Casablanca

The naive political background and lack of chemistry between the central duo bothered me. Although I really like Bergman, she isn’t convincing at all here and it is probably impossible to believe that Rick and Elsa were ever bonded by fateful, undying love. In my opinion Bogart always belonged, belongs and will belong to Bacall or Grahame. This is a quality picture, but one of the more standard Bogart movies. (21/01/2005)

As time goes by... Once upon a time the most beautiful femme fatale and the most charismatic cynic collided and events occurred that changed not only the world around them, but also the world within them. And when it was revealed how fatefully small the whole world can be, the consequences were no less serious. I ​​want to experience my own Casablanca and I want to become part of such a timeless duo. Even though I will never be Humphrey Bogart and I will never be able to show such fundamental courage and humanity. So feel free to curse clichés however you like. Because they all have their origin, and it's right here. In the city of Casablanca, where refugees from all corners of the world are fleeing during World War II... (03/06/2005)

So now I've got this cult masterpiece under my belt as well. Nice. Really. A very well done romantic film that seemed to catch a lot of tears from romantic souls in the middle of the last century :-) Well, it didn't get mine because it didn’t end up the way I wanted it to. I did think that Ingrid Bergman overacted here and there and I had to chuckle at it, which probably spoiled the overall impression a bit. But why not? For film geeks, this should be required reading. (17/03/2009)

I understand completely the reason for the phenomenal success of Casablanca during its premiere. Ingrid Bergman was a beautiful and respected star and Humphrey Bogart, who broke through just two years earlier, became desirable as a representative of tough charismatic men at the time of Casablanca's release due to the war. Casablanca combined exoticism, love, adventure, and wartime commitment, i.e., all ingredients appreciated by the audience of that time. It was part of the genre of popular melodrama, and the premiere was cleverly timed for February 1943, shortly after Churchill's and Roosevelt's Allied conference, when the city was in general awareness due to media interest. I no longer know what enchantment Casablanca holds today and I am simply immune to it. I see in it only an average period melodrama, where Hollywood screenwriters demonstrate their usual ignorance towards reality. The love triangle does not work because the relationship chemistry between Bergman alias Ilse Lund and both lovers is negligible, and one could say that it is the complete opposite of the couple Bogart and Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep, where the relationship chemistry worked perfectly. The only thing that can be appreciated with the benefit of hindsight is the relationship between Bogart's cynical bar owner Rick Blaine and the crafty police chief, played by Claude Rains. Their sparkling dialogues full of hidden meanings are a lively and decorative element of the film. Perhaps worth mentioning is also the rogue played by Peter Lorre. Everything else deserves to gather dust. Overall impression: 40%. (19/07/2017)

After watching the movie I had a persistent feeling that I checked off one of the classics, but it left no mark on my soul. It left nothing in me at all. And I don’t getwhy a Czech nationalist would appreciate one of the characters who has a Czech passport, but also a hell of a Hungarian name. But mostly, I appreciate the fact that during the war local bohemians managed to film such a distinct spy movie which they immediately combined with romance and love so that the Gestapo wouldn’t look for some secret meaning. However, not counting the awesomeness of the movie, I feel a great deal of naivety typical for the time period. The naivety which characterizes this cinematography is, truthfully, alien to me. (09/01/2017)