Casablanca

1942

Director: Michael Curtiz
Distributed: Warner Brothers

Key Elements: Message – Characters – Lines – Story – Music - Gospel

My Review:

When I think of great cinema, I think of this movie.

I wish we still had writing like this – simple, sophisticated, sarcastic and stylish. It would be impossible to remake this movie. Its cast owns it. Its writers own it. Its time owns it.

One of the most moving scenes for me is when the crowd in Rick’s drowns out the Nazi’s singing with the French National Anthem. Their act of defiance is powerfully both aggressive and non-violent. I always catch my breath when the camera shows a woman singing so intensely tears are streaming down her face.

But the best scene, by far, is the ending. This is also where we see a glimmer of the gospel. Rick wants Ilsa, but gives her up because it’s what is better for her. This sacrifice gives her a chance to live anew with her husband, and gives him the chance to join the fight against the Nazis. It’s a shadow of what Christ did for us – sacrificing himself to conquer our enemies so that we can live anew.

On top of all this, Casablanca gave us “As Time Goes By.”

Completely beautiful movie.

Trailer:




Quotes:

• I stick my neck out for nobody.
• Your cash is good at the bar.
• You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust.
• Oh, he's just like any other man, only more so.
• I was informed that you were the most beautiful woman ever to visit Casablanca. That was a gross understatement.
• You know how you sound, Mr. Blaine? Like a man who's trying to convince himself of something he doesn't believe in his heart.
• We mustn’t underestimate American blundering. I was with them when they blundered into Berlin in 1918.
• Are my eyes really brown?
• Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade.
• Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.
• Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Now, now... Here's looking at you kid.
• Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects.
• Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

Stills: