All you need to do is mention the words 'classic film' and immediately 'Casablanca' springs to mind - admittedly I had not seen it before now, however I can most definitely appreciate why it is considered so.
'Casablanca' is a timeless love story, directed by Michael Curtiz, that follows the stories of two men, Humphrey Bogart playing the cynical yet sentimental bar/casino owner, Rick Blaine and Paul Henreid playing the heroic French resistance leader, Victor Laszlo, both fighting for the love of one woman, played beautifully by Ingrid Bergman. The film, made in 1942, is part romantic drama and part intense wartime thriller and I believe will relate to fan's of most genres. It can be enjoyed both politically, deeply rooted in the Second World War, and apolitically, just as a plain love story – either way this film is truly enjoyable. In fact, I read online that the film was written day to day as it was being shot so no one knew how it was going to end!
The entire film was shot on studio sets, which at the time it was made, meant a great deal more freedom with the cinematography. It is shot beautifully and I felt it had a real ‘film noire’ feel to it. Many different elements of the film grasped my attention – the amazing performances (deemed to be Humphrey Bogart’s finest ever) were made with subtle glances and gestures – the tone, poetic, brave and heroic – and the famous score, composed by Max Steiner, adds much of the film’s mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere. ‘Casablanca’ also has a number of famous lines of dialogue - "Here's lookin' at you, kid," and (although this is not exactly said in the film) "Play it again, Sam".
The film has gone down the in the history books as a ‘must-see’ film and I would most definitely agree.
'Casablanca' is a timeless love story, directed by Michael Curtiz, that follows the stories of two men, Humphrey Bogart playing the cynical yet sentimental bar/casino owner, Rick Blaine and Paul Henreid playing the heroic French resistance leader, Victor Laszlo, both fighting for the love of one woman, played beautifully by Ingrid Bergman. The film, made in 1942, is part romantic drama and part intense wartime thriller and I believe will relate to fan's of most genres. It can be enjoyed both politically, deeply rooted in the Second World War, and apolitically, just as a plain love story – either way this film is truly enjoyable. In fact, I read online that the film was written day to day as it was being shot so no one knew how it was going to end!
The entire film was shot on studio sets, which at the time it was made, meant a great deal more freedom with the cinematography. It is shot beautifully and I felt it had a real ‘film noire’ feel to it. Many different elements of the film grasped my attention – the amazing performances (deemed to be Humphrey Bogart’s finest ever) were made with subtle glances and gestures – the tone, poetic, brave and heroic – and the famous score, composed by Max Steiner, adds much of the film’s mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere. ‘Casablanca’ also has a number of famous lines of dialogue - "Here's lookin' at you, kid," and (although this is not exactly said in the film) "Play it again, Sam".
The film has gone down the in the history books as a ‘must-see’ film and I would most definitely agree.
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