It's not hard to see why to this day Casablanca remains one of the most unanimously adored movies of all time. Humphrey Bogart is unforgettably appealing as the acerbic antihero whose hard-boiled shell conceals a heart full of compassion and nobility. Ingrid Bergman, radiantly beautiful as always, plays wonderfully off of him with great tenderness and emotional nuance. The script is one of the finest ever written, striking a perfect balance between romance, melodrama, and humour, filled with more quotable dialogue than any film ever produced. Producer Hal Wallis and director Michael Curtiz constructed a distinctive and exotic atmosphere with elegant photography and production design. All in all, it's close to being THE perfect screen romance. After the cut are ten moments that always come to mind when I think about this movie.
Rick sticks his neck out for nobody, and it's here that we see confirmation of this claim, as he opts to leave his snivelling visa smuggler Ugarte (played by Maltese Falcon costar Peter Lorre) out to dry.
The lengthy backstory segment concludes with this devastating shot upon Rick's realization that Ilsa has abandoned him. The teardrop-like rain accentuates the pathos as it bleeds out the crushing words.
Michael Curtiz was an expert of noir, but to his credit, he avoided inundating Casablanca with an excess of shadowy stylistics. This sexually tense scene, however, clearly owes its effectiveness to his noirish sensibilities.
“Vultures, vultures everywhere,” are the ironic words of warning the pickpocket (played by stock actor Curt Bois) imparts upon his latest unsuspecting rube. A brilliant spot of early levity in the film's otherwise dour prologue.
Blink and you'll miss it, but about halfway through the first lengthy scene at Rick's Place there's a wonderful inconsequential moment that really sells the sincerity of Sam and Rick's friendship; a simple pat of the shoulder in passing.
The song itself is a favourite for many (myself included), but specifically just watching Bergman listen to it, letting memories flood over her and escape through her wistful eyes, is as effective a piece of acting as you'll find in the whole film.
It's been propagated that many of the European extras in this famous scene had legitimate tears of pride in their eyes as “La Marseillaise” drowned out “Das Lied der Deutschen”. True or not, it makes for a stirring rallying cry nonetheless. Vivre le France!
“... I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.” It's hard to top the deep satisfaction of this closing utterance as Rick and Louis, now fugitives from German retribution, steal off into the night fog, finally as the friends we knew they were all along.
This makes me laugh every time. Louis, ordered by an irate General Strasser to close Rick down, declares he is “shocked! Shocked to find out there is gambling going on here!”, immediately before the clerk hands him his evening's profit.
The finale of Casablanca is rightly justified as one of the best movie endings of all time, specifically for this misty-eyed and eternally quotable goodbye. Somehow, we always knew Rick would do the right thing in the end, but it doesn't make his farewell any less romantic.
