The Greatest?

Rating: Null/10 (3 November 2004)

Leonard Maltin and his gang say that Casablanca represents the greatest achievement in the history of Hollywood movie making - the zenith of the Golden Age Dream Factory. Roger Ebert decided to make it the first in his series of reviews entitled The Great Movies. Lists of the ten best films of all time place it generally in the top-5. It even made the top ten best films on a list that places the Lord of the Rings trilogy higher than, oh, just about anything.
Is Casablanca that great? Briefly, yes it is. Is it my favorite film or would I ever describe it as the greatest movie ever made? That is unlikely, but I will concede that they may be right to anyone who wants to argue that point. If you tell me it's the greatest movie of all time, I will say, you might be right. If you tell me the Lord of the Rings trilogy is, I will challenge you to a duel a la Zell Miller.
Truth be told, Casablanca is my third favorite movie and I believe it is one of the greatest motion pictures ever created. It is one of the few true works of art the Hollywood system ever created. Like most great movies, though, it always begs the question - what's so special? Well, for starters, Michael Curtiz had, perhaps, the greatest cast of characters ever. You have the greatest male movie-star of all time playing the lead; you have a truly gifted and beautiful female lead; you have three of the greatest character actors ever in Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Paul Henreid.
Second, you have an epic story condensed into a two-hour run time. The story has everything - murder mystery, war time thriller, espionage tale, love story, etc. As Umberto Eco pointed out in an essay, Casablanca is a collage of story types and moods; it has something for everyone.
Third, and most importantly, it has the greatest movie ending of all time. As Rick watches Illsa's plane taxi down the Casablancan runway and he spouts that memorable line, you are shot through with a feeling that you have just been privy to something that is so perfect and right and you are amazed because, really, that ending would never make it to the final cut of a Hollywood film today. The bittersweetness of that ending is exactly what the narrative to that point calls for. Rick needs to stay; Illsa needs to go. Anything else would be trite and contrived.
(As an aside, I was once at a bar having drinks with these two girls, one of whom I found incredibly attractive. I contemplated making a move with her and then the conversation turned to movies. She said, "Casablanca is my favorite movie. It's soooo wonderful. I would just change the ending, though, so Rick and Illsa stay together." I gagged and discontinued any plans for romantic pursuits I had intended to embark upon with her.) Casablanca is as close to perfection as Golden Age Hollywood ever came. It's a perfect, timeless movie that, I believe, every one can and will enjoy. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and rent it. It's wonderful.