An American staple that stands as a timeless classic

Rating: 9/10 (2 May 2013)

Casablanca is a 1942 romantic drama directed by Michael Curtiz, staring Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. In the realm of American films, Casablanca is as well regarded as Gandhi or Einstein, and for good reason. You can make the argument about the films political messages regarding the time period, but nothing overall hinders the movie, in my opinion. Like most other movies of the time, the cinematography is excellent, not very exciting but well made none the less. Curtiz also uses dark lighting in an excellent way, in fact one could make the argument that this film is total film noir because of Curtiz's obsession with shadows. Otherwise, in terms of content, nothing else about the movie really stands out, with maybe the exception of the mini airfield they made for the movie. What keeps Casablanca as a hallmark in our collective movie going memory is the love story. With the exception of the part where Rick just casually asks Ilsa if she wanted to get married, a truly boss move on Bogart's part, the love story feels very natural, and realistic. Even a violence craving, Scorsese/Tarantino loving person like myself can't help but feel the plight of Rick and Ilsa, two humans in an extreme rut. 9/10