“Casablanca” (1942)
Is there a better film to watch on one’s birthday than Casablanca*? As Roger Ebert notes in his commentary on the film, it’s a film that people who don’t like black and white films like, that people who don’t like old movies like, that people who don’t like romance films like, and that no critic has criticized.
What can I possibly say beyond that? It’s a lovely film. It made Bogart a star. And it rivals Hamlet and the Bible for number of lines that have become part of the warp and woof of popular culture. The famous last line, in fact, is often misquoted and was added as an afterthought.
Are there better films? Yes. More enjoyable ones? Not many.
*Other candidates: The Long Goodbye and The Third Man.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:59 am
http://jennythenipper.livejournal.com/2075.html
March 16th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Ha! I heard Henreid was reluctant to play Victor, second fiddle as the accidental cuckold, as he worried it would tarnish his image as a romantic leading man. Though he’s technically better looking than Bogart, I still think Bogart’s great in this.