Review of Casablanca

Movie #43 - Casablanca

Casablanca is about a man named Rick that was on the run from the authorities for years, but he has now settled in as a nightclub owner in Casablanca. The French and the Germans are at war, and while spending some time in Paris, Rick met a woman named Ilsa. It turned out that Ilsa was married to another man, Victor Laszlo, so she had to flee the country with Victor and leave Rick to flee on his own. Years later, Rick and Ilsa meet again in Casablanca. Rick defies the local police and helps Ilsa and Victor leave the country. It's a story of a man that does the right thing, despite his feelings. 

Casablanca truly is a classic. It stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and contains some of the most famous lines in cinematic history. 

"Here's looking at you, kid."

However, the more I watch this film, the more I notice just how bad the acting and dialogue are. Ingrid Bergman is a horrible actress. There's a scene where she pulls a gun on Rick and starts to cry. She can't take it anymore, so she turns away from him to have a mental breakdown. It's just bad. That's the only way I can describe it. 

In early-Hollywood's defense, this was the style in which the actors were taught to speak and act, so it's tolerable to watch because of that. I guess it's one of the elements that makes a film like this a classic. I'm just not as big of a fan of this film as I once was. Maybe classic movies aren't my forte. The relationship between Rick and Ilsa doesn't make me connect with the characters at all. Her fake crying doesn't seem real, and Humphrey Bogart never has any emotions on his face whatsoever. Maybe emotions were covered as the years progressed in cinema...but you would think facial expressions would be important seeing as everything was silent before talkies came around. Whatevs.

I'll still recommend this movie to people because it has so many elements in it that truly capture early American cinema, but I won't necessarily make a big deal about it. 

Overall, I give Casablanca 3 out of 5 stars.