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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Hollywood's most romantic film' with 'magnetic' couple has near-perfect 99% rating
Casablanca is a romance film for the ages. The iconic movie sees two former lovers, masterfully portrayed by old Hollywood legends Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, reunite against the backdrop of World War 2 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.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Migration fears turn Europe's borderless dreams into traffic nightmares
Traffic snarled up in Slubice, Poland, near the border with Germany (Picture credit: NYT) SLUBICE (POLAND): The No 983 bus braked shortly after it crossed the Oder river from Poland into Germany, easing inside a large tent and stopping. German officers boarded, pulled off a man with gray hair and stuffed luggage for further inspection, then sent the driver on his way. The delay took about eight minutes. It was an example of a headache that has become routine for people crossing between the two countries as Germany makes a public show of cracking down on migration. Amid a voter backlash over the millions of asylum-seekers who entered the country over the past decade, German officials have thrown up checkpoints to search vehicles crossing their borders from all sides. Neighbouring countries have followed suit, including Austria and, starting last week, Poland. The checkpoints are beginning to undermine the ideal of free movement in European Union. In a series of agreements beginning 40 years ago, EU members effectively declared they would allow one another's citizens to cross without having to clear border security. But the pacts allow them to temporarily reimpose controls "as a last resort" in the event of a serious threat to security or public policy. Germany, Poland, Austria, France, Italy and the Netherlands have all cited immigration concerns when reinstating border checks this year. Enhanced checks have stopped 110 migrants per day on average from entering Germany since early May, when the new govt, under Friedrich Merz, tightened security procedures, interior ministry officials said. That's up from 83 per day in the first four months of the year. The checks are snarling traffic and annoying commuters, long-haul truckers and other travellers. They are squeezing, at least temporarily, the tendrils of commerce that have grown between towns like Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany, and Slubice, Poland, which lie on opposite banks of the Oder river. The additional security has spawned protests, often from citizens angry Germans are searching cars coming in from their countries. Dutch citizens acting as vigilantes have stopped cars on their way in from Germany to check them for migrants. In Poland, right-wing groups have vowed to turn back any migrant that Germany rejects at its border. "The policy shift has begun," the interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, said last week, in which he claimed credit for plunging migration numbers. "And it's working." In the twin cities on the Oder river, many locals disagree. "We do not have a migration crisis here," said Tomasz Stefanski, Slubice's deputy mayor. "The idea of EU is really quite shaky at the moment, as is freedom of movement across borders."
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- Business
- LeMonde
Abolishing two public holidays has limited impact on economic growth
Working two additional days per year to boost the economy by eliminating two public holidays was one of the proposals unveiled by Prime Minister François Bayrou on Tuesday, July 15. The aim is to reduce the deficit to 4.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2026. The government claims that the gains from these two extra working days would amount to €4.2 billion in increased production. "It's a triple penalty," said Sophie Binet, secretary-general of the CGT (Confédération Générale du Travail, France's major left-wing trade union). "We'll work more to earn less, while seeing our social rights taken away," she added. If the measure is adopted, employees will therefore work two more days for the same salary. In exchange for this additional working time, companies will pay a contribution to the state, though the terms have yet to be determined. "One of the keys to restoring the country's economy lies in the length of the work week," argued the prime minister when presenting his plan to save €43.8 billion. "We need to work more; the entire nation must work more to produce [more]," he stated. The French work on average 100 fewer hours than the Germans, stressed Minister of the Economy Eric Lombard a few hours later on France 2 television station. Fewer people at work It is true that the French work less than the Germans, as shown by an in-depth study from the Rexecode institute (a French economic research institute), published in December 2024. If we look only at full-time employees, the Germans have the advantage (1,790 hours per person per year, compared to 1,673 in France). But when part-time workers – who are far more numerous in Germany – are included, this gap narrows: working time reaches 1,553 hours in France, 1,630 in Germany. When the self-employed and non-salaried workers are also counted, France overtakes Germany, with 1,607 hours compared to 1,548. In reality, the issue is not the annual working hours per individual, but the fact that proportionally fewer French people work compared to Germans: 68% of people aged 15 to 64 are employed in France, compared to 70% across Europe and 77% in Germany. This difference is mainly due to the difficulties young people and older workers face in finding and keeping a job. "If France matched the best-performing European countries," Rexecode estimated, "it would have about 2.3 million more jobs."
South Wales Guardian
6 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Starmer to host Merz in chancellor's first official visit to UK
Berlin agreed last year to make facilitating the smuggling of migrants to the UK a criminal offence in a move that will give law enforcements more powers to investigate the supply and storage of small boats to be used for Channel crossings. Mr Merz is expected to commit to adopting the law change by the end of the year. 'Chancellor Merz's commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome,' Sir Keir said. 'As the closest of allies, we will continue to work closely together to deliver on the priorities that Brits and Germans share.' The Prime Minister has been seeking to strengthen ties with EU countries, including to bring down small boat crossings, and last week secured a migrant return agreement with France. The UK and Germany, two of the biggest providers of support to Ukraine, signed a defence pact last year with the aim of closer co-operation in the face of a growing threat from Russia. During Mr Merz's visit, the leaders are expected to unveil an agreement to jointly produce defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets and commit to developing their deep precision strike missile in the next decade, with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres. The chancellor and Sir Keir will also sign a bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty that includes plans to set up a new UK-Germany Business Forum. Sir Keir said: 'The Treaty we will sign today, the first of its kind, will bring the UK and Germany closer than ever. It not only marks the progress we have already made and the history we share. 'It is the foundation on which we go further to tackle shared problems and invest in shared strengths.' A series of commercial investments are being announced to coincide with the visit, worth more than £200 million and will create more than 600 new jobs. These include defence tech company Stark setting up a production facility in Swindon, its first outside Germany, and conversational AI firm Cognigy investing £50 million and expanding its UK team from 13 to 150.
Rhyl Journal
6 hours ago
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Starmer to host Merz in chancellor's first official visit to UK
Berlin agreed last year to make facilitating the smuggling of migrants to the UK a criminal offence in a move that will give law enforcements more powers to investigate the supply and storage of small boats to be used for Channel crossings. Mr Merz is expected to commit to adopting the law change by the end of the year. 'Chancellor Merz's commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome,' Sir Keir said. 'As the closest of allies, we will continue to work closely together to deliver on the priorities that Brits and Germans share.' The Prime Minister has been seeking to strengthen ties with EU countries, including to bring down small boat crossings, and last week secured a migrant return agreement with France. The UK and Germany, two of the biggest providers of support to Ukraine, signed a defence pact last year with the aim of closer co-operation in the face of a growing threat from Russia. During Mr Merz's visit, the leaders are expected to unveil an agreement to jointly produce defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets and commit to developing their deep precision strike missile in the next decade, with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres. The chancellor and Sir Keir will also sign a bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty that includes plans to set up a new UK-Germany Business Forum. Sir Keir said: 'The Treaty we will sign today, the first of its kind, will bring the UK and Germany closer than ever. It not only marks the progress we have already made and the history we share. 'It is the foundation on which we go further to tackle shared problems and invest in shared strengths.' A series of commercial investments are being announced to coincide with the visit, worth more than £200 million and will create more than 600 new jobs. These include defence tech company Stark setting up a production facility in Swindon, its first outside Germany, and conversational AI firm Cognigy investing £50 million and expanding its UK team from 13 to 150.
