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Review: Casablanca (1942)
This was a romance/drama/war movie, taking place in Casablanca, in France-occupied Morocco.
It was an okay movie, it didn't really wow me, but romance movies normally don't.
Spoilers.
Story
Richard "Rick" Blaine ran a popular cafe called Rick's in Casablanca. It was known that his cafe was the location at which people would get illegal papers to go to Portugal from which they'd be able to fly to the USA, as the rest of Europe was mostly German-occupied.
Louis Renault was the police captain in Casablanca, and he was asked by Major Strasser, a German, to prevent the escape of a man called Viktor Laszlo. He was a resistance leader form Czechoslovakia, who was accused of murdering two German couriers and stealing papers off of them that would allow for escape to Portugal. Renault and Strasser wanted to enlist Rick's help to stop Laszlo and his wife from leaving, though Rick gave a non-answer. Those stolen papers were hidden in Rick's cafe with his knowledge but he kept quiet about them for the most part.
When Viktor and his wife Ilsa arrive, the audience learned that Ilsa and Rick had past history in France. In fact, they had fallen madly in love, but when they'd decided to run away together, Ilsa flaked out at the last moment and Rick never forgot or forgave.
Ilsa and Viktor eventually reconciled. Ilsa had been married to Viktor before she met Rick, but while in Paris, she was under the impression that he had died in a concentration camp. It was only shortly before Rick and Ilsa had decided to go away, that she found out Viktor was alive and decided to stay with him. With that new information, Rick forgave Ilsa and accepted that she still loved him.
Nonetheless, Ilsa still cared for Viktor and his cause greatly, and wanted the papers for Viktor. She said that she would stay behind with Rick so they could be together forever. However, Viktor also had a conversation with Rick in which he revealed that he had guessed that Rick and Ilsa had had a relationship, and he had asked that Rick take Ilsa away, implying that Viktor would die in Casablanca.
At the climax, Renault had caught up to Ilsa and Viktor as the getaway was planned. However, Rick threatened Renault with a gun and made him call the airport and sign the travel papers so that Viktor and Ilsa could go away together. Renault had secretly called Strasser instead, so Stresser rushed to the airport.
Rick told Viktor that he knew Ilsa had only pretend to still love Rick and that he knew her heart was with Viktor, but afterward, Renault said that he knew Rick had lied to do the greater thing, which was to let Viktor go so he could further his cause, and to let Ilsa go because she would be significant moral support. Strasser arrived at the airport but it was too late to stop the plane.
Rick then killed Strasser. What it did was actually take the pressure off of Renault, so at the end of the movie, Rick and Renault discussed going away to avoid the German forces.
I guess the gist of the story was love vs. patriotism, and in the end, Rick chose patriotism. Well, that was how Renault put it, though it's more like anti-German sentiments, since Rick is technically American and thus it wouldn't exactly make sense to call him a French patriot. But just because Rick chose patriotism didn't diminish the love between him and Ilsa.
Personally, I didn't really see the chemistry between Rick and Ilsa, but that's just me. Most romance movies aren't very convincing to me, especially in older ones like this where love is expressed through dramatic words and music.
So it was an okay story, but it didn't move me. Considering this movie came out during WWII, I can see why it would have been more interesting and relevant to viewers at the time though.
Production
The production of the movie was good. Despite this movie being from 1942, the quality of the version I was watching was really high-definition lol.
But I also thought that the camera language was interesting. There were some really modern-looking zoom in shots that took me by surprise.
Characters
Richard "Rick" Blaine
Rick was our protagonist. I feel that he was kind of a prototype for a modern anti-hero. He acted cold and cool, never being moved by anyone or anything, and especially not by scorned lovers, but secretly had a heart of gold, exemplified by when he helped the young Bulgarian couple win money for their papers to Portugal and then USA.
Rick clearly had bad feelings about being stood up by Ilsa and he was still salty about it when they met. It was only after the talk with the young Bulgarian couple that he understood that maybe Ilsa was carrying a burden all this time that she didn't dare tell him, which was the truth about her husband.
And in the end, Rick continued to be cold and cool, and he let go of his love for politics. He didn't want any of them regretting not being able to help the resistance because of the significance of Viktor's work.
Honestly speaking I didn't really feel any emotion for Rick. His character isn't anything I find cool, but it might be that he's just kind of dated now. Being able to let go of love coolly and without regret is rather a "macho" kind of feature I think.
Ilsa Lund
Ilsa was once married to Viktor but she thought he had died in a concentration camp. In her new life, she fell in love with Rick, but found out that Viktor was still alive and thus let go of Rick but without telling him the truth.
Ilsa was meant to be someone we should sympathize with because she was carrying the burden of the truth for both of them. She let Rick think that she was a bad person, so that he wouldn't feel bad about getting between her and her husband. And then she continued on with her life thinking that she would never see Rick ever again.
Initially, I think Ilsa was the kind of person who put politics and loyalty above love. I think that's why she went back to Viktor despite being madly in love with Viktor.
