Everybody appreciates a good love story… or maybe some witty dialogue? At the very least people enjoy a good story about victory over Nazis. On lists of the best movies of all time, Casablanca is consistently ranks on lists of the top five. The first time I saw this movie – I hated it. I was around eleven years old and bored out of my mind. My criticisms? : Too much dialogue, a sappy love triangle, and an English-sounding Brit playing a Frenchman. Now that I might’ve gained some perspective, I decided to give it another go. For people who want more information read the next paragraph, for everyone else onward and downward:
IMPORTANT HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Casablanca’s backdrop is a World War II well underway in Europe but before American involvement. Refugees have using Casablanca as a way to safely escape to places like America. However, thanks to German occupation of France, the war has reached Morocco (the country Casablanca’s located in) by the extension of being a French territory. Nazis are being sent to control the area, hindering a great many attempts to escape persecution.
PLOT: Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is a complicated man who’d probably have a great deal of stories to tell if he would ever open up about his past. Rick, the owner of Rick’s Café, is a seemingly cynical man able to thrive in corrupted Casablanca since he’d stick his neck out for no one – and proves it by watching a man he knows be dragged away to his certain death. The center of the story focuses on the letters of transit the man left in the Café before he was taken away. However, one night after the club has been closed Rick’s long lost love Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) arrives to see him to get letters of transit for her and her husband (Paul Henreid) who is an important member of the Nazi resistance movement. Rick is left with a choice to make: either let his love escape and continue to be happy with her husband or leave her husband behind in Casablanca to a certain death to take Ilsa’s affections for himself.
MY THOUGHTS:
Normally I can’t stand love triangles – they are the bane of my movie going experience and I also usually have little patience for the additional stereotypes. However, in the case of Casablanca I am perfectly willing to make an exception in the case of Victor Laszlo. His determination to spread the voice of the Czech Resistance movement has no bounds and his love of Ilsa is obvious when shown how he accepts Ilsa’s previous love for Rick with grace. If anything slightly frustrates me, it’s Ilsa only because I can’t tell if she’s partially using Rick to get the letters of transit she needs. Both aspects of the story make sure that there is no obvious black-and-white choice made by the characters.
My favorite character is definitely Captain Louis Renault. Even though Claude Rains plays a Frenchman with his British accent he still makes the role his own. He is such a corrupt government figure who only looks towards the winning side yet his affable personality and witty dialogue allows him to remain likable. He doesn’t mind gambling at Rick’s café so long as he gets a profit and makes deals with poor, desperate woman for handing out letters of transit in exchange for sex. His best quality would be his friendship with Rick that leads to a surprise ending.
For a movie made before the United States entered the War, it struck me that this could be considered a successful example of propaganda. In the beginning, Rick has been driven to cynicism due to failed attempts to make a positive difference. If I saw this movie when it was first released, I’m pretty sure I would definitely want to make a difference.
If you’re interested in old movies, and even if you’re not, this is a film worth seeing. I give Casablanca and 4.5/5.
I love this post and this blog idea in general, because it can expose me to movies I have not seen and persuade me to view them! I definitely want to see this now because have never seen it before. This was very well written and I think that your personality was shone so well. It can be hard to sometimes find the balance of adding in your personal opinions and reviewing the movie, but I think that you did it perfectly.
This blog was awesome! Very well written and convincing. The main reason I say that, is because I too saw Casablanca and hated it. I saw it about a year ago and that it was fairly bland. You may have convinced me to watch it again. The main reason, I believe, that I didn’t like it is because I am too accustomed to your modern day, in your face movies. Although I thought this movie was a little slow, I’ll trust your judgment and give it another try.
First of all I think blogging about a movie each week is a great idea. I have never watched Casablanca but like you said its on the list of best movies of all times and I have heard it mentioned more than a few times. I like how your blog can kind of be like a Sparknotes, but for movies. If I want to follow along with a conversation or if I am required to know about these movies but don’t have time to watch them I know that I can go to your blog and trust that I will get a detailed breakdown. Also, thanks to you, I might just go rent this movie.