Start of a beautiful friendship

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2015)

Humphrey Bogart (Rick) and Sydney Greenstreet (Ferrari) each own a café/bar in Casablanca which is frequented by those wishing to make an exit to Lisbon and a new found freedom. Casablanca is on French soil and Claude Rains (Renault) is the Captain in charge who must co-operate with Nazi Conrad Veidt (Strasser). The two cafes are riddled with black market shenanigans and into this town wanders Resistance leader Paul Henreid (Victor Lazlo) and Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa). In order to make it to freedom, an exit visa is required and this is what Henreid and Bergman are after.
An entertaining film with a good cast and very amusing dialogue. Bogart rattles off some classic lines but it's Claude Rains whose delivery tops the charts. One moment that I found funny is when a grateful couple approach him and enthusiastically let him know that they will be at his office at 6:00am to collect their visas. "I'll be there at 10:00" is his reply. The moral of that is don't be so keen, it gets you nowhere. A good lesson for anyone starting a new job.
"Here's looking at you" gets a bit clichéd but it doesn't matter. I never cared for Humphrey Bogart and his man who stands alone image. It always struck me as cold and unpleasant. However, I'm starting to really like him these days.
One daft thing about the film is how the Nazis didn't find the visas. The hiding place is pretty obvious if you ask me. A couple of last points - remember next time you get to a roulette table – number 22 - and the French National Anthem is way better than the dreary UK effort.