Casablanca

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2015)

Nearly every aspect of Casablanca is striking and impressive. From the sound design to the lighting to the performances, the film doesn't even give you time to stop and process the imagery, witticisms, or technical tricks. This is not to say that's a bad thing. Casablanca, as a result, has great rewatch value.
That's not to say that the film has too fast a pace, either. It moves a long logically, just packs so much into each scene. It respects its audience and their ability to "understand," or at least think about what they have seen. Personally, this makes a film that much more enjoyable for me. I think its cultural significance and peoples' timeless care for Casablanca speak to that as well.
The chiaroscuro in Casablanca is a constant source of awe. The lights and shadows work off each other in ways that are menacing, playful, and even romantic. The tone-setting and story-telling done with the lighting alone could (and probably has) be the subject of a long, thoughtful paper.
The performances, too, are so impressive in their subtext. It isn't typical to see such nuanced emotional storytelling layered in with the more blatant acting we're used to seeing. The backstory between Rick (Humphrey Bogart), Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), and Sam (Dooley Wilson), is told (in addition to the flashbacks) in reactions and facial expressions (such as Rick's reaction to the song Sam is asked to play by Ilsa, or the scene where Ilsa confesses her love to Rick after holding him at gunpoint for passports), rather than ham-fisted "remember when we all met?" Due to clear high quality work on the part of the entire cast and crew, Casablanca is frankly timeless. It's entertaining and artful, and seems like it will remain relevant for a very long time.