Movie Review # 492: Casablanca (1943)

Everyone, hope you all are doing well! Today, we are going to be reviewing an old classic film that was released during the time when WWII was still taking place, and America had no choice but to get involved in the war after Pearl Harbor was viciously attacked by the Japanese. Well, we had this film that took place during this difficult war. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henried, and Ingrid Bergman, the film is the one, and only, Casablanca.

Plot: Set in Casablanca, Morocco, in the year 1941, an owner of a nightclub named Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) comes in possession of a couple “letters of transit,” documents that allow whoever possesses them to freely travel around German-occupied Europe, or then neutral Portugal. Shortly after, Blaine’s old flame, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), and her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henried) show up. Though this initially causes complications especially for Blaine, he must decide as to whether or not he will give the letters of transit to Ilsa, and Victor, or use them for him, and/or someone else.

Surprisingly, I don’t recall hearing about this film until maybe around a decade ago, or even a little longer than that. However, I get to see advertisements for it as a Fathom Events deal once again about a couple weeks ago. So, I finally got to see it when it played last weekend. I must say that after finally seeing it after it being 80 years since it was first released, I am surprised as to how well done it is. First off, Casablanca is a great example of how a movie doesn’t need to have it’s picture quality in color to be a good film. True, color may be preferable. Still, I’m sure that back when films like this one were released , there were more movies that didn’t have color as well. Anyway, the movie also does well with portraying how ugly, and violent things were during WWII. Additionally, Casablanca ends up being a really good literary piece of historical fiction. Sure, the characters in here are most likely fictional, but that doesn’t change that the fact that that’s most likely how many people’s lives ended up running back in this particular time period. Also, not only are all the characters well developed in this film, but the film does show how people can be complicated. I mean with there being some characters who have old feelings for others resurfacing, but still knowing not to let things get in the way, and things like that, the film does well with showing how situations like that can occur from time to time. Also, even if some of the characters make mistakes, sometimes you understand why they make them in the end. The villains are also really great. It’s also good how this film shows that people can surprisingly change after certain circumstances that may have occurred in their lives. Oh, and the script is also really great. Movie makers really knew how to make their scripts really unique, and special back when movies like this one were released. Casablanca certainly proved to be no exception. Oh, and the music, how could you not fall in love with the music in this film? Sure, people who were born somewhat closer to 1942 might appreciate the music, as well as Casablanca overall more than people born decades later. Still, especially if people born decades following this film’s release decide to expose themselves to this kind of music more, they’ll likely come to appreciate these kinds of songs more. Finally, without hopefully giving away the ending, even if one will probably feel somewhat ambivalent about the ending, he/she will more than likely also feel satisfied with how things turn out at the end of this film.

And that’s my review for Casablanca. Yeah, I can see why this film may be rerelease in theaters even for a limited amount of time every ten years. Casablanca is most definitely a piece of work proving how timeless, and a classic films can remain even decades following their initial release. The film has some really memorable characters, superb acting, good music, and provides some really good lessons. If you haven’t seen Casablanca yet, I would highly recommend it. By the time you see this film, you will find yourself glad that you saw it, regardless of whether or not you find yourself enjoying it, or not.

Final Grade: A+