Casablanca (Snap Case)
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Movie Reviews of Casablanca (Snap Case)
Movie Review: Why "Casablanca" seems boring to some reviewers . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
I went on Amazon.com the other day looking for the movie "Casablanca". I thought it would be interesting to take a look first at the lowest rated reviews for the movie. I mean, I thought "Who could possibly give it 1-star and why?" I was at first miffed to see several 1-star reviews stating that the movie was painfully boring and some even stated that they had to fast forward through it to get to the more "exciting" parts. But then on second thought, I'm not surprised at all. Please allow me to explain.
First let me say first that "Casablanca" is without doubt one of the great classics in American film making. It's a movie that has stood the test of time and one that I can watch any day of the week and know I'm going to enjoy it all over again. It is without question one of the top 20 Hollywood movies of the 20th century. But for some folks, it fails to please.
You see the "problem" with Casablanca is it lacks all of the features that makes today's modern movies "great". Let me elaborate. Perhaps it would have been better to have Bogie swear like a trooper throughout the movie, because, I mean, that's how people really talk isn't it? And folks want realism. Or perhaps if the director had only included a torrid bedroom scene between Bogie and Bergman with frontal nudity to kinda' spice things up a bit. That sure would have made it "exciting". Or perhaps they should have actually shown Capt. Renault (Claude Raines) having his way with a few of the local women in order to get their exit visas out of Casablanca. I mean to just loosely imply it is to miss out on a great bit of moviemaking. Or instead of just showing some feeble scuffle between the Peter Lorre character and the local police before he's arrested, why not have them chase him though the streets of Casablanca in some break-neck car chase scene, only to have his car catapult through the air and be killed in a deafening explosion and fireball. That surely would have made the movie 5-stars! And finally, at the end of the film, instead of having Bogie just shoot Major Strasser in some bloodless, antiseptic scene, they could have spiced it up a bit with lots of blood and splatter!!
My point in all of this sarcasm is that unlike today's films, "Casablanca" couldn't have shown any of those things nor did it need to. It relied on great acting, tight direction and a plot that actually made you think. And it did that extremely well. Unfortunately for some folks today to have to sit through two hours of actual meaningful dialogue without the ubiquitous chase scene, nudity, profanity and violence is too much for them to bear. That's boorrring, they say. In conclusion, I say "Casablanca" is one of greatest movies put on film for all the right reasons. It is a movie that Hollywood would never make today. Sadly, I think they have forgotten how.
Movie Review: It's a Bogart and Bergman movie, how many stars would you have given it?
Summary: 5 Stars
Casablanca, of course, doesn't require a review from me--the entire world knows about it. So I'll make this short and to the point.
PROS:
1. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid and that darn French Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) star. That's two stars right there.
2. Some of the best writing Hollywood (we called it Hollywood in those days instead of Harletwood) ever produced. That's a star.
3. Some of the best music ever mastered for a movie--the world still remembers it a zillion years later. That's another star.
4. When you consider the idea is actually a simple love triangle during World War Two how could it have attained such greatness...well of course anyone who has ever seen it already knows, it was the writing, directing, acting, and music. Oh yes, Peter Lorre stars in it and several others you will reconize such as Sydney Greenstreet. I could go on and on about this movie, take it apart and tell about how great the writing, and acting are, but have you seen how many reviews this thing has? Besides, you all don't need this country boy to tell you about THIS movie. Moving along, that's a star right there, a really low end idea that came out 'great'. Proof once again, if you got the idea, writing, your actors can act, and your director can director, (and a fine song or two) nothing else really matters.
CONS:
1. There are no CONS: in this movie, I can suggest no updating, no changing of script, idea, directing, acting or anything to make it better. It's such a good thing Hollywood had a long list of actors to choose from--I don't think they could have pulled it off without them...I'm watching it again as I write this, that darn French Captain kind-a grows on you, and to think HE turns out to be a sentimentalist to!
