Casablanca Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Casablanca
Year: 1942
Director: Michael Curtiz
Country: U.S
Language: English 

"You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss" Hollywood's Golden Age started in 1927 with the birth of sound in The Jazz Singer to about 1960. It was filled with expansive epics like Gone with the Wind, great musicals like Wizard of Oz and towering works of art like Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. Casablanca is one of the many great films from that period which interestingly enough was regarded as just another film in the assembly line before its release and before it was met with incredible praise by critics and casual filmgoer's alike.

Casablanca is set in World War Two Casablanca. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), exiled American and former freedom fighter, runs the most popular nightspot in town. Cynical lone wolf Blaine comes into the possession of two valuable letters of transit. When Nazi Major Strasser (Conrad Veight) arrives in Casablanca, the sycophantic police Captain Renault (Claude Rains) does what he can to please him, including detaining a Czechoslovak underground leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Much to Rick's surprise, Lazslo arrives with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick's one time love.

Casablanca is truely one of the few "great" romantic films, not because it is enthralling in its entertainment and hunour, but because it's realistic and not too sappy. The emotions felt by each character feel very human and truthful to the situation. Rick's expression as he drinks to forget the pain of his lost love represents the face of every man who has ever had a broken heart. The acting is incredible, not just by Humphrey Bogart but eery character in this film. One of the most memorable scenes in the film is when the french people in Rick's bar overwhelm the German anthem by singing their own. Tears are streaming from people's faces which would make sense as the film was made during an uncertain period of the war, when the nazis were thought to have been winning.

Casablanca's basic basic message is a declaration of self-sacrifice. When fighting a force of evil that was bent on utter destruction there is no time to be selfish and to worry about one's own problems. 'The problems of three people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world" Rick Blaine states as he gives up his own desires to perhaps help the world entire. Thus Casablanca was pretty much the signal that America would be entering the war sometime very soon and indeed they did shortly after the Japanese decided to attack Pearl Harbor.

In conclusion, Casablanca is a very historically important, well made film with a very powerful message that remains relevant to this very day. Aside from a fantastic score, wonderful acting and great editing, this film also has memorable dialogue. "We'll always have Paris", "Here's looking at you kid" and the line that doesn't technically exist "Play it again, Sam" will always be culturally significant. This is definitely my second favourite American film of the mid Hollywood era, the first would be Citizen Kane. Praise it! 5/5