Casablanca was released in 1942, and since then it has been heralded as one of the greatest films ever made, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, and taking top spots in multiple best movie lists. Because of this, there's not much about this movie I can say that hasn't already been said. This movie is an amazing feat of cinema; a true classic which stands the test of time and reaches perfection in every aspect. In my ranking of Best Picture Winners, I rated Casablanca as the best movie ever to win the Academy's most coveted award (although, I haven't seen The Artist yet, so that rating may not stand, but it probably will). However, for those of you who haven't seen it and would like to know why this movie is so great I will share my opinions with you.
Casablanca is about Rick (Humphrey Bogart) an American café owner in Casablanca, Morrocco during the nazi occupation of France. Casablanca is an interesting city at this time, it is filled with european refugees trying to flee Europe for the Americas, and the biggest port for doing so is Lisbon. However, to get to Lisbon, people must first go through Casablanca in order to avoid going through nazi-allied Spain. Getting the necessary documents in order to go from Casablanca to Lisbon is very difficult and people can wait in Casablanca indefinitely trying to get out. However, Rick has no intention of leaving, he runs a successful business and has no interest in the politics of the time. One day and old flame, Elsa (the beautiful Ingrid Bergman) comes to Casablanca with her resistance leader and concentration camp escapee Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Like most people in Casablanca they are trying to get to Lisbon, but because of Laszlo's political value, he will almost certainly never be allowed to leave. It just so happens that Rick has come across a pair of irrevocable letters of transit which allow for free, unquestioned passage to Lisbon signed by Charles DeGaulle himself. Rick has to decide what to do with these valuable papers. Should he forgive Elsa for breaking his heart in Paris, or to escape Casablanca himself, should he help Victor Laszlo's cause or himself? It's an internal debate about the importance of one's own happiness versus the happiness of others.
The acting by the leads is remarkable, this is the role that Humphrey Bogart, one of Hollywood's most legendary actors, is most known for. Bergman, Henried and Claude Rains who plays the local captain of military police also give outstanding performaces. They express the desperation and stress of the conflicts of the time. The real star however here is the script. Winning the Oscar for Best Screenplay, the script for Casablanca has given us such memorable lines like, “Here's looking at you, kid,” “We'll always have Paris,” and “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” and the film's most memorable line, “Play it again Sam” (which, like “Luke, I am your father” is never actually uttered).
This movie also contains some of the most memorable lines in the history of cinema. As a film about World War II made during World War II, the film deals not only with the politics of the time, but also the strong emotions the war brought with it. When some German soldiers start singing “Die Wacht am Rhein” a song rooted in the historical military tensions between France and Germany, Victor Laszlo strikes up the band and leads the rest of the café in a rousing rendition of the French national anthem, “Les Marseillaise” in order to drown out the Germans. Only a handful of actors knew that this was how the scene was going to play out, so most of the emotional reactions of the people in the café are genuine reactions to how they felt about the german occupation of France that was happening while they were filming. It's a truly stirring scene as we can see the strong emotions of the extras as they shout “Vive la France!” to the flustered Germans. The final scene on the tarmac just before the plane leaves for Lisbon is however the crown jewel of this film. In my opinion it is the most iconic scene in all of cinema. Rick's monologue to Elsa is jam-packed with memorable lines. The movie builds up to this moment so perfectly, that when everything falls into place at the end it is truly a wonder.
Rating: 10/10 - Enlightened
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