Pioneer in its time

Rating: 5/10 (23 September 2013)

On the form, one can't deny that the actors are all rather accurate and most importantly that the cinematography is so refined it doesn't give the impression the movie was shot in 1942.
Now the problem lies in the content. The first half of the film is pretty annoying, endeavouring to set the tone of a plot that struggles to really initiate its development. The pace accelerates in the second half, reviving the interest, but the dramatic progression remains quite difficult, and the movie overall doesn't turn out to be convincing enough despite well written dialogues. Moreover, it falls sometimes a bit too easily into melodramatiscim, with for instance a much too grandiloquent soundtrack that tires quickly.
Anyway, for sure Casablanca was a pioneer in its time, but like a lot of other old classics, critics seem to favour too much this aspect compared to the intrinsic quality of the movie, which would explain why it is so highly regarded.