Casablanca

Rating: 3/10 (24 February 2020)

A 2nd-rate melodrama and promotion-film whose lasting power is only exceeded by Coca-Cola's famous sales slogan, 'the pause that refreshes (29).'
Highly-hyped since it premiered in November of 1942 (Hollywood), less than two months prior to the first-rate Allied powers conference held in Casablanca, Morocco in January of 1943 ("unconditional surrender" decree), then in national release one day prior to the meeting's end (1.23.43). Now how's that for a go-getter public-relations department? Yet, it is the perfect Classic for the new millennium as its greatness lies not in its story or any real sentiment but its still sizable celebrity.
Not only is Blanca a bad romance, it's a bad war film, too. To think that Ilsa (Ingrid) would even consider leaving her husband, the tall, handsome, brave Czech Allied operative, Victor (Henreid), for the older, bow-tie wearing, bar-owner Rick (Bogart), hits the height of implausibility, though, Laszlo may run a bit short himself in the smarts department, leading an oddly-timed rendition of La Marseillaise in the Cafe, even as he tries to stay one step ahead of the Nazi thugs. But that Lund does flirt with infidelity in such circumstance makes a mockery of any claim at sentiment and romantic worth.
To the film's war image, that Blaine, supposedly a former a freedom-fighter (Spanish Civil War) and gun-runner (Ethiopia), has decided to sit out the Big One (WW2) is hard to figure. Just as hard to appreciate is Rick's chummy relationship with the local Vichy authority in Renault (Rains), a position which in any reality would've had the prefect putting countless Allies and innocents into the clutches of the SS (Veidt), but has now decided to risk it all for his Yankee pal on a spontaneous infusion of conscience? C'mon.
But more disappointing than the story and script (Renault: "I'm shocked, shocked to find there's gambling going on in here!") (oy), is that I admire so many of the artists involved in the cooking of this over-baked ham. A cavalcade of Classic greats in leads Bogart (The-Haves African-Queen), Bergman (Gaslight) & Henreid (Now-Voyager), characters Veidt (Dark-Journey), Rains (Invisible-Man LoA), Lorre (M), Qualen (Grapes), Greenstreet (Maltese-Falcon), Sakall (YDD Summertime), Dalio (La-Grande-Illusion), Dantine, Page, LeBeau, Steiner, Wallis produced and director Curtiz who developed so many stars in films like Noahs-Ark The-Adventures-Of-Robin-Hood Mildred-Pierce Yankee-Doodle-Dandy The-Breaking-Point Trouble-Along-the-Way, just to name a few. Under-utilization of great talent was never so apparent.
The clincher: Had Woody Allen not revived interest in the film on Play-It-Again-Sam (72), it may've settled into a more fitting state. According to TCM host Robert Osborne, two of its three leads in Henreid and Bergman, both who'd out-lived co-star Bogart (d.57) and were afforded time for reflection, had expressed "surprise" at the great acclaim that continued to heap upon the picture. Like Meatloaf sang, "two outta' three ain't bad," but this movie surely is .. bad, haughty AFI rank notwithstanding (2/4).