finally saw casablanca

For quite a while it has been a running gag in my cinema history class that I never saw the c;lassic, Casablance. Maybe that's too strong, but it has been noted and brought up occasionally. To be clear, I wasn't completely unfamiliar with the film -- I'd seen clips, and I'd been familiar with some of the better-known quotes (and misquotes). And I saw some other lines that I had been familiar with without knowing that they were from Casablanca. But, of course, that's not the same as seeing the film. At any rate, I finally borrowed the DVD from Joe and watched it.

Arguably, catching up on this particular bit of culture isn't really worthy of a blogpost, but I promised Joe that I'd write about it after I watch it. So, here we are. I should note that, I doubt that anything I have to say about the movie hasn't been said already (and probably more eloquently). So I'm not watching or reading any reviews before I write about it. I want my reaction here to be my reaction, uninfluenced (or influenced as little as possible) by what others have to say.

The dialogue is incredibly tight and clever. Three of my favorite examples:

Ugarte: You despise me, don't you?
Rick: Well, if I gave you any thought I probably would. 

Renault: Rick, there are many exit visas sold in this cafe, but we know that you never sold one. That is the reason we permit you to stay open.
Rick: Oh, I thought it was because I let you win at roulette.
Renault: That is another reason. 

Strasser: What is your nationality?
Rick: I'm a drunkard.
Renault: That makes Rick a citizen of the world.

The ending -- Rick selflessly sacrificing his chance to get away in order to help Ilsa and Victor reminds me of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. It's not exactly the same, since there's a for-the-greater-good element, as opposed to it being purely for the good of the object of his affection. But the similarity is there, and I would be surprised if no one ever made the observation.

I was disappointed to see Ugarte disappear so quickly. It was a great role for Peter Lorre, even if his eyes hardly look bugged out at all.

Yes. It's a very good movie. Arguably a great movie. Is it among the best ever? That's hard to say -- for a couple reasons. First, I didn't watch it on a big screen in a darkened theater -- the way movies are supposed to be watched. I saw it on  my laptop, in a lighted room, with distractions all around me. Second, it was made in 1942, and was probably more original than it seems to me to be. I'm thinking in terms of Shakespeare, who's plays included all sorts of things that seem cliche specifically because they were copied so many times since.

But maybe I shouldn't be trying to figure out if it's one of the best. Perhaps the more important consideration is that it's a very important cultural touchstone. The number of pop culture references that track back to Casablanca is large, and (important for me), Bugs Bunny cartoons had a whole lot of homages to the movie.