Generic [SPOILER ALERT] for a 76 year old film….
Every time people told me I HAD to see Casablanca, my eye roll would grow more and more exaggerated. I mean, I know the pedigree of the film, and all the famously memorable quotes (I was partial to “We’ll always have Paris”), but out of condescension, I refused to care. But as all of you know, the power of Casablanca is that it can make even the blackest heart turn and beat bright red. It is a crowd pleasing mix that will make everyone smile, especially the romantic inside of you. Here’s looking at you Casablanca!
It’s World War II; Casablanca is a transient place where political activists go through to get somewhere else. Making a home there, is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a neutral party who owns the premiere bar in the area, Rick’s. Rick’s has the backing of corrupt Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) and German Officer Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt). One day, out of the blue, Rick’s former love of his life, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) shows up asking Rick’s pianoman Sam (Dooley Wilson) to play their favorite song. Rick gets even more blindsided, as Ilsa is not alone: she brought her husband Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) to Casablanca with her. Or perhaps, it’s the other way around, since Victor doesn’t seem to be on the same side as Strasser…
So clearly, Casablanca stands the test of time. The question is: for what reasons? The editing/cinematography/direction is fine, not other worldly like Citizen Kane. There’s no real amazing special effect like the Wizard of Oz. So where does the magic come from? The story of course! And thankfully, this story is about as perfect as possible to leave a lasting pleasing impression on everyone. Romantic? There’s a killer love triangle with legitimate choices for the woman! History buff? World War II WAS happening while this movie came out, so this movie is all-in on its relevance in time. Big fan of Old Hollywood? It’s Bogart and Bergman, two of the all timers! Mystery or suspense lover? Who’s ending up with whom!? Is RICK GOING TO GET CAPTURED!!?? And on and on. With the exception of the superhero geeks, about every genre gets something to pique its interest in Casablanca. Most importantly, each of these story segments fit together like a perfect puzzle, meaning no one part of the story subsumes the other, leaving every person after they watch Casablanca satisfied that they saw the movie they wanted to see.
For me, upon watching, I was very impressed with how out of time the characters are. What I mean is, the leads in this movie aren’t black and white cut outs of good or bad people, as early filmography tended to be. Rick is a perfect movie version of a complicated man; publicly, he stays neutral at a time where it was pretty clear what side was in the right, but privately, he chooses the underdog and usually the side on the right side of history, because he’s a bit of a romantic. Awww. Humphrey Bogart give Rick a perfect combination of respect and vulnerability, making him instantly lovable and watchable to the audience. Paul Henreid’s Victor Laszlo is brash, but he so believes and is willing to die for his righteous cause that you root for him too. Stuck in the middle is Ingrid Bergman, who conveys so much longing and trepidation at her situation with a glance. I mean, how do you choose between two great men like that? That choice is so not clear that you’re riveted to your seat as soon as you piece together that there are only 2 tickets out of the country: Oh no! She has to choose one…NO!!!!!!! However, not just the leads get well written parts. My personal favorite of the characters is Claude Rains’s police captain, who starts out as kind of a doofus, but slowly grows into this really enigmatic guy who does some things you do NOT see coming. Heck, even Sydney Greenstreet as rival bar owner Signor Ferrari in his small screen time shows some range as a smart capitalist, who instantly uses his leverage to force his rival’s hand to get more business. And Sam drops in some killer knowledge as the piano guy! Clearly lots of love was put into this story and its characters, and that love shines through and truly makes Casablanca special.
I don’t think people actually realize how much Casablanca has become part of their life. Have you ever used any of these lines:
We’ll always have Paris
Here’s looking at you kid
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship
Play it Sam
Of all the gin joints in all the world…
It doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world
Round up the Usual Suspects
These phrases are used so often at this point, one of those above is a Fall Out Boy song, and one is a title of ANOTHER movie with legendary twists and turns. But we keep coming back because the movie shows the best of humanity: a complicated mess that loves and tries to do the right thing. I think I’m gonna cry now….