80 Years Later: Casablanca

Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Conrad Veidt 
Running time: 102 minutes

Despite directing around 100 films within the Hollywood studio system, Michael Curtiz never made another film that would achieve such a legacy and cultural impact as he did with Casablanca. A film that has unexpectedly gone on to become deeply ingrained in cinematic history; a film frequently regarded as one of the greatest of all time. With its formidable performances from Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman to the tight script with iconic lines such as “Here’s looking at your kid” which remain endlessly quotable, and the expressive visuals influenced by 1920s German cinema which would go on to become a staple for Hollywood noirs; the film feels like a perfect example of the masterful filmmaking on display in the epoch of early 1940s American cinema. 

Michael Curtiz and cinematographer Arthur Edeson (Frankenstein, The Maltese Falcon) encase the entire city of Casablanca in a field of tremendous and enigmatic shadow. A place that houses a myriad of despicable people, from Nazi officials to corrupt businessmen, it is a place where everything from liquor to human lives are up for sale. Within the murky, gloomy depths the film finds both beauty and conflict in the purest form of cinema: melodrama. As the seemingly doomed romance between Rick and Lund plays out, it slowly strips back the layers of Rick’s cynicism; with his frozen heart thawing out into something sympathetic. Despite being a film about the enraging conflict of WW2, the film’s pulse is found through the emotional depth of drama that is played out between Bogart and Bergman. Curtiz uses perfectly framed close ups showcasing two of cinema’s most expressive and engaging actors, to provide such incredibly tangible feelings of both profound melancholy and impassioned love.

Whilst the film’s obvious highlight is the tortured machoism of Bogart, whose gruff confrontational attitude dynamically switches to something that shows genuine emotional torment; the whole cast is simply excellent. With such a terrific ensemble cast from all over Europe — such as Conrad Veidt, Peter Lorre and the constantly underappreciated John Qualen — it is hard not to get swept up in the antics of all the characters. Each person feels detailed enough to make an impression but not enough to derail the film's focus on its central two characters. Although the film takes place in a surprisingly minimal set, with its central location being the nightclub owned by Rick — a perfect location for the chaotic antics of the supporting cast to unravel — the film feels huge, like it encompasses the whole world. 

Casablanca collides the sombre allure of the Hollywood war film, the twisting nature of the political thriller and the aching fatalism of a melodrama; resulting in a film that harmonises romanticism and pessimism with a graciously precise measure. Despite being eighty years old it has remained within the cinematic zeitgeist and given how well the film has aged, it will no doubt continue to live on as an cultural touchstone for people beginning to get into film.

Did you know? All three of the screenwriters who contributed to Casablanca would be investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee for their outspoken political views.