My review

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2007)

Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz
In a bar fight, I'll take Rick Blaine as my wing man any day. Casablanca's leading character played by Humphrey Bogart is the stud I have always wanted to be. He is measured in his action, passionate without being strident, and his principled actions are imbued with tremendous courage. Even approaching the least savory of actions, the better angels of his nature win the battle.
Moreover, any man that can pretend to let Ingrid Bergman out of his sight is beyond my comprehension (I would have given the Oscar for that alone). There are only a few characters that I really which I was as cool as (not that I am cool to any degree right now); Rick Blaine is the alpha dog of that imaginary group.
The moral universe of Casablanca is one that I want to inhabit. The spirit of the law is adhered to, rather than the letter. Truth is valued over accuracy. And people seek to treat each other with respect and love that exceeds there own need to be comfortable.
If Casablanca is new to you, I think you will find it easy to watch and surprisingly contemporary in its editing. You'll likely learn where some of our cultures clichés come from (he never does actually say "Play it again Sam" and now you'll know where Bryan Singer got the title The Usual Suspects). In short, Casablanca is mandatory viewing for cultural citizenship in our beloved country.
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