Essentials: Casablanca

Year: 1942 (USA)
Genre: Drama/Romantic Drama/War Drama
Directed: Michael Curtiz
Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall, Peter Lorre, John Qualen
Production: Warner Bros.


In preparation to write a review for a film considered one of the best ever made, I read snippets of reviews and glanced though numerous history books looking for that crumb of objectivity that can excuse my love for the Hollywood film named after a Moroccan city. A semblance of greatness that can give even the most flippant a moment of pause and appreciation for the world created by director Michael Curtiz and cinematographer Arthur Edeson and populated by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Alas my mind and eyes are not as well trained as the myriad of critics, actors, directors and industry specialists who call Casablanca (1942) the end-all be-all. I can’t convince the average filmgoer that a black-and-white movie made and 1942 can change your life; even though If I were responsible for world's viewing education I would force people to watch Casablanca at least once.

All I can do is explain, in my own words, and through my own experiences why to me, Casablanca comfortably sits on my list of Best Movies ever made as well as any other list goodly enough to feature it. Casablanca means so much too so many generations of people. During its initial run, its popularity was goaded by America’s participation in WWII. Rick’s changing of values and heart is the same change of character that American’s faced i.e. one of isolationist, laissez-faire shruggery to one of sacrifice and honor.

The next generation of Americans enjoyed the TV boom which Casablanca was a universally prime choice for consumption. It was made almost entirely in a studio and its fine acting and episodic plotlines made it ideal for pan-and-scan TV unlike say the large and majestic Lawrence of Arabia (1962) or the colorful animation of Disney. At one point in the 80’s Casablanca was the most syndicated movie on television.

Here's to looking at you kid.

I first watched Casablanca on VHS around the age of seven or eight. My mother, always the movie musical buff sat me down around that age to watch Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Hello Dolly! (1969) and The Sound of Music (1965). They were all magnificent and all in Technicolor. They were bright, funny and exuberant which is exactly what kids that age should be watching (take heed parents). Then she introduced me to Casablanca; a darker though still syrupy love story set in WWII. It wasn’t like going from What Women Want (2000) to Eraserhead (1977) but it was a pretty big jolt for an eight-year-old.

My first reaction to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Memory around that time is fuzzy but I believe Casablanca was my first full-featured black-and-white movie. I had seen the grittiness of 35mm black-and-white before while watching Frank Capra war shorts spliced with narration and veteran testimonials on the History Channel. Without that exposure Casablanca probably wouldn't have had such an impact; primarily because I’d be without context. Without exposure to the History Channel I would have been absolutely confused by Captain Renault (Claude Rains), a French man accommodating for Nazis. I would have been confused by Ugarte and the discussion about the Visas (though in retrospect those details I probably ignored). Thank goodness there is a such thing as the History Channel to give context to the world as at was and the world as it currently is.

Did I like the film at first? Well I didn't dislike it. The memory of the story stuck with me until I saw it again a few years later, then again a few years after that. In fact over the course of my life time I must have seen Casablanca at least ten times; each time building a layer of understanding and subtext. There is universality to Casablanca the shines through no matter who you are or how old you have become. Anyone willing to give it a try will at the very least will be entertained by it, if not moved by it. Surly one of the most accessible films pegged as one of the greats.

Final Grade: A