#22 - Casablanca (1942)

Well, this is one of the first movies I added to the list. I mean, some people call it one of the best films EVER DONE, I just had to watch it. And to be honest, I didn't think it is one of the best film I have ever seen. It's pretty good, but I personally wouldn't say it's THAT good.

I mean, EVERYONE has heard about how good it is. Is it, really?

The plot involves Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), an American living in Casablanca, Morocco, during the 1940's. He is given a bunch of letters of transit (that allows refugees to flee from Europe) by a friend of his that is killed afterwards. Suddenly, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) comes around. She's Rick's ex-lover, and he's not very happy to see her. And her husband. And the rest of the movie runs on two major conflicts: the letters and the relationship between Rick and Ilsa. The premise is somewhat basic, but it works.

So yeah, the plot is split in both the romance and the posession of the letters. And both do a great job in developing the characters  and moving the plot forward. Rick and Ilsa are both interesting characters, there's a great chemistry between them and you are intrigued on what happened to their relationship. And in between you have Ilsa's husband, Laszlo, the leader of a revolution, who needs the letters AND is involved in the romance. I really liked the other secondary characters: Rick's friend, the pianist, the bad guy, etc.

I can't say much for the visuals (since it's a black and white film and we can't see Morocco very well), but everything else adds up to the film. The writing is brilliant, witty and believable: even when Bogart and Bergman play such romantic characters their lines are never sappy. And the music is very good too, and the film uses it to its advantage perfectly. When the Nazis are singing their... anthem, I guess, and La Marseillaise kicks in, you feel how the simple act of playing it is a kick to the crotch for the Germans. And how can we forget "As Time Goes By".

I had to google "Here's looking at you, kid", though. Oh, well, I guess it was still used around the 1940's.

Don't get me wrong. The characters are interesting, the plot is good, everything else is outstanding: it is a very good movie. I wouldn't describe it as "perfect", or "one of the best films ever made". But it's so iconic and well known that you can't call yourself a film enthusiast without having seen it.