MPAA Rating: NR/ Genre: Romantic Drama/Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Curt Bois, Leonid Kinskey, Madeleine Lebeau, Joy Page, John Qualen, S. Z. Sakall (credited as S. K. Sakall), Dooley Wilson, Marcel Dalio, Helmut Dantine, Gregory Gaye, Torben Meyer, Corinna Mura, Frank Puglia, Richard Ryen, Dan Seymour, Gerald Oliver Smith, Norma Varden/Runtime: 102 minutes

If there is one thing you should know about me by this point in time dear reader it is that I always love a good challenge to my degree of reviewing skill. To be more precise though, I always enjoy getting the opportunity (even if the bottle of Tylenol by my bed doesn’t) to review a slice of cinema that virtually every other reviewer it seems like has both seen multiple times and also heaped a ton of praise upon. My reasoning being not to be that one critic who decides to trash a film’s legacy just because I want to be a maverick or go against the pack so to speak, but rather to genuinely see for myself if that legacy is actually warranted and to also try and add my own thoughts into the discussion in a way that is creative, respectful, productive, honest, and fair across the board all rolled into one. Thankfully I can say that today’s slice of cinema which I am reviewing for you is most assuredly a film that fits the previous mentioned billing. Indeed be it through the many oft quoted lines, the parodies of it including one done by the Looney Tunes that wasn’t half-bad, images from the film itself, a rather unique anti-pirating movies ad put in front of DVD movies released by Warner Brothers in 2008 that featured a pivotal scene from this film, or just the fact that it’s often called one of the greatest movies of all time I think 99.8% of the population has heard to some degree of the 1942 slice of cinema Casablanca. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that is one which, whilst proving to be beautifully filmed by a top-notch crew and performed by one of the best casts ever assembled for a film both before and even since, is more than just a film. Rather, it is also a locale that in every way will infiltrate your being to the point that years can go by between viewings and yet not only might you revisit it in your dreams from time to time in the interim, but as soon as you make the choice to watch the movie again you are instantly reminded. Not only of the majesty of the film itself mind you, but of the true and honest power that the art form of cinema can truly have on the mind and, just as importantly, on the heart and soul. Yes it might make you roll your eyes a little bit to see yet another critic say this is one of the best movies that they have ever seen, but if you have never seen it before then trust me when I say that Casablanca is genuinely worthy of that recognition to say nothing of the timelessness that has been bestowed upon it.

The plot is as follows: Taking the movie goer all the way back in time to the long-ago year of 1941, Casablanca opens its riveting story by taking us and dropping us smackdab in the middle of the titular city which is located in the frenzied and on the verge of war country of Morocco. A location where at that point in time Europeans from all over the continent were desperately trying to get away from the terror of the encroaching German takeover aspired to do whatever they could to get their hands on vital visa papers to the United States where the hope was that a better life and safety awaited them. It is in this locale of equal parts hopelessness and despair that we are quickly taken to introduced to a famous watering hole in town known as Rick’s Cafe Americain as well as its owner a Mr. Rick Blaine. A man who, upon first analysis, looks like his key goals in life are no more or less to keep an opposing club owner at bay, be the Moroccan president of the local Breaking Hearts Club, and do everything in his power to make sure that the cafe and its covert gambling establishment are on the up and up, the clientele act appropriately, and the local authorities are provided the right amounts of alcohol and hush money to ensure their satisfaction all so he can keep his business afloat and see another day of living in the process. More than that though, it appears that our hero is very much willing to turn a blind eye to the struggles of those trying to keep from being caught by the Nazi encroachment, but the truth is that he would rather keep his nose on the up and up instead of get caught up in something that could come back to bite him. A feat that isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world due to both his internal loathing for the Nazi forces occupying the town, but because the Nazis seem more aware of his enigmatic past than he would really like anyone to be save for himself. As hard as he has tried to keep his past at bay however, we soon see that it is able to sneak up on him courtesy of an old flame named Ilsa coming into the establishment with her husband, an individual known in certain less than ideal circles by the name of Victor Lazslo. To say that Rick takes her sudden reappearance in his life after such a long stretch of time extremely well might be just a tad bit of a fabrication. Yet whilst we do eventually learn the heartbreaking reason for Rick’s sudden change in demeanor, we also learn the reason for Ilsa’s reappearance in his life as well. That being that Ilsa and Lazlo are desperately trying to get out of the country for reasons that I shan’t spoil here and she knows that Rick has the means to help make it possible for them. Suffice it to say that with the authorities closing in and time running out can Rick put the past he has with Ilsa aside and do the right thing or will he give in to the more inherently selfish desires a person can have and see a genuinely good man be carted off so he can have a second chance with the one who got away? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..

