Not bad by any means, but still the most overrated film of all time

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2016)

This is a good movie, maybe even a great one. It is most definitely not one of the best movies ever made. What it is is a perfect example of a specific style of "Old Hollywood" filmmaking, maybe the best example there is. But if that style was the best way to make films, they would still make films like that.
That's not to say I don't like this movie. I even understand why some people love it. It's a pleasant romantic film with some very iconic moments. For me, The Marseillaise scene is very powerful. Despite all that, this film fails to be a great piece of art in the way more challenging films like Citizen Kane, Persona, and The Passion of Joan of Arc are.
And that's because, despite the strong story of the film, it has very little to say. Curtiz is not interested in raising any questions, but simply telling his story and drumming up support for the war. He's also not a great director, as the movie's cinematic style is overly theatrical, without any attempt to use cinematography and editing to tell the story. The acting is (as usual) is great from Bergman, and rather cheesy from Bogart.
This movie is a classic, there's no denying that. But it's a classic because it's simply a good example of a style that is typical of the time. What is typical is almost never important. If the movie is worth watching it's only because of the place it holds in American culture. It's place in the overall history and development of film is almost nonexistent.