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9.3/10
FilmFascination Rating
I’m not quite sure if Casablanca is about love or tragedy. I guess one always follows the other.
I am pretty sure you have heard Casablanca to be the greatest romantic movie ever made. But there is so much more about the plot. Romance is there at the heart of the movie but the background and the environment in which story develops becomes a part of the plot. Want some advice? Don’t go into the movie with the expectations that you will see a movie like the rom-coms you see nowadays. The fact that this is put on the number one spot on almost all the romantic movies might make you feel this way but this ain’t a lovey-dovey feel-good movie. One must understand the era and the circumstances in which it took place.
Set in World War 2, we are introduced to a guy, who is “the guy” for everyone around, Rick Blain who owns a nightclub and gambling joint in Casablanca. It’s easy to say that Rick has been in this game for a long time, by the ease with which he floats through every situation. “I stick my neck out for nobody”- his repeated line that convinces us that he is that fixed ethics businessman. Do whatever the fuck anyone wants, I just want to run my club. At least that is what it seems like. Almost everybody in Casablanca wants to do just one thing. Somehow flee to the United States which was a neutral place in that period. Ricks’s life takes a turn when his former lover, Ilsa Lund, enters his club. That’s it. That’s all the plot details, you are going to get from me.
The great thing about Casablanca is it does not let the viewers be empathetic towards just one character. It makes you understand everyone’s position. There is no right or wrong. Life can never be black and white, can it? There is always a grayscale. We never quite go too deep into a character on screen. But still, we know what type each one is. Through their acting, the dialogues or just the way they carry themselves on the screen. Nothing more is needed for us to connect with them. Even the jolly waiter we see is one of those typical ones who makes everyone feel at home, but who has much more going on in his life unbeknownst to anyone. Some of the characters are typical, but they are not cliché. They are the ones you must have seen somewhere in your life.
I agree! Ingrid Bergman is absolutely gorgeous in the film. But have you seen Humphrey Bogart in this one? He is a handsome dude with a charisma and bravado. He leads every scene he is in and makes his presence known. Especially the close shots when he is grieving. Those emotions just come right across the screen!
Somehow, I think I was underestimating it from the plot side. It just surprised me from that aspect. I was making the ‘My Favourite Romantic Movies’ CineList when I watched Casablanca. And I went into it completely thinking it to be a romantic film to be watched laying back. But it is not. It is a combination of suspense, comedy and romance blended such that no genre is felt forced but it is there because it was necessary. ‘Casablanca’ a solid plot with great execution. Even the script! There is no way anyone could slip this point while talking about Casablanca. A great plot needs a great script. The dialogues are what makes a movie memorable. And Casablanca has that elegance in dialogues. I mean who wouldn’t try to slip in the- “Here’s looking at you kid”, after watching Casablanca. Even the sheer casualness in the dialogue delivery. “Remember, the gun is pointed right at your heart” says a guy. “That is my least vulnerable spot” says the other. The film is filled with such witty dialogues and they are absolute fun to watch. Every minute or two you smile with recognition as you see a classic moment go by and realize what made it so special and perfect in the first place.
Among all this, it is really not easy to predict what will happen next. The choices the characters have before them are all valid and plausible. It all depends on the decision they actually make. Especially the ending 10 minutes. They are a wild roller coaster, the one that will make you think “What the hell just happened?”. And in a few minutes, you have a smile on your face- realizing what it was all about.
FAVOURITE QUOTES
Captain Renault: What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?
Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We’re in the desert.
Rick: I was misinformed.
Rick: Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.
Yvonne: Where were you last night?
Rick: That’s so long ago, I don’t remember.
Yvonne: Will I see you tonight?
Rick: I never make plans that far ahead.
Rick: I congratulate you.
Victor Laszlo: What for?
Rick: Your work.
Victor Laszlo: I try.
Rick: We all “try”; You succeed!
Captain Renault: Round up the usual suspects.
Rick: Here’s looking at you, kid.
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