“You despise me, don’t you?”

“If I gave you any thought I probably would.”

It’s pretty safe to say that I had practically no idea what to expect out of Casablanca. I knew it to be a revered classic, but most films from this era of cinema simply just haven’t connected with me all that much. However, Casablanca was a much different experience than, let’s say, Citizen Kane, which I couldn’t even bring myself to finish (I’ll give that one another go some other time). Before I get into my review, I guess I’ll cap off this introduction by saying that it felt a lot more modern than most other classics from the decades surrounding this film.

Firstly, as cliché as it might sound to say the directing is incredibly impressive for something that came out in 1942, that is definitely the case. Its editing and cinematography all feel way ahead of its time, so much so that I was honestly kind of blown away by it all. There were some really beautiful shots as well, and I was particularly amused by the different camera movements, blocking, and overall composition, and I still don’t even know a whole lot when it comes to those areas of filmmaking. There was one establishing shot in particular that I really liked, where a part of the set was obstructing the view of a scene, something that you would see a lot of today, but not something I’ve seen very often in older movies.

Baked within everything, though, is of course, a great story that was pretty bold to say the least, not only being set during World War II, but filmed during it as well. As one would imagine for a film set during this time, there was quite a bit of suspense that kept me really intrigued the entire time. The main character, Richard Blaine, is a nightclub owner who is shocked when his former lover, Ilsa, arrives, along with her fugitive husband, Victor Laszlo. Much of the suspense comes from Ilsa and Laszlo trying to get out of Casablanca and out of the danger of Nazi officer Major Heinrich Strasser. Rick has the ability to get them to safety, but is unsure if he is willing to risk everything to do so.

Speaking of Richard, he is, to put it bluntly, a very fascinating character, and one I really enjoyed watching. He reminded me a lot of someone like James Bond, being someone who just has a certain charm to him that you can’t help but be entertained by. He is also constantly playing “hard to get” with practically everyone, especially Ilsa, and thus, creates a sort of interesting conflict throughout the story. Even though he plays the role of being a difficult person to work with, he is still very compelling and likable, especially once you get towards the end of the film.

I think the romance here is pretty good for the most part as well. For just a little bit, I was a little worried that it was going to glorify adultery, but by the end, I don’t think it really did that at all. Richard and Ilsa’s chemistry isn’t the greatest that I’ve ever seen, but it was still fun to watch nonetheless. The main part of their relationship that I found to be most enjoyable was easily the backstory, presented mainly through flashbacks. I’m not always the biggest fan of flashbacks, but I think they were utilized here very well.

As far as the mixed goes, the one thing that I think dates this film just a bit is definitely the acting. It’s not bad, not even close, it’s just very over the top and, dare I say, melodramatic. It didn’t make me cringe or anything of that sort; it was just something that I thought was worth noting. Actually, for the most part, the acting was pretty grounded, maybe aside from Richard, and that was a great performance either way, just not, like I said, a grounded one.

Honestly, there wasn’t really anything that I would say I didn’t really care for in Casablanca. It was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least, and a film that I think will help me get more into older movies, as I’ve had a bit of a difficult time doing so. I definitely see why it’s considered a classic, with its really good and memorable characters, way ahead of its time directing, and excellent story. I would highly recommend it.