I will add one last thing, Casablanca is not a popcorn movie like I usually watch (the old Science Fiction and monster movies). It can not be watched like a regular popcorn movie. No. It's script, acting, directing goes too far for such trival things as simple entertainment. You must listen to each word, study their body language, watch their eyes as you watch the movie. And just remember...this movie was filmed and I believe shown as Casablance was "actually" being invaded by the darkest shadow this world had faced in its' ten thousand years of recorded history...and they almost won.
If I weren't a Christian I would have said you need a shot of gin and a cigarrette...but I am, and most snack foods just don't do credit to this movie. You decide.
So there it is, rated as the second greatest movie ever made, and not one s--t, not one cuss or swear word, not one exploding head and almost no special effects. Casablanca can only be described one way and with one word...Art. Bye!
Movie Review: Fantastic classic that gets better with each viewing
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the great movies of all time, a classic gem that is as entertaining today as it was in the 1940s. In Casablanca, Morocco, a haven for European expatriates fleeing Nazi rule, cafe owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) struggles to remain neutral. Into his life comes an old flame, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband Victor Lazslo (Paul Henreid), on the run from the Nazis (he's part of the French Resistance movement). Rick's neutrality is sorely tested as he is torn between his resurgent feelings for Ilsa and the need to see her and her husband escape the encroaching Nazis. Peerless, Oscar-winning direction, excellent dialogue, and outstanding performances highlight this legendary film. All of the leads are solid, with an especially good job by Bogart--he's cynical and detached one moment, subtly emotional the next. His pain often shows in his acerbic comments and devil-may-care attitude. But there's compassion somewhere in Rick's heart, and a desire to do the right thing. After all, he's fought for righteous causes before, yet seems reluctant to do so again. Why? Part of Rick's mystique is the fact that that question is never answered. His romance with Ilsa--both past and present--rings true; Ilsa and Rick ache for each other, yet they are torn between their romance and the necessity of her marital vows coupled with the need to keep Laszlo alive for the sake of the French Resistance. Ilsa still loves Rick, yet she's also very devoted to Laszlo. This set the standard for tragic romances loooong before "Titanic."
The fine supporting performances include a slick, conniving turn by Peter Lorre and a wry one by Claude Raines as the corrupt (but curiously sympathetic) police chief Reynaud. The character interactions (especially the good rapport between Raines and Bogart) and motivations are convincing and well-thought out. Even the music is wonderful; can Dooley Wilson sing, or what?
This multiple Oscar winner (Direction, Picture, Screenplay; should have won more, in my opinion) has many wonderful highlights: Wilson singing "As Time Goes By;" Henreid leading the French National Anthem in front of a group of Nazis; the unexpected, heartbreaking, and memorable finale. Indeed, this film has become indelibly embedded in our popular culture; expressions such as "Here's looking at you, kid," "We'll always have Paris," and "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" are familiar parts of our culture. Fantastic in every way, nearly perfect; multiple viewing may be required to catch all of the subtleties of this extraordinary film. A classic!
About the DVD: Why no varied formats, and why so few extras? Other than a documentary featuring Lauren Bacall, there's little else of note. This film deserves the fine treatment that "Citizen Kane" received.
Movie Review: Rounding Up the Usual Suspects
Summary: 5 Stars
(To the reader: This review is about the original MGM DVD release and NOT about the 2-disc edition just released.)Casablanca!
The very name conjures up an exotic mix of adventure, intrigue, heroism, selfless sacrifice, and romance. Hear the title of this 1942 Best Picture winner and your memory will provide you with images of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Dooley Wilson, Peter Lorre, and Claude Rains. Or maybe you'll hear snatches of Max Steiner's unforgettable score, with its interpolation of Herman Hupfeld's "As Time Goes By" and the stirring strains of "The Marsellaise."
