This being the IMDb message boards, I am anticipating a lot of hate for having an opinion, but I'll say it. I find this film overrated. To me, it's less a 10 and more like a 7. I do like it, but to me it's not great. Can someone please tell me why this film is so great?
You all despise me. Kingslayer. Oathbreaker. A man without honor.
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Thank you, sir. You have just proved my point of everyone on IMDb being an *beep* film snob. If you would like to see what I consider to be great, look at the ratings on my profile. It's far from Jim Carrey. Luckily, I will not concern myself with your comment. You don't seem to be the most intelligent of individuals, since all you've done on this website is stalk Winona Ryder.
shareThis film is great. It might be boring to 14 year olds who love those Harry Potter , Lor of the RIngs & vampire films
It was exactly the right message at exactly the right time in history. Sure, it was propaganda, but we needed to get behind the war effort and save civilization...
At the time everybody wanted to be Rick or Elsa.
I ask the same thing, before I just finished watching this 15 mins ago :)
The story is sad and epic, the story is how far you would go to do what is right even for one who you really had that love for , a classic love yet sad tale of what humanity is and how far we go to make things right.
That's how great this movie it's no Gone with the Wind but it sure has it's flair l, especially like Bogart's character Rick a d what we was and what he became , and what he needed to do :)
Thank you, cutieboydmx. Your kind and un-annoying response makes me think that maybe not everyone on IMDb is a total *beep*
shareIf this movie has one glaring flaw it's that Laszlo never really does anything all that compelling, we're just told how great he is. But that doesn't change the fact that every scene pact with development. There isn't a wasted line in the entire screenplay. Every scene is about what all these characters want and about what they have give up and it's done with subtlety. Rick sees the one and only thing he's ever wanted in the entire world, Ilsa at his fingertips, but he's got to condemn a good man to get it, Ilsa sees a chance to help change the world for the better but she'll have to break the heart of the man she loves again to do it. Even Renault has to choose between helping his friend and upholding a sense of law and order that he holds to (all be it a warped one) From the moment the main story is set up you get the feeling a lot more people are going to lose then win and it just builds it up from there, it's a supsense thriller and a love story. As the song says, it's all about the fight for love and glory.
One other thing that makes this movie for me is Bogart's performance. Even though we do get info on Ricks past he plays it off like it's only half true. In the end you could make the case that we know Rick implicitly or that we never really knew him at all. Save for Laszlo, who is just as much an ex machina as the letters of transit, every character feels real and three dimensional. It might not be the best shot movie ever, that's pretty much impossible to judge thanks to the fact that the only versions available are the remastered versions with the contrast messed up, but you could make a case for it being the greatest screenplay ever written.
There are more complex movies out there but if someone were to walk up to me who had never seen a movie before, this is what I'd show them.
@jrsloopy Couldn't have said that any better!
shareIf this movie has one glaring flaw it's that Laszlo never really does anything all that compelling, we're just told how great he is. - jrsloopy
I can't write as well as some others, but the things I love about the movie are the great acting, great screenwriting, great cinematography. It's a love story and a historical story combined, and in the end it's not all tied up with the usual Hollywood happy ending bow. They sacrifice for each other in a way and part. Bogart's acting was superb.
shareThat's a very well thought out argument. I'll watch it again and see what I think.
shareThe first time I watched Casablanca I came away thinking, "It's okay but nothing special." The second time I watched it I thought to myself, "It's a little better than I first thought." Two or three viewings later, I came away thinking that this is one of the best films ever. The more times you see it, the more you catch all the little throwaway lines that tell you what's going on behind the scenes. As another poster said, the screenplay is brilliant.
The film's also great because it tells the story of a character who has become hardened from the loss of love but who is eventually able to overcome that emotional state to recognize that his own desires are less important than the well-being of the world. A story about wrestling with and ultimately overcoming one's own greed is a story that transcends time. When that story is told as well as it is in Casablanca, then that film will be one a lot of people will think highly of.
Throw in a lot of quotable dialogue, a super cool main character, a beautiful female lead, clever and witty banter between characters, a budding friendship, a romantic song, and a nice moody atmosphere and you can see why it would become a classic.
Unless you absolutely hate the film, I'd suggest that you give it another try, and then another a few years later. I think you'll eventually see some of it's better qualities.
I hope I also reaffirmed your faith in IMDb humanity.
