An Intro:
I have always loved cinema, but I was never a big fan of the classics. That is, until I saw the old movie Casa Blanca. I actually did not want to watch it at first but my girlfriend persisted and we ended up watching it. She fell asleep halfway through but I watched the entire thing and let me say, that was a fantastic movie! Casa Blanca was released in 1942 and was an instant success! Now, I am not going to sit here and talk about the plot of the movie or bore you with stats about the production or box office profits. Instead, I want to talk about the look of this movie, the feel of it, and why it is often regarded as one of the best movies of all time.
Though I would like to take a second to identify the cast. The lead role of Rick Blaine is played spectacularly by the great Humphrey Bogart. He plays the role in such a cool and calm way that you start to love the character one way or another. Then there is the lovely Ingrid Bergman playing the role of Ilsa Lund. Finally, Paul Henreid plays the Anti-Nazi War Hero Victor Lazlo who is stunningly charming and charismatic. These three actors are the core of the film, but they are not the only ones in the film. This movie was almost perfectly cast. Every actor and actress played their parts to perfection and when this happens, the movie can feel surreal. This is exactly how Casa Blanca feels when you are watching it for the first time.
The Look and Feel:
The movie was shot during the 40s though, the picture quality is still extremely good! There are no complaints even though the movie was filmed almost 80 years ago. The picture is always crisp enough and the sound is easy to hear. When the movie starts and you enter Rick's bar and casino, it seems as though a hand has reached out of the screen and pulled you back 80 years. You don't just feel like you are watching the movie but instead like you are sitting and having a drink in the Parlor as you watch the events unfold. I have to admit, when the movie was over and I looked around, I was surprised for a moment that the world wasn't black and white!
The graphics are only helped by the fact that the location is exquisite. It was shot in Morocco which is an absolutely beautiful country and the City of Marrakesh is full of culture and spirit, thus adding to the effect that the movie has on you as you watch. You not only feel pulled into the movie, following the main character around, but also like once the characters go to bed for the night, you are going to walk back your own house and sleep for the night! I would call this movie more of experience than a normal movie.
The characters in the movie are written to perfection. They feel familiar while still being interesting. It is as though we have known about them our whole lives but we are finally learning the whole story about them. Next, you have the fact that they plot is written extremely well. It is written in a way where the next event is almost predictable but not quite. It feels as though what is going to happen is on the tip of your tongue but you just can't quite conjured the right words to describe it. This keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire movie! People often have the misconception, much like I previously did, that old movies are boring. This though, is not at all the case. In fact, I would now argue that this is as far from the truth as you can get!
The combination of the actors, the feels of the movie, the fantastic story, and the way it was filmed truly combine to make this movie one of the great classics! I have seen a lot of movies in my time and this is easily in the top five movies I have ever seen! It is a true classic and one of the best movie that has ever been made. I used to not understand why it was always ranked so high on lists but I was simply being childish. This movie deserves all the praise that it gets and more! If you enjoyed this article, please consider following the blog, or leaving me a comment letting me know what you think!
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