We Love Movies | Watching Old Films: Casablanca
This is a shot of Ingrid Bergman from the 1942 film Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bergman and Humphrey Bogart as star-crossed lovers. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a treat.
Bogart, Bergman, and Claude Rains (as Captain Louis Renault) are brilliant and the black and white cinematography by Arthur Edeson is superb. However, it’s easy for a film like Casablanca to seem corny or stilted compared to what we perceive as the “naturalistic” feel of many contemporary films. It’s obvious that films from an earlier era reflect the styles, mores, mannerisms, and cultural understandings of the periods in which they were made. So what’s to be had here after all? Why would AFI still rank Casablanca as number two in the list of all time greatest American films?
Well… let’s agree on a first principle, if we can. Films are almost always stories about people, and it’s the human element that draws us in, isn’t it?
Casablanca is a deeply moving story of people in love, a compelling drama of longing, desire, betrayal, and sacrifice set against the backdrop of World War II in Morocco. Whether it’s 1942 or 1984 or 2021, this is a story that resonates with us. It’s one of the most brilliant screenplays ever written, and the perfect film on which to begin the rich and rewarding experience of watching older movies.
Do you think you’re smarter than those who went before? Are we better filmmakers because we have more advanced technology? If that’s your view, would you be willing to give Casablanca a try? Is it possible to look past what may seem melodramatic, or contrived, or even culturally insensitive, to find the elements of common humanity in this film that can still speak to us of very important understandings about life and how to live? Can the experience of watching Casablanca be every bit as powerful as a great contemporary film?
If you watch the movie, let us know how it goes! Does it deserve to be number two? hello@veritestudios.com. We love to talk movies.