This movie proves how hurtful a love triangle is

Rating: 9/10 (27 April 2004)

Casablanca is one of the most popular films ever made. The movie takes place in French Morocco just before the start of World War II. This is a place filled with rich Europeans who wanted to escape the war, crooked officials, and criminals who are trying to profit from the war. The movie starts with the murder of a German courier who had been ambushed in the desert.. He was carrying two transit visas. These were extremely valuable travel documents, that meant free passage to Lisbon, and from there to America and freedom. An American night club owner, Rick Blaine, is stopped by a passport dealer who has the transit visas. He asks Rick to keep them for him for a few hours. Rick agrees and hides the documents in a piano.
Rick Blaine, an American who owns and operates the nightclub/casino is the main character. The part is played by Humphrey Bogart. Rick has not taken sides in the fight for control by the French resistance and the Nazi officials. Bogart plays the part in his usual calm, collected self until his lost love from the past walks back in to his life. She is not alone, but is with the most wanted man in the resistance. They have come to Rick's place to hide out from the Nazis. When the two see each other, memories of their time together come flooding back. Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman, needs Rick's help. Rick is the only link to obtaining the necessary exit visas for her and her husband ,Czech freedom fighter Victor Laszlo , played by Paul Heinreid, to get out of Casablanca safely. The German-controlled local government, headed by Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), is moving in, and Laszlo has to move fast to get his visa. It is a classic love triangle: Ilsa is still in love with Rick but feels compelled to support her husband, while Rick controls the future of the man who is married to the woman he loves. This is very disturbing for Rick. After all, Ilsa was the one to walk out on him when they were in Paris. Bogart plays the part of a tough guy who hides his hurt behind a shield of cynicism. Ilsa's arrival in Casablanca rips through in this shield. One scene that sums it all shows Rick, drinking alone in his bar, wondering why of all the places in town, she had to walk into his. Other supporting cast members are: Conrad Veidt as the Nazi commander on Laszlo's trail, Peter Lorre the black marketer who sells the letters of transit, and Sydney Greenstreet who is the head of the citys black market.
When you watch this movie, you can almost see the conflict on the actors faces. The truth is that they themselves did not know until the final day of filing who Ilsa would choose, he husband or her former lover. By playing whole movie without knowing how it would end, the scenes became more convincing because the actors themselves were in in the dark about the ending of the movie.
Casablanca is a classic movie that has something for everyone. It is filled with romance, intrigue, mystery, and suspense. This film deserves five gold stars.