and are priceless to the refugees stranded in Casablanca. Ugarte plans to sell them at the club, and asks Rick to hold them. Before he can meet his contact, Ugarte is arrested by the local police under the command of Captain Louis Renault, the unabashedly corrupt Vichy prefect of police. Ugarte dies in custody without revealing that he entrusted the letters to Rick.
Now let's clear up some rumors. Muh has been written about "Casablanca" but a few rumors often get repeated. One of them is Ingrid Bergman saying "The screenplay was not completed when they started shooting". That is not true. Warner Brothers never put a film into production unless they had a complete screenplay. Now they kept a few things secret from Ingrid Bergman. She did not have a complete screenplay. The director and Warners thought they would get a better performance out of her if she did not know a few things. However it was not uncommon for "things to change" while a film was in production. "Casablanca was no exception!
Another rumor was that Ronald Reagan was cast to play Ric! He was only "thought of" but for only a few seconds. Almost everyone in Hollywood was until Bogart was cast!
Rumor #3 The film was an out of control production! This is not true! This was shot in 18 days.
Another things people don't quit notice is how fast people talk in this film! The film runs 102 minutes. The screenplay is 125+ minutes. The average screenplay is one minute of screen time per written page! If this film was made by today's standards it would run almost 45 minutes longer.
Now if you never seen the film you are lucky. The film is exciting as it is romantic. Not one minute of screen time is squandered. Today's filmmakers would not know how to make a film like this unless "Batman" plays Ric! -
SPZMaxinema3 April 2022The movie had a decently compelling story and good scenes, and the actress who played Ilsa had definite talent. I liked the ending too, however I found it annoying that Humphrey Bogart said his famous line more times than necessary in my opinion. He should've said it twice instead of like 3-4 times which I started to roll my eyes at. Aside from a couple of pacing issues too, it was not bad! Slightly overrated though.
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planktonrules30 December 2008Although I have so far reviewed over 5700 films, I haven't yet reviewed CASABLANCA--mostly because nothing I can say about the film can add to the many excellent and insightful reviews for this cinematic masterpiece. But, having seen it several times, I guess it's worth at least saying a few words out the film.
Although Humphrey Bogart is one of the finest actors ever and he made many, many wonderful films, I think it's not much of a stretch to say this is his best performance and best film. He was perfect for the world-weary and cynical Rick. Sure, African QUEEN, THE CAINE MUTINY and several other of his films were brilliant, but none come close to CASABLANCA because in my opinion CASABLANCA is a perfect film--or about as close to one as you can find. If IMDb were not so heavily weighted in favor of newer films (just look at the top 250), it probably would be at the top of the list. For example, you can't seriously think that THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE DARK KNIGHT are better films, though they both are ranked higher on the list. Now this isn't to say these are bad films--heck they are terrific,...just not in the same category as CASABLANCA.
Aside from Bogart, the film also is directed perfectly by Michael Curtiz--with excellent pacing, atmosphere and charm. The supporting cast is amazing--one of the best you could find in a film. In addition to the great stock Warner Brothers character actors (such as Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Cuddles Sakall), Conrad Veidt is the perfect scary Nazi, Claude Rains is his usual wonderful self, Ingrid Bergman luminous and Paul Henreid, though a great actor, is somewhat lost among all the immense talent! Amazing music, a top script and all the style and quality that Warner Brothers could muster--this is my pick for top film ever. A fine romance and a fine film about people. -
mitch-bulfin10 March 2020"Casablanca" is a tight movie. Craftsmanship is the name of the game, and with every line, look, and movement contributing to its story, not a moment of what you see on screen is wasted. Fully realized locations, legendary performers at the top of their game, and a story that sneaks up on you with how powerful it suddenly becomes -- yes, "Casablanca" deserves the place it has made itself at the top of all-time lists. Even today it's more entertaining and emotionally resonant than many current films. That it is from 1942 and yet remains so relevant today is simply mind-blowing.
- Mitchell Bulfin
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destinyhugill15 December 2015After hearing all of the hype surrounding this film my expectations were set rather high, but after i finally sat down and watched this film i was kind of let down. While this film was a bit of a let down it was still somewhat interesting to watch. This film had great acting from both the main and supporting actors who really seemed to give it there all to portray these characters perfectly but that was the only part of this movie that really blew me away. The plot was somewhat interesting but moved a little to slow in my opinion. Overall this film is way over hyped and in my opinion should not be considered on of the best films ever made.