25 American Classics - Casablanca (1943)

This is part 5 of a 25-movie series called “American Classics” – a survey of 25 influential and iconic American films from the past 100 years.

Casablanca (1943)

Dir. Michael Curtiz

Rating (Out of 5 Stars): ★★★★★

With the Oscars around the corner, one of my favorite parts of the ceremony is the montages of film/Oscar history. The 1943 Best Picture winner, Casablanca, is certain to be on whatever historical montage plays of any given year. It’s revered as one of the best and most beloved American films not only of the classic Hollywood era, but in cinema history. If The Wizard of Oz is the most influential and Citizen Kane the greatest, then Casablanca is the beloved classic American film.

The late Roger Ebert, my favorite film critic, only did a handful of DVD/Blu-Ray commentaries in his career, and two of them are for Kane and Casablanca. At the end of the Casablanca commentary, he says, “When I’m asked for the name of the greatest film of all time, I almost always say Citizen Kane, and that would be my sincere opinion. But if somebody were to say, ‘What is the movie you like the best,’ I think that I might say Casablanca.” Older black-and-white films of this era are certainly not in vogue for the mainstream moviegoing audiences of the 2020s. However, if there are a handful of films that are loved and cherished and can be rewatched over and over, Casablanca surely is at the top of the list. For all of Citizen Kane’s greatness, the film is somewhat cool to the touch. It is a great film that isn’t as easy to fall in love with. Not so for Casablanca.

The film follows a love triangle during World War II in a Casablanca, Morocco nightclub. The club owner, the American Rick Blaine, a man with a political/military past, has retreated to serve a diverse crowd of expats on the run from various people in the midst of the war. Rick constantly claims independence and neutrality to all disputes and political disagreements. He repeats the line, “I stick my neck out for nobody,” throughout the film. He is a hardened man whose best days are behind him. Regret is written across his face. The story changes when his ex-lover arrives at his joint, the beautiful Ilsa Lund. Only she is now married to the Czech military rebel Victor Laszlo. As Ilsa and Rick meet again, the origins of Rick’s cynicism are revealed to be Ilsa’s abandonment of Rick after their affair in Paris. A romantic triangle commences. When German authorities come to Rick in pursuit of Laszlo, the plot and tension thicken.

What makes the film so lovable? Certainly, it’s the leading characters and performances. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, two stars of their era, embody a magnetic likability and carry themselves with weight and ease. The way the cinematography lights up Ingrid Bergman’s face, capturing her uncertainty and glimmering tears is a thing of true beauty and vulnerability. Not once for a second do I question the sincerity of her divided character. Bogart, whose legacy includes gangsters and shady protagonists, plays up both jaded brokenness and resolute stoicism that is a second away from melodrama.

It is not only these two leading performances but the timely themes capturing the essence of America during the years of World War 2. The film, made in 1942 and released in 1943, is smack in the middle of the global war. Rick has isolated himself away from conflict, trying his best to play neutrality. He is brought into the conflict when someone he loves is in trouble. He could continue to run away from the conflict or he could get involved and “stick his neck out” for somebody else. It’s no accident he runs a nightclub in a place where many nationalities and ethnicities are present. Rick represents the United States sacrificially putting other nations before itself to protect them. It is a bit of an American savior dynamic to be sure, but the theme of sacrifice and involvement would not have been lost on American audiences. Perhaps there is a Rick present in all of us, an inner conflict between self-protection and sacrifice. The United States opted for the latter after Pearl Harbor and the cinematic art reflects how America wanted to see herself in the years following.