The film's also great because it tells the story of a character who has become hardened from the loss of love but who is eventually able to overcome that emotional state to recognize that his own desires are less important than the well-being of the world. A story about wrestling with and ultimately overcoming one's own greed is a story that transcends time. When that story is told as well as it is in Casablanca, then that film will be one a lot of people will think highly of.
Throw in a lot of quotable dialogue, a super cool main character, a beautiful female lead, clever and witty banter between characters, a budding friendship, a romantic song, and a nice moody atmosphere and you can see why it would become a classic.
lose your loved one to somebody else and then watch this movie again
shareRe. great art dealing with lost love: Casablanca is not Wuthering Heights. It's a wonderful wartime romance, has a terrific central figure well played by Bogart, a memorable microcosm in Rick's Cafe Americain, a delicious supporting performance from Raines, elegant Nazi villains who are fun to boo, and Bergman at her most radiant. It's an icon of Hollywood, the Xanadu of global cinema; it's first-rate entertainment. It doesn't have to be a great film to be any of those things, and it's not.
shareLose your loved one to somebody else in order to support a cause you didn't care about until this morning and then watch this movie again.
"I slept with you and you're in love with my husband. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"
This is my favorite movie, but I do understand that it's not everyone's preference. Which is fine by me. The only time I get angry at someone for not liking a movie that I like is when they personally attack me for it. I suggested this movie for a former friend, and she didn't like it. That was fine, until she started her little diatribe with "I hate you." It's fine that she didn't like this movie, but she really hates me because it's my favorite? That made me mad.
Now, to answer your question, and it's one that I had to answer for Mom as well--I love the writing in this. The dialog is so sharp, the one liners are really clever. I love the ending--the fact that Rick doesn't get Ilsa strikes me as a lot more realistic than if they would have boarded the plane together. I love the fact that many things aren't spelled out for the audience, such as why Rick had to leave America. I love the loyalty that Rick has to his employees and they have to him. I love the acting. This is the movie that made Bogie one of my favorite actors and made Bergman one of my favorite actresses. It's also the movie that made Conrad Veidt one of my favorite actors as well.
The cinematography in this movie is so beautiful.
I'm also a World War II buff. My masters thesis was on World War II documentaries and films. So, I tend to gravitate towards movies done in this period.
It's just a rare movie that all elements came together for a perfect film for me. Is it a perfect movie overall? Probably not. But, I'm happy to look over its flaws. And, as long as I don't get bashed for loving a movie, I won't bash others for not liking the same movie.
Kat
Demons I get. People are crazy.
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CASABLANCA deals with reality. The world was at war...This is something many people watching today forget. At the time this was made, the outcome of the war was very much in question. The attack on Pearl Harbor had happened only about six months before they started filming. Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser) escaped from Germany with the SS at his heels, then spent the rest of the war seeking out roles for the most vile Nazis he could find. Madeleine Lebeau (Yvonne) also escaped from the Nazis, and sung La Marseillaise in the cafe with many other actors who were also refugees.
Well, really it's because ratings can only ever be reflection of how much a person individually responds to a work of art, so 'overrated' is an inapplicable word, it only indicates that your response is less positive than the norm. The reasons I think the film is great are because it is atmospheric, tightly constructed yet elegantly scripted and has, in Rick (and Humphrey Bogart's performance) a captivating, inspiring and human character. Also the ending is superb.
shareI'll tell you what my theory is.
A movie like Casablanca is highly regarded because it was a pioneer in its time, it paved the way for the movies we all know today, and people/critics tend to favour this aspect a lot too much compared to the intrinsic quality of the movie, that's why a lot of these old classics are often highly rated.
If Casablanca was released today, people would find it average at best.
If Casablanca was released today, people would find it average at best.
Can't agree with your theory. Actually Casablanca was never intended to be a particularly pioneering film. It's admired to this day because it's a well told, inspirational story where all the pieces (writing, acting, directing, context) fit together.
And if people today find it average, there is something wrong with the people, not the movie.
"Starscream cookies are more than meets the icing!" --Nostalgia Critic
And if people today find it average, there is something wrong with the people, not the movie.
I'm sorry you didn't like it, I wasn't trying to be rude. But I stand by what I said. There's a difference between personal taste and not recognizing when a film is well written. Casablanca doesn't have to be everyone's favorite movie, but to dismiss it as "average" would be a mistake.
"Starscream cookies are more than meets the icing!" --Nostalgia Critic
A movie like Casablanca is highly regarded because it was a pioneer in its time, - christophe92300