Review of Casablanca (1943) by Callum H — 17 Oct 2014

Director Michael Curtiz's Casablanca has lived on in the memories of film-goers everywhere, simply because of how entrancing and personal the tragic romance story is. By modern standards, the film holds a numerous quantity of cliches and predictable plot points, but that never seems to break the immersion one should be able to feel as Casablanca tightly holds the viewer in its grips, entertaining and enthralling from the word go. The performances, led by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains are immensely strong, supported by a fantastic screenplay, written by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard E. Koch and Casey Robinson. It's relatable and easy to enjoy, aided by a seemingly simplistic plot, wrapped up in the setting of a World War II time period.

Funnily enough, Casablanca isn't overtly original, even when taking into consideration the time period in which it came out in. Fortunately, though, the film is just smart enough; just funny enough; just conceptually unique enough to distinquish it from any number of films. Despite the black and white cinematography, the film has never seemed to age; often, the most simplistic, well told, well paced stories are the ones that live on in the mind of a viewer, and that is most certainly the case with Casablanca, a story about love lost and found. An undeniable classic.