31) Casablanca

Casablanca (1942)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Dooley Wilson

Week two of Introduction to Cinema. We are still on classical Hollywood cinema so the screening this week was the much loved classic Casablanca.

It's 1941 and the Nazis are continuing to terrorise Europe. Thousands of Europeans seeking to escape to America converge upon the Moroccan city of Casablanca, a key point on the escape trail, in the hope of obtaining exit visas. The most popular nightspot in Casablanca is Rick's Cafe Americain, owned by cynical, ex-pat American Rick Blaine (Bogart). Rick tries his best to stay out of the politics of war, but when the leader of the underground resistance Victor Lazlo (Henreid) seeking the transit papers which happen to have fallen into Rick's hands he finds himself right in the middle of things. To further complicate things, the woman who accompanies Lazlo, Ilsa Lund (Bergman), has crossed paths with Rick before.

Casablanca is truly one of the most beloved films of all time. It also has to be close to the most referenced and quoted film in the history of cinema. It is truly amazing as you watch and realise just how many lines from the film have become a part of the popular consciousness. "Here's lookin' at you kid', 'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine', 'Round up the usual suspects', almost the entire last scene at the airport culminating in 'I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship'. In fact, lines that don't even appear in the film have become a part of the popular consciousness, with possibly the world's most misquoted movie line, 'Play it again, Sam', never actually appearing in the film (the actual line is 'Play it, Sam' and it is spoken by Bergman, rather than Bogart, whose voice people tend to imitate when misquoting).

What I find really interesting about Casablanca is the process that it has gone through to become the much loved film that it is today. When it was first released in 1942 it was promoted primarily as a political melodrama, an anti-fascist film. It was well received at the time, winning three Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, but soon faded away. There was virtually 25 years of critical silence on the film until the late sixties when it starts to reappear in film books and periodicals. However, this time it is presented in very different terms. Rather than focusing on it as a political melodrama, it is talked about as the example par excellence of the professional Hollywood studio movie. But it is a through a third reading, that which focuses primarily on the figure of Humphrey Bogart, which is most responsible for the standing the film has now. As the cult surrounding Bogart developed in the aftermath of his death, Casablanca came to be it's central text, and as a result the way people view the film has changed. Today, Casablanca is primarily seen as a love story, with the focus being squarely on the Rick and Ilsa relationship, and the political dimension of the film, initially it's feature, taking a back seat and being seen as little more than context.

Sometimes when you watch old movies they seem quite dated, and while you can appreciate them you find that you make certain allowances because of the film's age. This is certainly not the case with Casablanca. The film seems to have hardly dated at all. It stands up amazingly well. The dialogue is as sharp and witty as ever. The themes are still relevant today. People have tried to 'remake' Casablanca but never with any success, simply because this film does not need remaking. There is nothing in the film which requires updating. Despite being almost 70 years old, it remains a really engrossing film.

Casablanca is an absolute classic. I find I enjoy it more every time that I see it. It is one of those films which you simply must see.