Day 38: Casablanca (1942)

Movie #17 – Casablanca (1942) - 102 min, cert U.

Casablanca is a classic romantic drama about, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a nightclub owner in Casablanca, who is suddenly confronted by a past lover Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). He believes that she ran out on him several years before in Paris and his life is turned upside-down by the sudden reappearance of her and her husband. Needless to say, all was not as it seemed in Paris, and Rick has to choose between his heart and his patriotic duty.

It’s certainly a very watchable movie. Bogart does well in an out-of-character role, and Bergman plays to her strengths as a beautiful but intelligent woman. The supporting cast reads like a Who’s Who of Warner Bros talent at the time – Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Conrad Veidt, and they all do their bit.

I’m glad I’ve seen it, although I’m not sure I can see quite what all the fuss is about. Maybe you have to be of a certain age to really get the most out of it. It’s certainly a good example of the genre, but it’s not going to be making huge inroads into my personal list. I’ll give it 7/10 – not enough to make my top ten.

1.       The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

2.       Pulp Fiction (1994)

3.       Fight Club (1999)

4.       The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

5.       Goodfellas (1990)

6.       Schindler’s List (1993)

7.       Inception (2010)

8.      Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

9.       The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

10.   12 Angry Men (1957)

Next up is City of God, about which I know precious little. I’ve read the blurb, and it sounds like a surprising entry in the top 20 films of all time, but I shall approach it with an open mind.