Casablanca - Review

Directly taken from a paper I wrote for American Cinema class in school.

After seeing "Casablanca" appear on many 'greatest movies of all time' lists, this was the perfect opportunity to experience it. Now I can clearly see why it has the reputation for being one of the all-time greats. One thing that all great movies need is great characters to take the audience through the story with them. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Blaine, the handsome, sauvé hero with a troubled past. Every man wants to be Rick Blaine, the good-looking, catchphrase-spitting owner of a luxurious nightclub who, judging from how some characters talk about him, is adored by many women. He owns "Rick's Café Americain" where the piano player, Sam, provides great entertainment for all. Being in a jazz band for six years and playing in many restaurants, I especially enjoyed watching the scenes where Sam got the crowd pumped up. I know how much fun it can be. Sam also plays the beautiful song, "As Time Goes By" which becomes the main melody for the score throughout the film. I am still humming it as I write proving that a good soundtrack stands the test of time. In a romance, you can't have a man without the love interest. Here it is the beautiful Ingrid Bergman playing Ilsa Lund. This is a classic example of Hollywood glamorizing their stars. Every single shot she is in, she looks absolutely stunning. But as the story progresses, you start to learn things about her that change your perspective about her personality and motives. This had me sympathizing even more for Rick Blaine. The supporting characters do a great job as well. Victor Laszlo as the French Resistance celebrity figure and Captain Louis Renault as the funny military captain are both good character foils to Rick's indifferent personality. The juxtaposition clearly highlights their traits and motives. Oddly enough, "Casablanca" reminded me of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Sound of Music" in some respects. At the start of the film, I couldn't help thinking of Indiana Jones because both stories take place around the same time period, 1936 & 1942, and the same location, Northern Africa. Both of these films have tormented heroes, Indiana Jones & Rick Blaine, beautiful love interests, Marion Ravenwood & Isla Lund, comic relief father figures, Sallah & Louis Renault, and Nazis as antagonists. Not to mention both have excellent scores. The ending reminded me of the Sound of Music because both heroes attempt to flee a country while being pursued by Nazis. I can't help but see Maria and Captain Von Trapp as a reflection of Rick Blaine and Isla Lund. What this story tells me is that you can get closure and that sometimes love has to be put to the side for more important things. Rick put his love for Ilsa aside for the fight against Nazism. In one of my History 12 classes, my teacher told us that if you are going to see a movie with a girl, see "Casablanca". Now I can see his point. Most films become dated because of the dialogue they use, the time period they are set in, and the technology of filmmaking constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible. But human emotions are timeless and when a film's story exudes love in such a strong way, that's when a film becomes a masterpiece. And "Casablanca" is... a masterpiece.