When she met Rick again, she was reminded of how much she still loved him, but I think this time she reprioritized. I didn't think she put love above politics because she still very much wanted to get Viktor out, but I think she'd accepted the idea of sacrificing her own efforts to the resistance for love.
She was kind of a contrast to Rick at the end. Rick used to be very in love and at the end of the movie he put politics first. For Ilsa, she had always been very supportive of the cause, but at the end, she gave into love, though she still respected the importance of politics.
I kept expecting Ilsa to not be Viktor's wife or to be a spy during the movie but nothing that exciting happened lol.
Viktor Laszlo
Viktor was a resistance fighter who was accused of murdering two German couriers for their travel papers. The Germans were already on his tail and had contacted local authorities to help in stopped him from leaving.
While in Casablanca, Viktor ran into problems getting papers. The original man who had the stolen papers, Ugarte, had been arrested and had died (for unclear reasons). Another man, Ferrari, who was involved in the underground, would only be able to get papers for Ilsa and not for Viktor because the risk was too high.
In the end, Viktor gave up, and instead asked Rick if he could just get Ilsa out, and then he would die in Casablanca. However, both Rick and Ilsa sympathized with the gravity of his cause, and they got him out. To Rick, it was important that Ilsa go too, for her own safety (because now it was known that she was his wife and she could be hurt because of it), but also because she was a big source of moral support to Viktor and he knew that if Viktor had her by his side, he would be much more inspired.
Louis Renault
Renault was the French captain who oversaw Casablanca. He was a regular at Rick's cafe, gambling there often despite it being illegal.
When Strasser exerted his demands, Renault of course had little leeway and had to given in. So he tried to pressure Rick to go with Strasser's demands in stopping Rick though with little success.
However, Renault did seem pretty devoted to the mission, trying to arrest Viktor and alerting Strasser when Rick carried out his plan. His tune changed completely once Rick shot Strasser dead though. Then he went back to being bosom buddies with Rick, joking that he knew he was always a sentimental man, talking about the debt they owed to each other, and where they would go next to avoid being arrested for what they'd done.
Themes
I think love vs. politics was the big theme of the movie. Ilsa once put politics over love and it ate her up inside, but she did it in a way that would cushion the fall for Ilsa. And it was only some time later in Casablanca that Rick finally understood the importance of what Ilsa did, and doing it once again for the cause. It was a matter of poor timing for these two.
As well, considering this movie was released before WWII officially ended, I think it hit home the idea that everybody was giving up something important to them for the cause.
Overall
This was an okay movie, not really for me, but I think I can see why it may have been popular at the time.
It was an okay movie, it didn't really wow me, but romance movies normally don't.
Spoilers.
Story
Richard "Rick" Blaine ran a popular cafe called Rick's in Casablanca. It was known that his cafe was the location at which people would get illegal papers to go to Portugal from which they'd be able to fly to the USA, as the rest of Europe was mostly German-occupied.
Louis Renault was the police captain in Casablanca, and he was asked by Major Strasser, a German, to prevent the escape of a man called Viktor Laszlo. He was a resistance leader form Czechoslovakia, who was accused of murdering two German couriers and stealing papers off of them that would allow for escape to Portugal. Renault and Strasser wanted to enlist Rick's help to stop Laszlo and his wife from leaving, though Rick gave a non-answer. Those stolen papers were hidden in Rick's cafe with his knowledge but he kept quiet about them for the most part.
When Viktor and his wife Ilsa arrive, the audience learned that Ilsa and Rick had past history in France. In fact, they had fallen madly in love, but when they'd decided to run away together, Ilsa flaked out at the last moment and Rick never forgot or forgave.
Ilsa and Viktor eventually reconciled. Ilsa had been married to Viktor before she met Rick, but while in Paris, she was under the impression that he had died in a concentration camp. It was only shortly before Rick and Ilsa had decided to go away, that she found out Viktor was alive and decided to stay with him. With that new information, Rick forgave Ilsa and accepted that she still loved him.
Nonetheless, Ilsa still cared for Viktor and his cause greatly, and wanted the papers for Viktor. She said that she would stay behind with Rick so they could be together forever. However, Viktor also had a conversation with Rick in which he revealed that he had guessed that Rick and Ilsa had had a relationship, and he had asked that Rick take Ilsa away, implying that Viktor would die in Casablanca.
At the climax, Renault had caught up to Ilsa and Viktor as the getaway was planned. However, Rick threatened Renault with a gun and made him call the airport and sign the travel papers so that Viktor and Ilsa could go away together. Renault had secretly called Strasser instead, so Stresser rushed to the airport.
Rick told Viktor that he knew Ilsa had only pretend to still love Rick and that he knew her heart was with Viktor, but afterward, Renault said that he knew Rick had lied to do the greater thing, which was to let Viktor go so he could further his cause, and to let Ilsa go because she would be significant moral support. Strasser arrived at the airport but it was too late to stop the plane.
Rick then killed Strasser. What it did was actually take the pressure off of Renault, so at the end of the movie, Rick and Renault discussed going away to avoid the German forces.
