War Propaganda or a "B" Movie ? Or Both ?

Rating: 4/10 (30 November 2011)

This is pure War Propaganda in disguise of a "B" movie, and as it happens with every politicization of art, it ages quicker. Not that Casablanca has too much to age though, as a film released as a somewhat vulgar piece. The scenarios are cheesy, to which my guess is they didn't have time nor money to elaborate on that. The acting from the two main characters, portrayed by Bogard and Bergson are weak at best. He has basically two face expressions, and switch from number 1 to number 2 when so circumstances dictate.
The two thumbnails to the trailers happen to show both. She doesn't glance that much neither. The close ups are there to highlight that, maybe. Saying more on Bogard, he is his predictable tough shell with a moral inner core, which in this particular case means to oppose the bad German guys. Not very inventive. The French Captain Renault (Claude Rains) is another painful figure to watch, an ugly caricature with a ludicrous accent, and his acting you can't buy as with most of these stagy-level-performance actors. One can save but one. Ugarte (Peter Lorre) is real amid fakes. And still on what brings this movie from a "0″ to a generous "4″. I save ones and twos for disasters and this isn't one. It is more a case of sketchy story-telling, with lowsy characters. What saves it from being "3″ is the presence of some good camera angles, which in comparison to what had been done at the time in terms of US productions are quite innovative. And maybe on its release date it might have had some appeal, saying something like "let's kick some Nazi asses". It is an attempt at being glamorous as well; ill-faded completely nevertheless. Besides that, very little to offer with the pathetic "Here's is looking at you, kid".
The last sequence, the airplane one, sums it up.
Poor acting, poor Drama, cheesy carton airplane to end up an excuse of a classic. People are afraid of actually watching it and being critical, thus regarded as ignorant film-wise and hence the many 10 out of 10 reviews. It's easier to go with the flow ! with the bunch. However I tried, I can't. Casablanca is so lame! 4 out of 10 (could well be 3.5)