Casablanca

I love _Casablanca_. Like a truffle, it might escape the uninitiated few who might disregard it as just another garden-variety romantic flick. But most people who have seen it will agree that it is a succulent tribute to love, war, and humanity. They love it for the black and white cinematography; for the stellar cast; for the memorable lines; for the character and plot development; god, there are so many reasons.

Now I'm assuming that you've seen the movie. But if you haven't, go rent it, watch it once or twice and then come back to this review a few days later. If you want a good plot summary, check out http://www.epinions.com/./mvie-review-212F-5E74616-37E53599-bd4, a review by movie expert briankoller.

I'm not going to rave on about the specifics of the movie, because there are just too many to recount. I am, however, going to pose a question that has been a thorn in my cortex for years now, ever since I first gaped in open-eyed admiration for Bogart and Bergman on my friend's small-screen TV. I was in my teens at that time, and it didn't make sense to me--why Elsa couldn't stay, why Rick let her go, why anyone had to leave or go anywhere, for that matter. I've watched it 3 or 4 times since then, and most recently, I found that actually, it all made a lot more sense (I suppose I'd grown up a little). Instead of succumbing to the prototypical "Hollywood" ending, the movie is made more real with its seemingly disappointing ending. There's something more profound about the devastation of losing, finding, and then letting go, but paradoxically more hopeful than had the protagonists attempted to hold on to their past. That much, I understand.

But what gets me, what really lurks behind my orbits when I watch _Casablanca_ today, is this: when did Rick decide? When did he know he wasn't going to keep Elsa?

Was it when he met Lazlo and realizes who he is? When, inebriated, he commands Sam to play it, cause "if she can take it, I can take it"? When he sees her in the market and she has her say? When she implores him to "think for the both of us" after confessing her dormant passion for him? When Lazlo is arrested? Before the airport? At the airport? And even at the last moment, is it possible he still has doubts? When? When???

I think I was very lucky to have seen the movie when I was a kid and to be able to track my personal development through it. Because I was still forming role models, Bogart became my ideal man, and Bergman, the woman. I admire the elegance, charm, and strength of their characters, and have often wished that I or my significant other could be more like them in form and action.

Today, I understand _Casablanca_ much better and have an even deeper appreciation for its beauty and complexity. I suspect this, too, will change. In retrospect, I realize that, for me, seeing this movie was the start of a beautiful friendship. The main paradox of the movie--that in order to keep something, you must sometimes let it go--will probably hold true for me in this respect; I will likely always be able to love this movie as long as I can learn to see it in new ways.

Cinema just doesn't get any better than this, you know?

Valerie