Casablanca+Review,+Jeffrey+Ahn

The Foundation of Love Movies!

“Casablanca” is a must watch for all movie lovers out there. It lays the foundation of what many love stories are about. The basic love triangle between Rick, Lazlo, and Ilsa is one of the most used plots in Korean Soap operas today. The movie is very romantic and leaves the audience thinking of what will happen next to the protagonist. Love, the main theme of the story, plays a huge role and builds up many of the conflicts in the movie. There are also political conflicts that arise because it was during WWII where many people became refugees. The movie is about Rick, a former freedom fighter who owns the most popular cafe in town, who meets his one and only love, Ilsa. He had met her in Paris where they became immediate lovers only because Ilsa thought her husband, Lazlo, was dead. She was supposed to run away with Rick however she finds out Lazlo is alive and leaves Rick. So the main conflict starts when Rick and Ilsa meet up again in his cafe. Don’t underestimate the movie because it is in black and white. It is better than many of the color movies out there. I thought it was going to be horrible just because it was old and without color. However, because of it being black and white the audience focuses more on the character and the mood of the movie. The movie is also kind of blurred out and it makes the movie so much more serious. There are many close ups of the characters and you can clearly see how the character is feeling by the structure of his face. It was also a new experience for me because I had never seen a black and white movie. I love how the movie goes back into flashbacks from previous times and gives insight into what really happened between the characters, Rick and Ilsa. The director does a great job in confusing the audience by creating tensions between these two but not really explaining why. The flashbacks clearly explain the story and also provide a rest to the gloomy atmosphere of the movie. The movie also utilizes the war significantly and show how the characters had to separate because of these misunderstandings. The beginning of the movie is hard to understand and the audience needs some background information to fully understand what is going on. I didn’t really understand thoroughly what the main plot was about and the love conflicts didn’t even come into the movie until later. That was a negative part that could have improved. If the movie described more what was happening by using the characters the beginning could be much more understandable. Sometimes it was hard for the audience to understand the language of the characters. Many characters had a accent and talked really quiet and fast. The French were especially hard to understand. They used weird words that are not used much in todays language. Although the language was difficult its a major part of the play though. There really are not that many negative parts of this movie. The actors in the movie are great and really know how to play their parts. Humphrey Bogart (Rick) plays his role as the cool guy of the movie. His voice and the way he talks to people show how smooth of a guy he is. For example, she calls Ingrid “kid” and even kills Major Strasser to protect Ilsa. Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa Lund) plays her role well as the confused girl that everyone likes. She doesn’t really know what to do and relies heavily on the men around her. Many scenes Bergman has the puppy dog eyes where she looks like she is going to cry. How can you resist her? Paul Henreid (Victor Laszlo) plays his role well as the rich guy who is madly in love with Ilsa. Henreid’s hair and height makes him perfect for the powerful underground leader. These characters just fit into their roles so well and make the movie so much better. Casablanca will go down as one of the greatest movies ever and is sure a classic. It set up the structure of many love movies and is still watched 60 years from its opening. This movie includes all the parts of good movie: interesting plots, fun characters, and much more. This movie is a must watch.