The best word I can think of to describe Casablanca is "complicated." Not in a bad way, like, it wasn't too complicated to follow, but everything about the situation and the characters is very nuanced and complex. Nobody fits perfectly into a box and their personalities are all shaded with gray.
I don't really need to describe the plot to you, do I? Jaded nightclub owner bumps into old flame and discovers they never really knew each other all that well but that made no difference to their feelings, which are quickly rekindled. Ultimately, he has to make a choice: let her go with another man or escape Casablanca with her himself. Of course there's a lot more to it than that but it's the best I can do without going into every detail and we'll be here until next Tuesday.
One of the things I think this movie does well is capture what it was like for a lot of people to be in WWII. Survival and principles were constantly warring, and making a choice with your heart instead of becoming cynical and suspicious about everything could easily cost you your life. Each of the major characters here are shown having to walk the fine line between self-preservation and making a moral choice, and where they fall on the spectrum depends on what they decide they can ultimately live with versus what might be worth dying for.
A surprise for us given this movie's reputation as one of the Top Movies to See Before You Die was the quality of the acting. At times it was stilted and stiff, and the actors, especially Bogart as Rick and Bergman as Ilsa, wavered between feeling like real people and obviously Acting For the Camera.
Ultimately one of the superior Best Pictures we've seen thus far movie-wise, no question, but not one we're likely to return to now that we've seen it once.
Watched: December 2, 2017
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