Classic Americana

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2013)

Casablanca was a fantastic romance film but I feel as if people put it on a pedestal it doesn't deserve. Sure, the acting is terrific, the story relates to many people, and Michael Curtiz did a legendary job directing but what exactly made this movie the timeless classic it has become? I did enjoy the lighting in many scenes because it makes the viewer focus more on the charters facial expressions and body language, especially the scene in which Rick is alone drinking at the bar and Sam comes down to check on him it was also clever how the cigarette smoke blurs the screen and goes into Rick's flash back. The composition of the film is really what I enjoyed, everything is crafted so beautifully. The plot is great but just not for me I guess and if it wasn't for each scene being so artistically graceful I would have definitely lost concentration on the story. Definitely a master piece of 1942 that will never be forgotten but I would not agree with most that Casablanca is "the greatest film of all time". Give it a watch though if for some reason you were living under rock like me, guaranteed any viewer will find something they enjoy about the film.