As Time Goes By... Casablanca Refuses To Age.

Rating: Null/10 (14 September 2013)

A couple of years ago, romance used to be my least favoured genre for every film I'd seen until then had a predictable storyline, over-the-top melodrama, the same repeated idea of love & nothing much happened in them plot-wise throughout the runtime. The exceptions were too few but they were so because of reasons which had nothing to do with romance.
Not much has changed in the past two years but having come across some extraordinary films in that time, including 2013 releases like Richard Linklater's Before Midnight, Spike Jonze's Her & the Palme d'Or winner Blue Is the Warmest Color which made me see this genre with an entirely new perspective, I do have a new-found respect & appreciation for romantic movies.
Now Casablanca is a defined, engraved & universally embraced masterpiece. In my opinion, it too has a predictable storyline & some melodrama but then, it also has something that typical examples of its genre lack... and that's quality. Whether it's direction, writing, score, camera-work, cast, performances or narration, Casablanca writes a new chapter in each one of these departments.
Set in the titular city during World War II, the story of Casablanca concerns an American expatriate & former freedom fighter who now runs the most popular nightclub & gambling den in the city. Things are set in motion when his old flame arrives in town with her husband who's a renowned Czech Resistance leader wanted by the Nazi & asks for his help but he's got plans of his own.
Directed by Michael Curtiz, this one film engraved his name in the annals of cinema for it is expertly crafted from start to finish, is filled with memorable lines, introduces its characters wonderfully, is crisply photographed in black n white which provides a timeless sense to the story, is steadily paced throughout its 102 minutes of runtime & features a heartwarming, mesmerising & evocative score.
Coming to the performances, Casablanca has a pretty huge supporting cast but it's the top-billing of Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman who deliver the film's strongest performances. Bogart plays his role with effortless charm & has an infectious screen presence while the ever so beautiful Bergman leaves a lasting impression with a sensational work that's also the most memorable & finest work of her career.
On an overall scale, over 70 years have passed since this love story made its debut on the silver screen & yet, Casablanca has neither found an equal nor aged a day. Just like a good old wine, this timeless classic is only getting better & more profound as time goes by, continues to inspire & influence various works of romance even today, and it looks like it is going to remain a benchmark for its genre for a foreseeable future, if not eternity.