Review of Casablanca

Casablanca

Humphrey Bogart is my favorite actor. Ever. Yes, he could play some real questionable characters, but there was always an elegance and sophistication about him that made you like him. No movie better showcases that duality of rough edges and soft middle then Casablanca. And what more can be said about it anyway? This isn’t just one of the films that will keep Bogart alive and well for generations upon generations, but Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet , Conrad Viedt, Claude Rains and, of course, the luminously beautiful and incredibly talented Ingrid Bergman. Naturally, with a powerhouse cast of big name stars and contract players, Casablanca is a great example of screen acting. Bergman’s face alone while listening to Sam play “As Time Goes By” is something every modern actress should watch. Such complicated and diverging emotions are clearly and economically translated in a short matter of time and with a minimum amount of changes. It’s all in her eyes and her mouth. And when Bogart is alone after seeing her for the first time in years, drinking his pain away, he too can translate numerous emotions with, seemingly, very little effort. His eyes have it, but no one could hold a cigarette like Bogart. Even the way he smokes shows a different emotion. From the effortless cool when Rick is first introduced to the way he desperately yet stiffly smokes during scenes with Ilsa, he always found a way to make interesting choices.

And the story combines a little of everything, never remaining entirely too much of one thing to stick to one category. There’s a romance, a war backdrop, some political intrigue, and, of course, a Nazi or two. Yet it never feels overloaded or like it’s reaching too far and covering too many different tangents. The romance is sweepingly epic and heartbreaking, and the politics interesting and appropriately grimy. It is no wonder that Casablanca is an American classic. It would be a classic in any language or time period.

Comments

classic movie buff

Posted : 1 year, 4 months ago at Jul 22 5:33

Humphrey Bogart is my favourite actor too. See my review of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre". This was for me one of his best roles (as Fred C. Dobbs) but he had so many memorable performances during his long career it is difficult to pick out just a single one.

Added by JxSxPx 1 year ago on 30 June 2008 04:24