Noir November: Casablanca
Written by Cameron Geiser
Every day for the month of November, Cameron Geiser is reviewing a noir film (classic or neo) for Noir November. Today covers the Best Picture winning masterpiece, Casablanca.
Possibly the most quoted film of all time, this is one of those films that has stood the test of time through generations of audiences and will long be remembered for its place in cinematic history. Set before the events of Pearl Harbor, the film is very much an analogy of the state of the war through an American perspective before direct involvement began. This romantic thriller is set in the infamous French-Moroccan town where wealthy Europeans congregated to flee the violence surging in the North. While under the neutrality of North Africa, but ultimately the thumb of Nazi-controlled France, many opportunists deal in secrecy, making hushed arrangements with cocktails anxiously held in hand at "Rick's Café Américain", a luxurious nightclub ran by Rick (Humphrey Bogart).
The quick rundown of this incredibly well known film is that Rick was previously in a relationship with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) in Paris before the Nazi Occupation. Eventually, everything went south (literally), and Rick was left waiting at the train station without her. Scorned and sunken into a cynical depression, Rick wound up in Casablanca where he became well known for his allegiance to no one but himself and his employees. One day, Ilsa walked through Rick's doors with her new husband Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a prominent figure in the Resistance. With Nazi representatives closing in on all fronts and Rick ultimately holding the key to the couple's escape- tensions arise, love is questioned, and priorities are reassessed.
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the iconic climax of Casablanca.
What more can I add to the conversation of this film? It's not only one of the most famous films of all time- but it's a cultural touchstone of the era and the Noir genre as well. Securing his place in cinematic history with the role of Rick, Humphrey Bogart brings a certain lovesick melancholy to the role that perfects the romantic fatalism that permeates the decade within film Noir. Everything about this film is outstanding. The direction, acting, pacing, soundtrack, writing, editing, everything is excellent! I wouldn't change a single beat of this masterpiece. Ultimately the message of the film is to reject personal gains over the moral choice. To shed cynicism and embrace the moral imperative for the greater good. It's a rallying cry to give a damn, in a time when everything seemed at its worst. Its those with true character and principle who rise above the chaos to do the right thing. It was incredibly nourishing to watch a film where peril loomed around every corner, paranoia and hysteria were rampant, and yet doing the right thing proved to work, to be worth the risk. There have been a thousand reviews and endless discussions about this film and there's good reason for it, but I could go on all day writing about this one. It might not be the most atypical example of Noir, but it is one of the finest films of all time.
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.