'Hollywood's most romantic film' with 'magnetic' couple has near-perfect 99% rating
Casablanca is a timeless romance film. The classic movie features two former lovers, brilliantly played by old Hollywood stars Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, reuniting amidst the turmoil of World War 2.
In the film, Rick, a nightclub owner in Casablanca, encounters his past love, Ilsa, who is now married to a dashing fugitive fleeing from the Germans. As one of the most memorable lines in cinema history goes: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
Ilsa pleads with Rick for assistance in escaping the country, compelling him to make a heart-wrenching choice between love and sacrifice. Interestingly, the film was released in 1942, three years before the war ended when victory was still uncertain.
Why is Casablanca so beloved?
Casablanca won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Over seven decades since its release, the film reigns as one of the greatest ever made.
The film boasts an impressive 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As the website's critics consensus states: "An undisputed masterpiece and perhaps Hollywood's quintessential statement on love and romance, Casablanca has only improved with age, boasting career-defining performances from Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman."
The actors' chemistry and the film's unforgettable lines are two major points of praise for viewers and critics.
"Casablanca is one of the most romantic films that Hollywood has ever produced," penned film critic Wendy Ide for The Times UK. "Michael Curtiz's film is a classic for a reason - it's crafted with the precision, detail and beauty of a Fabergé egg; the dialogue is hauntingly memorable and, in Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, it has one of the most magnetic screen pairings in history."
The movie is endlessly watchable, wrote Sheila Johnston for the Daily Telegraph: "There are some of the very finest character actors that Warner Brothers could muster and a rich, detailed screenplay studded with an indecent number of sparklingly quotable lines. It is a movie to play again, and again."
During World War II, French-occupied Morocco served as an escape route for refugees fleeing from Axis powers.
Film critic Serena Donadoni, writing in The Village Voice, noted: "Casablanca was filmed in the safety of the Warner Bros. lot, but the cast of immigrants and exiles who had fled the Third Reich conveyed their visceral fear. While the future was uncertain, the resolute characters of this exquisite wartime drama found peace through love and resistance."
Writing for Cinephilia Beyond, Sven Mikulec explored why Casablanca remains so revered: "The main reason why Casablanca still holds a place in film theory books, popular culture and oral tradition lies in its powerful storyline that easily gets through to people, featuring characters easy to relate to, dealing with a theme that has for centuries been the artists' inspiration for creating the best of stories: love and sacrifices we make for a greater cause.
"Set in the backdrop of the Second World War, evoking the notions of honor, loyalty, friendship and duty, Casablanca is a classic which represents the very best the old Hollywood had to offer, and it's no surprise the film managed to stay afloat and still be celebrated three quarters of a century since the premiere."
Why viewers say it's 'perfection'
Casablanca has bagged an impressive 95% rating from Rotten Tomatoes audiences. One viewer called Margaret gushed: "Best movie ever made. I never miss the chance to see it on the Big Screen. Perfect cast. Perfect storyline. SUPERB ACTING. Some of the greatest lines in the history of the movies. Just perfection."
Over on Letterboxd, punters have given the flick an average of 4.3 out of 5 stars. The most popular review on the platform, which has racked up over 10,400 likes, said: "I hate it when people say stuff like: 'You should watch this because it's a masterpiece!' Those people are annoying idiots. Also: You should watch this because it's a masterpiece!"
One viewer humorously pointed out: "the two main men in this movie look exactly the same. she didn't really have to choose, could've just picked either one and used her imagination a bit".
On IMDB, where it boasts an impressive 8.5 out of 10 rating, the top review hailed it as "One of the greatest", stating: "As innovative as Citizen Kane was, I'm gonna put this one ahead of it. But in one way this film beats all others - the dialogue. Yes, the cinematography is great, the acting is second to none, but how many eternal lines of dialogue came from this?"
Play it, Sam.
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