Due to a ultra-conservative upbringing, I have not been lucky enough to see many english classics. Over the last few years I have been trying to make up for a life-time’s deficit by watching as many movies as I possibly can.
This was how I made my acquiantance with Casablanca. I have a history of building up great expections for something and then being deeply dejected on seeing it.
The first few reels of the movie did nothing to allay my fears. The characters seemed nothing out of the ordinary - a laconic American who owns a cafe, his black musician sidekick and a host of seedy characters including a dapper French chief of police.
Havent we seen such characters elsewhere. But then things suddenly change with the arrival of a mysterious man with a beautiful wife in tow. Looks like there is some kind of a smouldering history between the American and this lovely lass.
Throw into this heady mix, a bunch of Nazi generals who are out to capture our mystery man, and things hot up leading to a wonderful climax.
Our hero is shown as a man of few scruples, but beneath that rough exterior is a gentleman and when asked to choose between honour and love, he makes the right choice and what is more he makes a most unlikely friend in the end- "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
I have deliberately skipped over finer details of the script or the climax so as not to rob any Casablanca newbie of any excitement.
The movie moves are decent pace. The heat of morocco is as important an actor in this movie as the rest. What is interesting is that every second bill roles are well etched out. Except for the Nazis(for obvious reasons), everyone else comes across as a three dimensional character.
Script:
The most memorable parts of the movie are obviously the wonderful script and the classic dialogues.
Some of the classic lines are
"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." - This is one of the best endings in any movie that I have seen.
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." - Brings out a lovers frustration at seeing his two-timing ex after a long time.
and ofcourse the oft misquoted "Play it once Sam, for old times’ sake. Play it Sam"
Acting:
Humphrey Bogart is brilliant as the self-seeking hard-nosed American who mellows before our eyes.
Ingrid Bergman is ’out-of-this-world’ish beautiful as the lost love that most of us pine about.
Claude Rains plays a complex role with aplomb. Even when we know that he is a corrupt womaniser who takes advantage of needy women, we still root for his character - Clearly a triump of the actors art.
Some people feel that the treatment of Sam - the black pianist/singer is typical of the stereotyping of African-American characters of the time.
I would whole-heartedly recommend this movie to anyone else out there who has not watched it as yet (are there such kindred folks out there?)