I watched it again last night; I hadn't seen it in a while. It's been almost 70 years since that movie was made; you'd think the lines would be corny, that the story would be stale. You'd be wrong. I found myself laughing at the Renaud's quips, mouthing Rick's many one liners: "Here's looking at you kid," "Play it Sam," "Louis this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." I sang along with "As Time Goes By," found myself stirred by the Marseilluese.
I don't know why I love it so much. The romance doesn't turn out the way the audience wants it to- Rick ends up tricking Ilse into going with Victor Laszlow. But even there he did it for love; that he loved this woman enough to send her to safety even if it meant he'd never see her again. Rick alone is enough to make me love this movie; I can't imagine anyone but Humphrey Bogart in the role. The best part about the character is he can be anything the audience wants him to be the character is so mysterious.
The way it ends you could pretend he and Renaud went off together, or you could pretend Rick managed to get back to America. You could even imagine that he eventually found Ilsa. And where those unanswered questions usually bother me in a movie, I'm okay with it here.
World War II, was an exciting time full of romance, and desperation. Casablanca manages to capture something of the spirit of those times. So while it isn't maybe the most thrilling, or the funniest it is in my opinion the perfect movie.
As Time Goes By
No comments:
Post a Comment