Review of Casablanca (1943) by Rick R — 09 Jan 2014
Casablanca (1942).
Of course this is one of the best loved movies of all time, with unforgettable lines. It's kind of ironic that Julius and Philip Epstein's script was pretty much rewritten as the production went along. It's a romance, it's a comedy, it's a war movie, it's even kind of a musical, all in one, so there's something for everybody.
Cynical Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) owns a popular nightclub and casino in Vichy French Casablanca, Rick's Café Americán. Casablanca is the last refuge for refugees trying to escape the Nazis expansion from Europe and everybody goes to Rick's, including the very corrupt Vichy prefict of police, Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) who always seems to win at the roulette tables.
Beautifully smarmy Ugarte (Peter Lorre) asks Rick to hide some letters of transit for him. This is not long before Nazi Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt) and his men kill Ugarte in Rick's club.
Then an old love of his, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) walks into the club with the famous resistance fighter, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Here Rick has a couple of letters of transit hiding in his friend, Sam's (Dooley Wilson's) piano. Can he coax Ilsa back into his life with those letters, or will he do the right thing for the cause?
This review of Casablanca (1943) was written by Rick R on 09 Jan 2014.
Casablanca has generally received very positive reviews.
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