Rating: 9/10

Casablanca is a romantic drama made during the second world war and set in the Nazi controlled Moroccan town of Casablanca, in which bar owner Rick Blaine is involved in the escape of resistance fighter Victor Lazlo, made more difficult by the involvement of his old girlfriend from Paris, Ilsa Lund. This is a generally highly rated film, and I have to agree that Casablanca is a very well made and well acted film with a very interesting story. Its a fantastic film that deserves all the praise it gets.

Memorable Scene: Ilsa leaves Casablanca with Victor

This scene serves as the end to the film as well as its emotional climax, and it is definitely the most memorable part of the film to me. Rick, deciding to help Ilsa by giving her the letters of transit, holds the police captain at gunpoint and drives her and Victor to the airport. Ilsa is under the assumption that she will be staying with Rick while Victor leaves for America, however Rick has arranged for her to leave with Victor without telling her to make sure she leaves. Rick explains that Ilsa has to leave with Victor because she motivates Victor to keep going and because Victor loves her. The reveal of Rick sending Ilsa away to America is accompanied by a swelling underscore which raises the emotional impact, as well as a dramatic zoom in to Rick and Ilsa’s faces. This scene also shows Rick’s character development, as in the beginning he was a sour, mean man who did have moments of kindness that he conctantly undermined. He insisted he was neutral in all matters, and when it came to Ilsa and Victor he was aggressive and resentful towards the two of them due to his past with Ilsa, which is a pathetic side to him as he endangers Victor’s life by not giving him the letters of transit because Ilsa left him. However by this scene he has changed, and stops being mean towards the couple and lets his petty grudge against Ilsa go, allowing her to be free and letting Victor escape the Nazis. The score, close up shots and amazing acting from Bogard and Bergman really makes this emotional scene extremely impactful . Also I cried.