Casablanca

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

More or less after watching On the Waterfront I was really in the mood for another timeless classic that is critically acclaimed, so I chose Casablanca. I don't think I've seen any other Humphrey Bogart films, so I was quite excited to experience a "Bogey" film.

• Title: Casablanca
• Year of Release: 1942
• Director: Michael Curtiz
• Genre: Drama/Romance
• Rating: 8.5/10

Rick is one of the most respected men in Casablanca, for some seemingly unexplained reason he cannot return home to New York City. While in Casablanca he runs a saloon. It is set during World War II in Casablanca, Africa.

From the beginning of the film I found Rick a very interesting character, everyone respects him. Some of the saloon workers and army officials feel they know him quite well, but really it becomes more and more clear they do not know him very well at all. The only person who seems to know him well is Sam, the saloon's piano player. Rick appears quite stubborn at the beginning, Captain Renault begins to think Rick is a sentimentalist. The character of Rick is quite complicated, he just becomes more and more interesting throughout the film.

The acting is phenomenal, from every word, movement and facial expression Rick (played by Humphrey Bogart) becomes a memorable character and Bogart's own. The smaller characters and Ilsa Lund (played by Ingrid Bergman) are also very good, not as great as the high level set by Bogart. Overacting and just plain bad acting which makes you cringe are not present in this film anywhere.

Throughout the film it has a nice feel to it. Maybe it's just me but the setting, and way everyone in the film was, and the plot just went so well together, it made me be able to get into this film so much more, because of this within the first ten minutes I was already right into the film. This film never drags on, bores or depresses you, it's not that sort of film. Really, it would be difficult for it to drag when it's only one hour and forty minutes. I felt very comfortable with this film, I say nice, but that's an understatement.

Some may be turned away from this film because it's usually referred to as one of the best romance films, if not the best, but it's more than just being simply put into a genre. It's not just about the romance in the film, there is a lot more going on in it, there is something for everyone present. It's sixty six years old and it still hasn't aged a day, the only thing that really shows it's age is the fact it's black and white which people should be able to get past very quickly, but I know there are quite a lot of simple minded people out there who are turned away by black and white films which is quite ridiculous and pointless, so, watch this film, it's a must see for anyone who considers them self a film lover.

Click me to view the trailer!