It gets better as time goes by

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 2012)

To mark my 1100th review for IMDb I turn to another of my favourite films. And not just one of mine. Its regular appearance on lists of the greatest films of all time suggest that "Casablanca" is also one of the world's favourite films. It has given the English language more well-known quotations than virtually any other film- "Here's looking at you, kid", "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", "Round up the usual suspects", "We'll always have Paris", "Play it again, Sam" (yes, I know that one's a misquote) and "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" (also often misquoted, generally as "Of all the bars..").
Yet at the time it was made, it was just one of many wartime propaganda films made by Hollywood. It was based upon an obscure play which had never been performed professionally. (It still hasn't in America, although it was produced briefly in London's West End in 1991). It starred an actor best known at that date for gangster pictures, and an actress whose early Hollywood films, apart from "Intermezzo", had not been wildly successful. Few would have predicted, therefore, that "Casablanca" would not only win the "Best Picture" Oscar for 1943 but would also go on to enjoy such lasting popularity.
I don't intend to set out the plot, which is already well-known, in detail, but rather to discuss what makes it such a favourite of mine. One feature is what might be called its moral complexity, something it shares with the film noir style of which Humphrey Bogart was such a noted exponent. I would not, however, classify "Casablanca" as noir, largely because it does not, except perhaps in the airport scene at the end, use the sort of expressionistic photography which characterised the genre.
I do not mean that the film is morally ambiguous politically. Its politics are quite clear; the Nazis are evil and the Allied cause is just. (For this reason, I always wish Michael Curtiz had been allowed to use the "Horst Wessel Lied" in the song-duel with "La Marseillaise". The producers, however, refused, on the bizarre grounds that the Nazi anthem was protected by copyright, so Curtiz had to substitute "Die Wacht am Rhein", a 19th–century patriotic song with no Nazi connotations).
The film's ambiguity arises at a personal rather than political level. The only character who is unambiguously heroic is the noble and idealistic Victor. Rick Blaine starts off as a disillusioned cynic, cynical both about personal relationships and about politics, and unwilling to "stick his neck out" for anyone. He has a murky past, operates a gambling operation of dubious legitimacy and, for unexplained reasons, is unable to return to America. Ilsa is somewhat sanitised compared to Lois, the equivalent character in the original play, and explanations are provided for some of her more questionable actions, but the fact remains that she is in love with a man other than her husband, and would be prepared to desert her husband for that man. Louis Renault, the Chief of Police, is quite openly corrupt, accepting bribes to issue the vital "exit visas" which will enable refugees to leave Casablanca; if the refugee in question is an attractive woman he is prepared to accept payment in the form of sexual favours rather than cash.
By the end of the film, however, all three have achieved redemption. Renault, who has no love for the Vichy regime he serves or their German masters, resolves to serve his country's interests rather than his own. Ilsa recognises that her place is by her husband's side and her duty to support him in his struggle. Rick not only recovers his lost political idealism but also, like Ilsa, sacrifices his own personal happiness and puts duty before love. Rick is the only major character who is an American, and can be seen as symbolising America's own journey from neutrality to wholehearted participation in the anti-Fascist struggle. It is significant that the action takes place in early December 1941, in the last few days before Pearl Harbor.
The complexity of these three characters demands acting of a high standard, and Bogart, Bergman and Claude Rains are all excellent. Bogart is particularly good; this is the finest of all his performances that I have seen, better even than "The African Queen" for which he won his only Oscar. (Not having seen Paul Lukas in"Watch on the Rhine" I cannot say whether Bogart deserved to win in 1943). There are several other good performances; those that stand out most come from Sydney Greenstreet as Rick's business rival Ferrari and Conrad Veidt as the main Nazi Major Strasser.
Paul Henreid as Victor is sometimes regarded as the acting "weak link", and he is certainly less than charismatic, but I felt this was necessary to emphasise the contrast between his character and Rick's. Rick may have a dubious past, but Bogart also makes him fascinating and charming enough to win and retain Ilsa's love, even though she is married to a man of great nobility whom she deeply admires. Henreid, by contrast, makes Victor the sort of man who can inspire admiration but who does not perhaps have enough warmth on a personal level to retain the wholehearted love of his wife.
Another notable feature is the musical score, making reference to the French and German national anthems, and the songs, especially "As Time Goes By", originally written in 1931 but since 1943 always associated with this film.
There is not sufficient space here to do justice to all the many aspects of this wonderful film. I will therefore just close my review by saying that as a combination of war, adventure and romance, and for its perfect marriage of script, direction, acting and music, "Casablanca" cannot be beaten. It gets better as time goes by. 10/10