Aniela Schaefer's View on Casablanca

First off, I will say that Casablanca is in fact a movie that everyone should see at some point. It is something we have all probably heard at one point or another and never really understood why; I know that it was that way for me. Simply, it is a great representation of Film Noir and by extension American film during the 1940’s. The acting is above par with most of today’s stick figure actresses and muscular leading men plus it has a truly original plot and setting.

All of that being said, I still do not quite see what makes it so amazing. Nothing about it truly struck out enough to make me want to add it to my list of movies to add to my collection but perhaps that is because I live in such a drastically different time. When this movie was made the fear of the Nazis were ever present and continuously on the collective mind of the world. Casablanca itself was already a household name and itself closely mirrored reality for hundreds of people. In the words of Bosley Crowther in his review from November 27, 1942 for The New York Times, “It certainly won’t make Vichy happy – but that’s just another point for it.”

Although I am familiar with the names and locations of many of the references from the film it is only because I had to learn them for a history class or where brought up in stories about my grandparents. To me all of these men are long dead and no longer a threat to anyone I know so their names lack the impact it would have had on the audience seeing the movie for the first time.

Even with my personal lack of enthusiasm for the movie, I will also so that it is a wonderful example on what can be done with a little budget. Until reading trivia on the film from The Internet Movie Database, I never would have guessed that most of it had been filmed in a studio although looking back I highly doubt filming on location would have been possible. For me, the best aspects of the film were the lighting and the soundtrack which both greatly enhance the viewing experience, creating a mood that is difficult to forget.

In all, Casablanca is a well constructed and elegant piece of the past but not one that I found easy to relate to.