Film fan Friday: First Film

Most of your film scholars will talk about Citizen Kane being the greatest motion picture ever made, and I'll admit that Orson Welłes put his best foot forward.  Citizen Kane is shot beautifully, with wonderful direction, amazing action, and the pacing of a deadman trying to dig out of his grave.  The going is slow, but it gets there eventually.  As for the characters in the film, I can't seem to muster an emotional bond with any of them.

I like Citizen Kane just fine, but in my worthless opinion, the greatest movie ever committed to celluloid is the great and powerful Casablanca.

Casablanca is the tale of broken hearts, lost love, larceny, betrayal, patriotism, and sacrifice.  I don't want to give away any big plot points because there are still people in the Universe who have never seen it.

This film is a wonderful ride for anyone with a cinematic attention span and a love of atmosphere.  If you have never seen the film watch it for all things traditional.  Watch for the awkward chemistry between Bogart and Bergman, watch it for Claude Rains and Dooley Wilson.  Watch it for "As Time Goes By" and "Knock On Wood". Here's some links if you don't know what I'm talking about.

http://youtu.be/0ZWCSEoBpCw

http://youtu.be/zaAqze81y4Y

If you have seen the film...watch it again.  Look for the amazing shadow work.

Watch for the crazy side characters, like Sasha, Yvonne, and Karl.  Watch if for Peter Lorre being a slimy weasel, watch it for the scheming business savvy of Sydney Greenstreet.  There are a million tiny pieces of dialogue that make this wonderful film a piece of entertainment as well as a work of art.  It is an encapsulated vision of the diverse multitudes of refugees trying their damndest to get the Hell out of Europe.  People so desperate that they are willing to rot in the desert heat of Casablanca rather than being subjugated or even killed by the Nazi's

People who have never seen it often ask what makes this movie so great.  Why do I think it's better that a "Die Hard" or "Top Gun"(movies are chosen at random and not because I personally believe they are inferior).  My answer will always be the same.  Casablanca is a film about heroes who don't need arrogance or explosions to be heroes.  Casablanca is about knowing the difference between right and wrong or good and evil and having to be ,either, convinced or reminded that you used to give a shit about that kind of thing.

Casablanca is about doing the right thing, even though you might be happier if you don't.  It is the epitome of the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few (or the one).

If you have never visited Casablanca, it's not too late.  All you have to remember is to watch out for pickpockets and that if you're looking for a little night life, everyone comes to Rick's.