Casablanca (1942)

Intro.
Casablanca.  The name alone conjures the now-iconic images from the film: Bogart slumped at a table drinking and muttering about all the gin joints in all the world, the look on Ingrid Bergman's face as she asks Sam to play "As Time Goes By", the ending that leaves us breathless - the plane, the fog, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  This film above all others defines what it means to be a classic. 

The first time I saw this film, I have to say, I wasn't all that impressed.  I couldn't follow the German/French resistance storyline and Claude Rains just got on my nerves.  But now that I've seen it about four times, I have to say that it's grown to be one of my favorite films.  However, like some of the people I've talked to, I have to be in the right mood to watch it, mainly because it is a bit slow in some parts.  I wasn't feeling very festive this past Valentine's Day, but TCM aired the film and for some reason I couldn't turn it off.  That's when I knew I had to bend my blog rules and write about it.

Overview

Rick (Bogart) runs a bar and nightclub in the town of Casablanca.  It's 1942 and while Morocco is unoccupied, the German Gestapo is a real presence.  With WWII raging in Europe, many refugees are coming to Casablanca in order to make the trip to America.  Travel papers are hard to come by, so most of them come to Rick's to find contacts.  Such is the case of Victor Laszlo and his wife Ilsa.  Rick, it so happens, has gotten two passes to America - tickets to freedom.  And Ilsa happens to be the woman he loved a long time ago in Paris (hence "we'll always have Paris") who left him without explanation and completely broke him.  Ilsa and Rick must ask themselves if their love is still alive and worth fighting for, despite the danger that lies for Victor, who is a key leader in the Resistance.   

Highlights

I think part of what makes this film work is the mood - as I wrote earlier, you have to be ready to watch it.  Despite its usual label of a "love story" I would argue that it is instead a film about love and heartbreak.  I'm never ready to watch it when I'm happy or want a fun movie to cheer me up.  I want to see it on those days when I'm curled up in blankets on the couch with the rain beating down on the windowsill.  It's a melancholy type of film.  We see the love that Rick and Ilsa had and we are made painfully aware that it is gone.  Ilsa tries to convince Rick she still loves him, but does she really?  I change my mind each time I watch.  Which leads to the next point - great acting.  Ingrid Bergman is beautiful, smart and such a natural.  Claude Rains is funny and a bit over the top as Captain Renault (although after viewing it a few times, I've noticed more of his backstory, which made him more endearing).

I was going to keep this post short since it's such a famous movie, but I can't stop without mentioning Bogart.  Humphrey Bogart makes this film.  It was his "breakout" role in the sense that it established him as a romantic leading man, not just a gangster or tough guy or wisecracking detective.  He had just done The Maltese Falcon the previous year, and established himself as an icon in film noir.  This film, however, makes him even more of a star.  And most of that is how well he plays the role of Rick.  This tough, neutral-standing saloon keeper lets down his rocky facade and shows how vulnerable he is.  It's moving, it's completely human and it's darn good movie-making.  Rick becomes the classic American hero - he is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the "greater good."  He's got a criminal past, he runs a saloon with illegal gambling, has lousy friends yet somehow we love him. 
 

Review

This part I will keep short - if you haven't seen this film, watch it.  If you've seen it once and not been too impressed, wait awhile and watch it again, preferably on a rainy night when you're in the mood to think about things like lost loves and old memories.

As always, check out IMDb, and if you get a chance, try to see the documentary "Bacall on Bogart."  It's a great look at the life and career of Bogie, and will shed some light into this film as well.