Casablanca is more than just a period film

Rating: Null/10 (2 June 2004)

Casablanca is one of the most highly-regarded films of all time, by critics and viewers alike. There is something in it for everybody: action, suspense, humor, and romance. Though that may sound like a line ripped from a movie poster, Casablanca deftly balances its time between these varied roles to emerge as one of the most well-rounded films in all of cinema.
The story is simple: Rick runs a café in Morocco, a haven for those oppressed by the Nazi regime in 1940's Europe. "Rick's Café Americain", as it is called, is a refuge for both Americans and those simply down on their luck. One day, Rick's old flame, Ilsa, arrive in Casablanca, her husband in tow. She is not exactly welcomed. As Rick puts it, "of all the gin joints in all the world you had to walk into this one".
Above all, Casablanca is vivid. Though that may seem like an inaccuracy, given that the film is in black and white, there are other ways for vividness to manifest itself than through color.
Monochrome though it may be, the contrast between blacks and whites, between sunlight and shadow in Casablanca is intense. Rick seems trapped in darkness as he stews after hours in his café. Ilsa seems nearly angelic in many scenes, her white face and clothes shining in soft focus.
The film seems itself to sweat. Outdoor shots appear muggy, humid, and uncomfortably warm; many shots seem intentionally blurred, ever so slightly, to give the impression of heat in the air distorting the picture, or perhaps salty sweat obscuring the vision of the camera.
The performances in Casablanca are top-notch. Talented character actors such as Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet (both of "Maltese Falcon" fame) and Claude Rains create convincing and memorable characters, while leading stars such as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman shine as the main characters, Rick and Ilsa.
Casablanca endures as a pop culture icon, many of its lines achieving catchphrase status. The never-uttered "play it again Sam", Rick's oft-repeated "here's looking at you, kid", and the movie-ending "this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" are all well-known, and frequently referenced in other works. It endures because though the story may take place in a specific time, the idea of the film is timeless: to sacrifice what you want most for what you know is best. It is the ultimate human ideal, and just as that ideal is held high, so is Casablanca.