I said, "22"!

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2002)

There's nothing like a Romantic Classic, and since the AFI recently named "Casablanca" as the Number One romance film of all time, here's yet another review for the Film That Has It All. As the IMDB tagline says, "They had a date with fate!"
"Casablanca" will take you away to a time and a place where good guys (Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine, who runs "Rick's Café Americain," an oasis with the best music in town) were good, though flawed, bad guys were nasty Nazis, and beautiful women were, well, in a word, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). The closeups of her alone are worth the price of admission.
Based on a play, "Everybody Comes to Rick's Place," the movie's dialogue is spectacular -- Rick and Louie's (Claude Rains) banter in particular is very funny, witty, and fast-paced, with no fat. The film's black-and-white texture and the exotic setting in Casablanca paint a picture of a time and a place where things fall into the grey areas in a world starkly divided between Axis and Allies. The quirky market scenes and the opening narration (with the map, to show you exactly where Casablanca is located) set the stage for the events to follow.
Claude Rains and Peter Lorre (who makes an early exit) complement Bogie perfectly, and the supporting cast -- Paul Henreid as Czech underground resistance leader (and Ilsa's husband) Victor Laszlo, the German couple trying to get to America, and Sydney Greenstreet as Ferrari, the city's black marketeer -- are nothing short of spectacular. Every actor in this movie makes their characters 100 percent real.
The entire plot -- based on Laszlo's mysterious entry into Casablanca and whether he will be able to get out to carry on his fight against the Germans -- is riveting. Perhaps the most incredible thing about the movie is when it was made: 1942, in the heart of World War II, when the outcome was not assured.
There are so many great and memorable lines in this movie that it's impossible to list them all. It is worth noting that Rick never actually says "Play it again, Sam" -- he says, "Play it, Sam!" in a drunken stupor after Ilsa returns to his "gin joint." Louie's (Rains) line, "I'm shocked, shocked, that there is gambling in this establishment!" is almost a cliché today for things that are not really that surprising. I love the roulette scene, where Rick sets up a win to help a Bulgarian émigré, and his line "Have you tried 22? I said, 22!" is also one of my personal favorites.
And of course, there's The Song: "As Time Goes By" -- the one Ilsa, and Rick, wanted to hear again and again -- is one of the most memorable in the history of film.
"Casablanca" is about politics; it's got political intrigue, tons of hard drinking, a love triangle to end all love triangles, a few choice fight scenes (where the nasties get theirs good), and about the choices we make in hard, crucial situations in life. But "Casablanca" is, more than anything else, a love story, and without giving away too much, ultimately about one of life's greatest lessons: Letting Go. The flashback scene to Rick and Ilsa's years in Paris is one of the most memorable in all of film. The airport ending is classic and will give you chills -- be sure to bring a hankie!
Note: Keep an eye out for "Casablanca" on the Big Screen in the summer -- it's a favorite for the outdoor free film fests and a perfect movie for a date or with family & friends! (Probably teens & up, younger kids wouldn't get it.)