Romantic wartime classic, but not my favorite

Rating: 7/10 (17 March 2006)

Yes, it is classy and a classic but personally, though I adore World War II movies, Casablanca is simply not my favorite. I love both the stars, the unique and immortal Humphrey Bogart, also the perennially wonderful and sympathetic Ingrid Bergman. And they have tremendous chemistry together here. That's the problem, there's just not enough of the love story and too much indecipherable wartime intrigue that I could never really quite fathom.
The plot revolves around a cynical, enigmatic American expatriate, Rick Blaine (Bogart) who runs a nightclub in Nazi occupied Casablanca. An old love, Ilsa (Bergman) arrives there with her husband, Victor Laszlo (leader of the European Resistance). Rick holds some bitterness toward Ilsa as she ran out on him years earlier in Paris. Meanwhile, there is assorted intrigue regarding some vital letters of transit that Rick has in his possession. He has the chance to turn his love's husband, Laszlo, over to the SS and be free to leave Casablanca with Ilsa. The question is...will he?
As I mentioned, the intrigue befuddled (and bored) me. For me, this old black and white wartime classic is all about three things, the amazing song "As Time Goes By", the memorable and famous closing scene (which I won't give away) and the following...
Much of the interaction between the characters occurs at Rick's nightclub, the Cafe Americain (the setting around which the film sort of revolves). There is one unforgettable scene there in which some drunken Nazi soldiers are singing the German national anthem. Resistance leader Laszlo orders the playing of the forbidden Marseillaise, the band starts up (with Rick's permission), Laszlo bursts into the French anthem, and the other club patrons gradually chime in, drowning out the Germans. It's fabulous! You can't help but cheer.
It's a famous old classic which I really should watch again. Maybe now that I'm older (and smarter?), I can ferret out all that intrigue!