As Time Goes By ...

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2007)

... it totally fails to dim or tarnish this Golden movie which is, in its own way, as iconic as Citizen Kane it's near contemporary (they were released in subsequent years). Like any film fan worthy of the name I've seen it around a dozen times in re-runs and on TV and I have owned the DVD since it became available but it's a joy to see it once again - and digitally remastered with it - in its natural habitat, the big screen as it is re-released yet again and I'm particularly pleased that it marks my 800th Review on IMDb.
When one just thinks about it what springs to mind is how it gives the lie to those muppets who keep insisting that Film is a 'Visual' medium because it's nothing if not a continuous string of quotable lines, arguably the most of any other movie in the English language but when one SEES it again it is, in fact, a combination of dialogue and visuals. The opening sequence alone is a Masterclass in screen writing and sets up virtually everything we need to know about the subsequent events. Equally accomplished is our introduction to Rick whose opening dialogue/action confirms what we have been told about him. Another telling visual is the way Claude Rains straightens his tie when informed that there is 'another visa problem' outside his office and his 'show her in' tells us everything we need to know about him making his line to Rick 'make it ten thousand francs, I'm only a poor corrupt official', superfluous. Note also the close ups of Bogie, Bergman and Paul Henreid in the penultimate scene at the airport, conveying more than words can about this bittersweet triangle. I could go on - indeed, I'm tempted to - but I have a feeling it's all been said before and almost certainly will be again and all I can do is envy anyone who has still to see it for the first time.