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Casablanca (1942)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Movie review
From Time Out London
How did it happen? Why did an unheralded mid-budget Warner Bros wartime romance rise from humble beginnings to become one of the most celebrated films of all time? Let us count the ways. Ingrid Bergman’s face. Humphrey Bogart’s voice. The most (mis)quotable dialogue in movie history. The script’s moral and emotional complexity, equally sympathetic and cynical. The Marseillaise scene. Michael Curtiz’s direction, at once unhurried and compelling. Dooley Wilson’s piano, playing it again. The matter-of-fact treatment of horrific subjects – murder, genocide, the exploitation of young women – which is more shocking than if they were handled respectfully. Claude Rains’s wicked smile. The sense of a world spinning out of whack, and the parallel sense that good must eventually triumph. The underlying call for America to cease its senseless isolation and take its place in the world. Peter Lorre’s mad eyes. The crystal clear monochrome photography, shifting to soft focus for that heartbreaking climax. The plane on the tarmac, slowly turning...Author: Tom Huddleston
Time Out London Issue 2164: Feb 9-15, 2012
User reviews of this film
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- robert said...
- Posted on Feb 08 2012 21:03 Just wonderful. Never seen it in a cinema, so can't wait.
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- Martin D said...
- Posted on Feb 14 2008 14:12 One of the top films of all time. A must see. The real definition of word Clasic.
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Cast & crew
Director: Michael Curtiz
Producer: Hal B Wallis
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Dooley Wilson, Marcel Dalio, SZ Sakall full cast
Rated: U
Duration: 102 mins
UK Release: Feb 14 2007
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