Few classic films are better known or better made. Cassablanca represents a perfect moment in cinema that should be experienced.
Specs:
About 2 hours, black and white.
Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.0
More about the movie and our reaction to it:
If there is anything more beautiful than Ingrid Bergman's face, I certainly have not seen it. All I need to know about the world of romantic love and tension can be read in it. Her relationship and chemistry with Humphrey Bogart are so strong that they steal my heart without effort; in fact, I imagine they could get to the heart of pretty much anyone who watches -- kids included. There is no question that the power of this movie is the underlying romance.
But the even cooler thing, is that Casablanca goes far beyond romance to pull in its audience. Full of intrigue that will grab your family from the beginning, its an exciting picture about war and politics, with fabulous uniforms, nationalities, threads of international politics and patriotism. The characters are nuanced enough that you can't always tell who to root for. Thus, its an accessible plot that makes you feel adult when you watch it.
My kids love Peter Lorre (who we also enjoyed in the Maltese Falcon) as a strangely exciting and eccentric character and were thrilled to also see Sydney Greenstreet again. Among the film's stellar performances is that of Claude Rains as a kinda funny, cool, unknown entity. And once again, Bogart plays an extremely cool main man -- someone you can't tear your eyes from and whose every move seems important. He is fabulous.
As with pretty much all old movies, there's lots of drinking and smoking -- and plenty of seedier topics. The nice thing with old movies, is that the seedier aspects of life are glossed over and nothing is too explicit; although a great deal may be implied. And also, as with many old films, the one-liners are awesome. The kids laughed aloud at lines like "round up the usual suspects" and "'this gun is pointing at your heart' 'that's my least vulnerable spot.
Iconic shot:
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