Casablanca

 

DIRECTED BY-:
Michael Curtiz
STARRING-:
Humphrey Bogart
Ingrid Bergman
Paul Henreid
YEAR OF RELEASE-:
1942
PREMISE-:
A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

THE NEGATIVES:

• After having Louis at gunpoint, there really was no reason for Rick to order him to call the airport and let them know about the two letters of transit to Lisbon. He could’ve gotten the approval for the letters of transit later at the airport itself. 

• Major Strasser CONVENIENTLY arrives at the airport BEFORE the police squad. Also, the police squad CONVENIENTLY arrives JUST AFTER Strasser gets shot. And, both of these parties CONVENIENTLY arrive JUST AFTER Victor and Ilsa have boarded the plane.

THE POSITIVES:

Performances and Dialogues:

Everyone in the cast gave a good performance. The chemistry between Bogart and Bergman was immensely electrifying and engaging. Thanks to Claude Rains’ talent and charm, even a despicable character like Louis came across as funny and endearing. The film’s crisp, iconic, and quotable dialogues further acted as the cherry on top and elevated the already fantastic performances.

Technically sound: 

The film excels in almost every technical department, whether it be the cinematography, editing, set design, and especially, the music. 

Humor:

Casablanca surprisingly has a lot of jokes, most of which land well. The following are my favorite ones-:

• Rick’s “Well, I was misinformed” reply to Louis when he tells him that there is no water in Casablanca.

• Louis being cut off after saying “In Casablanca, I’m the master of my fate” as Strasser arrives, causing Louis to quickly rush to greet him.

• The adorable old couple who try their best to speak in broken English with Carl.

• Louis being “shocked to find out there’s gambling going on” as he simultaneously collects his winnings.

Character writing:

• The film does a great job of sprinkling various instances of Rick’s true selfless and kind nature throughout the movie which make his sacrifice at the end seem very organic. Even though he tries to convince others (and perhaps even himself) that he is a cynical, self-interested, and “neutral” man, it is clear through his actions that he’s quite the opposite in many ways and is secretly sympathetic towards the war against fascism. For example-:
• He helps the young Bulgarian couple,
• He makes sure to pay all of his staff when his bar is ordered to shut down, 
• He ensures that his staff keep their jobs under Ferrari’s new ownership,
• He allows his band to play the French song when the German fascist song is played, and
• He shows no signs of anger at Emil when a customer wins 20,000 francs in his Casino.

• Victor, who could’ve come off as a holier-than-thou rebel, is also given some humanity and depth, when he recognizes that Rick is trying too hard to portray himself as a cynic when they both know that deep down he isn’t one. This was not only cool to see, but also made sense logically, since as an activist and a prominent leader, Victor would be good at reading people and would perhaps have had these type of conversations with many people before when trying to persuade them to join his side.

• Ilsa, in my opinion, gets the short end of the stick when it comes to character writing, as she can essentially be summed up as a woman conflicted between two men, and between love and the responsibility to do what is right. However, the short end of the stick in a movie like Casablanca is still pretty long, and Ingrid Bergman does her absolute best in making the audience feel invested in her character, her history, and her ultimate fate.

RATING-: 7/10