I guess the gist of the story was love vs. patriotism, and in the end, Rick chose patriotism. Well, that was how Renault put it, though it's more like anti-German sentiments, since Rick is technically American and thus it wouldn't exactly make sense to call him a French patriot. But just because Rick chose patriotism didn't diminish the love between him and Ilsa.
Personally, I didn't really see the chemistry between Rick and Ilsa, but that's just me. Most romance movies aren't very convincing to me, especially in older ones like this where love is expressed through dramatic words and music.
So it was an okay story, but it didn't move me. Considering this movie came out during WWII, I can see why it would have been more interesting and relevant to viewers at the time though.
Production
The production of the movie was good. Despite this movie being from 1942, the quality of the version I was watching was really high-definition lol.
But I also thought that the camera language was interesting. There were some really modern-looking zoom in shots that took me by surprise.
Characters
Richard "Rick" Blaine
Rick was our protagonist. I feel that he was kind of a prototype for a modern anti-hero. He acted cold and cool, never being moved by anyone or anything, and especially not by scorned lovers, but secretly had a heart of gold, exemplified by when he helped the young Bulgarian couple win money for their papers to Portugal and then USA.
Rick clearly had bad feelings about being stood up by Ilsa and he was still salty about it when they met. It was only after the talk with the young Bulgarian couple that he understood that maybe Ilsa was carrying a burden all this time that she didn't dare tell him, which was the truth about her husband.
And in the end, Rick continued to be cold and cool, and he let go of his love for politics. He didn't want any of them regretting not being able to help the resistance because of the significance of Viktor's work.
Honestly speaking I didn't really feel any emotion for Rick. His character isn't anything I find cool, but it might be that he's just kind of dated now. Being able to let go of love coolly and without regret is rather a "macho" kind of feature I think.
Ilsa Lund
Ilsa was once married to Viktor but she thought he had died in a concentration camp. In her new life, she fell in love with Rick, but found out that Viktor was still alive and thus let go of Rick but without telling him the truth.
Ilsa was meant to be someone we should sympathize with because she was carrying the burden of the truth for both of them. She let Rick think that she was a bad person, so that he wouldn't feel bad about getting between her and her husband. And then she continued on with her life thinking that she would never see Rick ever again.
Initially, I think Ilsa was the kind of person who put politics and loyalty above love. I think that's why she went back to Viktor despite being madly in love with Viktor.
When she met Rick again, she was reminded of how much she still loved him, but I think this time she reprioritized. I didn't think she put love above politics because she still very much wanted to get Viktor out, but I think she'd accepted the idea of sacrificing her own efforts to the resistance for love.
She was kind of a contrast to Rick at the end. Rick used to be very in love and at the end of the movie he put politics first. For Ilsa, she had always been very supportive of the cause, but at the end, she gave into love, though she still respected the importance of politics.
I kept expecting Ilsa to not be Viktor's wife or to be a spy during the movie but nothing that exciting happened lol.
Viktor Laszlo
Viktor was a resistance fighter who was accused of murdering two German couriers for their travel papers. The Germans were already on his tail and had contacted local authorities to help in stopped him from leaving.
While in Casablanca, Viktor ran into problems getting papers. The original man who had the stolen papers, Ugarte, had been arrested and had died (for unclear reasons). Another man, Ferrari, who was involved in the underground, would only be able to get papers for Ilsa and not for Viktor because the risk was too high.
In the end, Viktor gave up, and instead asked Rick if he could just get Ilsa out, and then he would die in Casablanca. However, both Rick and Ilsa sympathized with the gravity of his cause, and they got him out. To Rick, it was important that Ilsa go too, for her own safety (because now it was known that she was his wife and she could be hurt because of it), but also because she was a big source of moral support to Viktor and he knew that if Viktor had her by his side, he would be much more inspired.
Louis Renault
Renault was the French captain who oversaw Casablanca. He was a regular at Rick's cafe, gambling there often despite it being illegal.
When Strasser exerted his demands, Renault of course had little leeway and had to given in. So he tried to pressure Rick to go with Strasser's demands in stopping Rick though with little success.
However, Renault did seem pretty devoted to the mission, trying to arrest Viktor and alerting Strasser when Rick carried out his plan. His tune changed completely once Rick shot Strasser dead though. Then he went back to being bosom buddies with Rick, joking that he knew he was always a sentimental man, talking about the debt they owed to each other, and where they would go next to avoid being arrested for what they'd done.
Themes
I think love vs. politics was the big theme of the movie. Ilsa once put politics over love and it ate her up inside, but she did it in a way that would cushion the fall for Ilsa. And it was only some time later in Casablanca that Rick finally understood the importance of what Ilsa did, and doing it once again for the cause. It was a matter of poor timing for these two.
As well, considering this movie was released before WWII officially ended, I think it hit home the idea that everybody was giving up something important to them for the cause.
Overall
This was an okay movie, not really for me, but I think I can see why it may have been popular at the time.