"You Must Remember This..."

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2006)

"...a kiss is just a kiss, a siiiiigh is just a sigh...." Ah, don't we just love "Casablanca"? Is it not one of the best films of all time, perhaps even one of the greatest romances? The answer is, of course, yes. But why? Well, there are a number of factors to this.
The first will be the story. "Casablanca" has a fantastic script, filled with intelligence and quick dry wit. It is genuinely surprising as well, at least the first time you watch it. The twists and turns that Humphrey Bogart's character Rick goes through keep us on the edge of our seat.
The second factor to the greatness will be the backdrop. The war, although only serving as just a backdrop, plays an incredibly important part in the story. Some people might argue that Rick's involvement in the plot signal's the need for America to enter the war. It also gives us our villain - that of Strasser (Conrad Veidt), the Nazi General sent to arrest Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Although this no doubt dates the film a little, it still provides a fantastic atmosphere. Casablanca itself is a seedy world of scum and villainy (That sounds familiar...) and the many characters that inhabit it bring it to life vividly, from the pickpocket to the street seller.
The characters are the third reason why "Casablanca" is remembered so well. Rick, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), and Laszlo get drawn into the love triangle easily. Bogart and Bergman are superb, as is Claude Rains as Louis Renault, the head of police there whose lines are great comic relief when we get into the nitty gritty of the romance.
The one person we don't see enough of, I feel, is Sam (Dooley Wilson). For a character who seems to be regarded by Rick as a good friend, he disappears halfway through the film and is sold like slave labour along with the bar - one can only hope that he had a good rest of his life.
The last and most important reason as to why this film is so good is the ending. It's one of the most famous endings of all time - it has a surprise twist, a wonderful score, and then tension builds up as Strasser arrives to stop the plane to Lisbon. The ending also supplies us with perhaps some of the most parodied lines in film history - I'll leave that up to you whether you think this is a good thing or not.
By the way, although it is standard belief that no one ever says, "Play it again, Sam", I reckon that Rick does when he whispers to Sam the second time Ilsa and Laszlo arrive at the bar. I have a feeling Sam would know what he was on about somehow...
8/10