"Here's looking at you kid"

Rating: 7/10 (18 August 2012)

War is not that bad, I get defeated, you occupy me. How dare they are, with the world crumbling, they pick to fall in love. there is war out there, there is pain, sorrow, hopelessness.but surrounded by death and fear, they decide to set their hearts free, to enjoy their very life no matter how much overwhelming. In any category sorted by anyone, Casablanca definitely is included as one of the classics. Its genre is combination of war, romance and drama, and that is exactly what makes it so delightful. Humphrey Bogart (Rick) undoubtedly was one of the finest actors of all time and unanimously speaking, Casablanca is his best. Rick is an excellent epitome of a guy who gets tough and tougher without loosing tender. His former love leaves him high and dry in a train station in Paris and after countless restless nights of pining and sorrow he has moved on and began to run a night club in north of Africa. He is a prominent man in the town ,witty, arrogant, disdainful, clever and showing no interest for politics in spite of his former records .but deep down inside he is so heart-tender ,one of a kind lover and caring about people's lives. Then, one they out of blue, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) , his ex, walks into the bar, with her husband, demanding Sam(piano player) to play "as time goes by", and what is more instigating than a piece of music that reminds you of a sacred memory?! Greater the love, greater the tragedy when it's over In this movie there exist two distinguished epic scenes that emotionally for sure will change your heart beats. Once approximately in the middle of the movie there was a scene aka as 'The Battle of the Anthems' in which a group of German soldiers had come into Rick's cafe and were intoxicatingly singing the German National anthem loudly. Victor Lazlo(Ilsa's husband), the leader of the French Resistance, cannot stand this act and while the rest of the club stared reluctantly with fear at the Germans, ordered the band to play the French National Anthem, accompanied by a confirming nod from Rick, the band begins playing, with Victor singing at the top of his voice as a pioneer. This inspires the whole club to begin singing along and the Germans are forced to surrender and sit down at their table, humbled by the crowd's dedication. In my book, this was the most appealing part of the movie.
In the second place, in the half way through the film a Bulgarian girl comes to Rick asking if Captain Renault is trustworthy. She and her husband are refugees. there is war in their country, they have left their house, they have no money, they are fleeing from death, from misery from fear. they need visas or something and it is inferred that captain Renault has promised her to trade the paperwork they need with couple of minutes of her time .now she is in a dilemma. Frightened, hopeless and fragile. suspended between their security and her self- esteem, now she wants to know if she grants her body to Captain Renault will he do them the favor back or not. And in the case if he does in Rick's opinion what she is going to do is forgivable?! Ilsa flashes in Rick's mind and he replies the Bulgarian girl in a line:" go back to Bulgaria". Stating that in his idea it's better to suffer and murdered than selling one-self. Though he afterwards he does a marvelous thing and helps the husband to win in gambling and provide the money they need to regulates their migration.
To put the whole thing in a nutshell, Casablanca is a mixture of all life giving elements. overlapping of humor and drama, love and war, toughness and heart-tenderness. And hell yeah it is amusing.