0152. Casablanca

There is much to be said about Casablanca, and much of it has already been said by people much more qualified than I am to do so. Yet even so, I feel a very innate need to share my own personal feelings about the film; after all, it ain't called one of the best movies of all time fer nuthin'.

What strikes me as most odd about Casablanca is just how ludicrously well it works, despite how very disorganized the entirety of its making may have been. Even the "best film of all time", that wily Citizen Kane, succeeds nowhere near as well as a complete film as Casablanca does. It took me several repeat viewings to even begin to appreciate the totality of Citizen Kane; Casablanca, on the other hand, had me hooked in the first five minutes.

Every actor here is unbelievably well-suited for their role--and not only that, every character is vital to the success of the film as a whole, no matter how small or two-dimensional. The script itself is a modern marvel, especially considering the fact that it wasn't even completed at the time of filming! Somehow, though, Howard Koch and the Epstein twins managed to concoct a story of epic proportions, with just the right mix of heroism, villainy, romance, and desperation. Even from a technical standpoint the film is a masterpiece (go read about how they filmed the ending plane scene and tell me that isn't brilliance), and Max Steiner's score is absolutely timeless.

I wish there was more that I could say about Casablanca, but in all honesty, there really isn't anything else to say--the completeness of its greatness is just another of its charms, I suppose. And if you haven't seen it yet, that's OK; you're still in for a treat no matter when you end up finding yourself watching it.