Now right off the bat, it must be said that the work done behind the camera is a fantastic example of the genuine magic that a talented team of collaborators can conjure up for our viewing pleasure. This starts with the phenomenal writing trio of Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch respectively and what they do that is so great with this slice of cinema is more than just give us a riveting narrative. Rather, they also give us a terrific cast of characters that are also wonderfully complex. Indeed make no mistake: none of the characters in this film are angels by any stretch of the imagination, but they also aren’t exactly devils either. Instead they all, in their own distinct ways, operate much like how actual human beings would if put in that particular time and place. Suffice it to say it’s a tribute to not only this film’s gifted cast of performers (more on them in a little bit), but also the writing team for how they are able to make each character as three dimensional as possible to say nothing of filling this slice of cinema with an absolute smorgasbord of lines that have become just as (if not even more so) iconic as the film itself. We also get a wonderful job here from this film’s music department especially in regard to the now-legendary theme song of the film “As Time Goes By”. Indeed here is a song that is equal parts wistful yet also heartbreaking in equal measure and which every time you hear it in the film you shouldn’t be surprised be if you find yourself waxing nostalgic about the one who got away in your own life only to find that as you do it results in you having to hold back a stream of tears in the process. Suffice it to say then that it is a truly potent piece of work to say nothing of one of the big reasons that this slice of cinema has had the emotional staying power that it has managed to possess for no less than 8 solid decades and counting. Finally, this section on the technical merits of this iconic masterpiece of cinema would be by no means complete if I did not at some point take the time in it to mention the absolutely brilliant work done by legendary director Michael Curtiz (the same guy who gave the world such other gems as White Christmas in 1954 incidentally) at the helm. Indeed not only does Curtiz manage to get the absolute best work that he possibly could out of his truly gifted cast of players, but he also takes the aforementioned ingredients and then blends into this mix such thematic concepts as comedy, thrills, emotion, romance, and even more than just a hint of political nuance and patriotism (which makes sense given this film was made at the onset of the Second World War) to great effect thus giving us a film that is more than just genuinely great to say nothing of a pop culture phenomenon to an extent with how many times the lines are still uttered in casual conversation to this day Rather, it’s no more and less than one of the finest efforts that Hollywood has ever seen fit to gift the world of cinema and the majestic work done behind the camera is a riveting reason for why that is the case.

Of course, for as magnificent as the work done behind the camera turns out to be I can safely say that the work done in front of the camera is able to match it beat for beat. This starts with the lead roles of Rick and Ilsa and in that respect all I have to say is just three words in response. Those being “Bogart and Bergman” respectively. Indeed, more than the vast majority of elements on either side of the camera, this is the pair of names that people most closely associate with this slice of cinema and to be honest that’s not at all a surprise to me dear reader. This is because not is there a wonderful and seemingly organic degree of romantic tension between Bogart and Bergman that they were able to conjure up, but because they are both absolutely perfect in their respective parts. Indeed, in the role of Rick, Bogart does a wonderful job of giving us a man who on the outside is a hardened, more than slightly snarky to say nothing of cynical person who is seemingly only in it for himself with no regard whatsoever to anyone else or their respective plights. Yet as the film goes on and especially when Ilsa reenters his life, we see that Bogart sheds these layers just enough to reveal that he isn’t the man that seemingly everyone else believes him to be. Rather, he’s an emotionally wounded and broken-hearted man who puts people at arm’s length not because he loathes humanity in its entirety, but because he simply doesn’t want to get hurt again. Suffice it to say that it is quite the multifaceted performance and one of if not the best work that Bogart ever sought to give movie goers in his truly iconic career. Equally as legendary though is the work done by Ingrid Bergman in the role of Ilsa. Indeed not only does Bergman make a character that could have just been a one-dimensional archetypical role in the wrong hands a genuinely three-dimensional human being, but the chemistry between her and Bogart is absolutely fantastic. Suffice it to say it is a wonderful performance from an especially gifted actress. We also see that backing this most dynamic of duos up is a gallery of truly exceptional support talent. This starts with Paul Henreid who, despite being mostly regarded as simply “the third wheel” in this slice of cinema’s romantic triangle, still manages to do commendable work with the material he is given and extends to such icons of the silver screen as Conrad Veidt who is chillingly good as the Nazi dead set on capturing both Lazlo and Ilsa, the always delightful Peter Lorre who is wonderfully slimy in his brief yet pivotal role, and even the great Sydney Greenstreet shows up to play for a while as another key fixture in Casablanca’s black market operations to name but a few of the impressive collection of talent that has been assembled here. Far and away however, I think the best support performance has to be the one given by Claude Rains in the role of Capt. Louis Renault. Indeed, here is a man who, like Rick, seems to be dead set only on looking out for himself whilst also desperately trying to stay out of situations that may cause him to violate his self-induced neutrality. Yet, also like Rick, we see that as the movie goes on that Rains is able to give us tiny clues here and there about the kind of man Renault genuinely is before giving us a final scene that if it doesn’t leave you with a smile on your face then I don’t know what could. Suffice it to say it is the finest performance Rains ever sought fit to give audiences and one that should deservedly have garnered him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

All in all I think it can be said that if anyone tries to tell you either that there is no magic to be found in the movies or that cinema is not and cannot be a work of art then no disrespect to those people, but I think it’s clear they’ve never had their cinematic passport stamped during at least a single 1 hour and 43-minute stay in Casablanca. A bit of a shame really because if those same people just took the time to embark on that particular voyage, I think there might be more than a fair few who would change their minds for the better. As for me dear reader I can safely say that this is my 4th voyage and I will most definitely be coming back again and again. Yet intriguingly I can’t begin to tell you why I will always find myself going back whenever I get the chance to do so since, in my opinion, everyone’s reason is different. For some, it’s about the chance to see a truly fantastic cast operating at the peak of their respective talents. For others it’s about getting to see a masterclass in regard to the work done by the various departments behind the camera. For me though I think to some degree it’s about those things, but it’s also about something else. Namely it’s about getting to go back in my mind to a time and place where I wasn’t as world weary nor even remotely as cynical as I am now and just could see through a slice of cinema a degree of awe, wonder, heart, and dare I say even magic that I could grasp in some way. Yet what makes a slice of cinema like Casablanca distinct from other films that claim to do the same thing that I just described is that with those films the magic they may very well emit might stay with you for a while, but eventually it will dissipate like tears in a steady downpour on a storm-filled day. With Casablanca however, I can guarantee you that be it your 1st or 51st time sitting down to watch this that the kind of magic that this film emits is the kind that will stay both in your head and in your heart forever. Here’s lookin’ at you kid. On a scale of 1-5 I give Casablanca a solid 5 out of 5.