Based on the stage play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison, the movie tells a dramatic story of refugees fleeing from wartorn Europe and making a perilous trip to Casablanca in French Morocco. It is December 1941 and that French colony is under the control of "unoccupied France." Ostensibly neutral in World War II, Vichy France is nevertheless a German vassal state, as the arrival of Major Strasser (Conrad Veldt) clearly demonstrates.
Strasser's mission in Casablanca: to stop Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo (Henreid) from obtaining one of two exit visas stolen from two murdered German couriers and escaping from the Gestapo. Having tracked the defiant Laszlo after his escape from a Nazi concentration camp, Strasser is determined to capture the symbol of anti-Nazi resistance once and for all.
Accompanying Laszlo is the beautiful Ilsa Lund (Bergman), a young Norweigan student whom he married in secret before he was captured by the Gestapo in 1940. Devoted to her husband and his great cause, Ilsa has been at his side since Laszlo's miraculous escape and sudden reappearance in Paris.
Unbeknownst to Laszlo, however, his fate will now rest in the hands of American saloonkeeper Rick Blaine (Bogart). In the months following Victor's escape from the concentration camp he was reported as "presumed dead." In loneliness and despair, the grieving Ilsa met and fell in love with Rick in Paris shortly before the German occupation began. For a brief time the lovers were together, only to tragically part ways when news of Laszlo's return reached Ilsa.
Now, in the eve of America's entry into World War II, Victor Laszlo's fate hangs on the conflicting emotions felt by both Rick and Ilsa, as well as the shifting loyalties of French police Capt. Louis Renault (Rains).
The screenplay by Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch is a wonderful mixture of romance, intrigue, drama and comedy (the latter provided both by colorful characters and witty exchanges). Director Michael Curtiz and producer Hal B. Wallis made Casablanca as one of many movies produced in 1942, never knowing that it would become a classic of Hollywood's Golden Era.
Movie Review: One of the most enjoyable movies ever made
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite its fame, despite the fact that we all seem to know too much about this film, CASABLANCA still shocks by its enormous ability to entertain. I have now seen this about seven or eight times, but, if anything, I enjoy it more upon repeated viewings rather than less. The movie remains enjoyable for a host of reasons. The cast is as good an any in the history of film, not just the leads, but a host of minor characters. The actor who plays the croupier, for instance, was Marcel Dalio, who only three years earlier, in France before being forced to leave, starred in Jean Renoir's great classic THE RULES OF THE GAME. In fact, knowing that many of the cast members had been forced to flee Europe because of the spread of Fascism, including those portraying Nazis, gives the movie especial power. There are a good fifteen or sixteen memorable characters, giving this film an unusual depth. Nonetheless, the film is carried not by the supporting characters, but by the tremendous performances by the leads, most notably Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains (interestingly, the latter two would later appear in one of Hitchcock's greatest films, NOTORIOUS). Even the rather wooden Paul Henreid does a decent if less than stellar job. Contrary to popular rumor, no one was ever considered for the lead role other than Humphrey Bogart. Conrad Veidt, whom we all love to hate as the detestable Major Stasser, was, in fact, a bitter opponent of Hitler and the Nazis, and was well known for his opposition to everything that was happening in Germany in the thirties.
I am a complete sucker for movies where all the dialog consists of impossibly witty repartee, and this one ranks near the top. Even if the central plot weren't excellent, this movie would be a classic because of the awesome talk, especially any conversation featuring Bogart and Claude Rains. For instance:
Renault (Rains): What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca? Rick (Bogart): My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters. Renault: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert. Rick: I was misinformed.
There are dozens of superb moments in the film similar to this. Although the script was famously a complete mess, with the writers literally working on it as they were filming, nearly every line is a masterpiece. Great plot overall, great dialog, and great scenes. It may have been a mess at the time, but the result is sheer genius.
But at the heart of the film is the story of a great love, in which two people set aside their great love for one another, the love of a lifetime, for causes bigger than themselves. The film is the ultimate paean to self-sacrifice. Best of all, it is a phenomenal film, and rightfully celebrated as one of the greatest ever made.