A truly great movie, Casablanca still wows viewers today. It is unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war against a monster. The story line is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish. Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis.
Ingrid Bergman is the lover who mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood films. This is certainly among the most spirited and exciting movies ever made.
Set in refugee strewn French North Africa, Casablanca is a town: easy to enter, but much harder to leave, especially if you’re wanted by the Nazis. Such a man is Resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Henreid), whose only hope is Rick Blaine (Bogart), a cynical American who sticks his neck out for no one, especially Victor’s wife Ilsa (Bergman), the ex-lover who broke his heart. Ilsa offers herself in exchange for Laszlo’s transport out of the country and bitter Rick must decide what counts more – personal happiness or countless lives hanging in the balance.
It’s hard to believe that when Casablanca was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in 1942 it was “just another” of the 50 or so films that the studio was producing every year, as Lauren Bacall points out in the documentary about the film included in the special features. The movie was an instant success with audiences everywhere, and won three Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Called “America’s most popular and beloved movie- and rightly so” by The Motion Picture Guide, and “The best Hollywood movie of all time” by Leonard Maltin, Casablanca was voted the #2 film in a list of the top 100 films of this century by the American Film Institute. Filled with mystery, suspense, intrigue and romance, Casablanca will remain a favorite of classic movie lovers for years to come.
Character to watch: Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the movie.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?