Average Rating: 
Rating:  - AFI Voted Casablanca #2 ALL TIME CLASSIC !!!!
Casablanca is the 2nd greatest movie of the 100 top in the last 100 years according to the American Film Institute (AFI) poll of 1998.Warner Brothers Studios produce an abundance of hit patriotic romance features during the War Years (1940's). They had a stable of the greatest stars (Bogart, Bergman, Rains, Lorre, Greenstreet to mention a few) which produced countless movies in short order. In Summary; French Morocco during World War II love triangle night club owner Rick (Humphrey Bogart), Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) & Victor (Paul Henreid) try to outwit & escape the Nazi's with many twists & turns involving an assortment of memorable characters you'll never forget. Casablanca was the greatest of Warner Brothers (Best Picture Oscar)1940's features. In my opinion the #1 movie as yet due to the fantasic script, sreenplay (Won an Oscar) plots, cast, direction (Best Director Oscar)and charismatic attraction you'll have in watching this movie over and over. The extras include a fantastic documentary narrated by Bogarts wife, Lauren Bacall. Seeing is believing, trust me, pull up a comfortable chair and watch this digitalized Black & White classic "CASABLANCA".
Rating: - Intrigue, corruption, love and tension in every scene
This 1942 film is a classic, and rightly so. Staring Humphrey Bogart,
Ingrid Bergman and Paul Heinreid, it was originally just another one
of the more than 50 films turned out each year by each of the major
studios that dominated Hollywood in those days. It's release
coincidentally coincided with the Nazi occupation of France, and its
theme and its timeless love story caught the public's
imagination.Casablanca in French Morocco is under French rule and
one of the places in the world where refuges can get safe passage
visas to go on to Lisbon and eventually to America and freedom. It is
seething with intrigue and corruption. Humphrey Bogart is an
ex-patriot American citizen who runs Rick's Cafe, where much of the
commerce takes place. Peter Lorre is a smuggler, Sidney Greenstreet
is a black marketeer, and Martin Dooley is the piano player known as
Sam. When, one evening Ingrid Bergman comes in to the cafe on the
arm of her husband, Paul Heinreid, and asks the piano player to
"play it Sam", he reluctantly plays "As Time Goes
By." This melody which is played throughout the movie, is the
glue that defines the romance. There's electricity between the
lovers. There's intrigue and double dealing. Something exciting
happens in each scene. And the acting is so good that it brought me
right into Casablanca. The story is always clear. The danger is
always there. The tension sizzles. One particularly meaningful
scene was when some Nazi soldiers gather round the piano and sing an
ominous song to the "Fatherland". It makes everyone in the
Rick's cafe very uncomfortable. That's when Paul Heinried instructs
the orchestra to play the French national anthem, the
"Marseilles". Everyone starts to sing. The Nazis are
silenced. The music takes over. I found my eyes filled with
tears. The video I rented included a "made for TV program"
that featured interviews with some of the original writers and
recollections from people working on the set at the time. There was
an interview with the man who did the music. He said that when he
wrote that into the script he actually felt tears running down his
face. It was the same powerful emotion that I felt too. The movie
was shot in black and white. It was also shot in a studio in
Hollywood. The airplane scene used a cardboard cutout of a plane and
hired midgets dressed as mechanics. Shot from a distance and through
a fog it was realistic and served the same kind of purpose of
today's video imaging and special effects. Of course all the
principals are dead, but their celluloid images in a timeless classic
film lingers on.
Rating: - So Many Awards and So Many Memorable Lines
CASABLANCA is the favorite movie of many fans for good reasons. They can really be summed up in the numerous Academy Awards and Academy Award nominations given to the film. The combination of superior direction, acting, cinematography and a superb screenplay doesn't come together in one package too often.Bogart, Bergman and Paul Henreid work together beautifully. The supporting cast is incredibly deep in talent. S.Z. Sakal, Madeleine LeBeau and Leonid Kinsky are tough to beat. Is it possible that this is only Dooley Wilson's first film? Added to this mix is the veteran star quality of Claude Rains, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. Few movies leave us with so many memorable lines such as "We'll always have Paris" or "Round up the usual suspects" or "Here's looking at you - kid." In this respect CASABLANCA is reminiscent of THE MALTESE FALCON and GONE WITH THE WIND. For the record the Academy Awards were for best picture, best director (Michael Curtiz) and best screenplay (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch). The Academy Award nominations were for best actor (Humphrey Bogart), best supporting actor (Claude Rains) and best cinematography (Arthur Edeson).
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