casablanca-film review

Casablanca (1942) film review
This 1942 Michael Curtiz film Casablanca is an American classic. In the beginning of the film the narration is in third-person omniscient. It gives a little background before the film begins. The three main characters which the film is based upon is Rick (Humphrey Bogart), owner of the Rick's Cafe Americain in Casablanca, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) a leader of the French resistance who’s wanted by the Nazis, and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergam) a beautiful woman caught between these two men whom she falls in love with both and can’t decide who she wants to be with. This love triangle between these three characters is a conflict that’s created all because Ilsa doesn’t ever explain herself until the very end of the film. (Which was very frustrating, especially when she went to go talk to Rick the first night and just walked out on him after he made some drunken comments). Ilsa’s actions in this film propel the film forward because she keeps her big secret about why she left Rick in France at the train station. Once we figure out the situation and she has to decide, Rick decides for her and does what’s the safest for the both of them.
Casablanca is a movie that I will remember because of its repetitive romantic line that Rick says to Ilsa, “Here’s to looking at you kid” every time she sees her. This film was a good film of it’s time, and had a rather astounding twist to it. Throughout the entire film I was very conspicuous about Captain Renault (Claude Rains). He was a corrupt German soldier that tried to do what was right but still ended up following the law and pursue his duty as a German soldier. I was confused about his actions because he seemed to be very carefree which caught me off guard. The final scene made me like him for his actions that showed true friendship between him and Rick.
After watching this film I didn’t really like it because the plot confused me. Certain aspects of the film, like why the soldiers that came into Rick’s café didn’t arrest Victor Laszlo right on the spot. He escaped from concentration camps, was he Jewish? However, once I thought about it this movie was really well put together. Ilsa was the only character who made me angry because of her secretive ways and stupid actions. But in the end Rick fixed the conflict and did it for the best.