Casablanca

Arguably the greatest romantic drama of all time in my opinion with its sharp dialogue and iconic performance. A love transformed by memory and sacrifice The strength of this film lies in its juxtapositions in my opinion Love Vs duty- Rick sacrifices his love for Ilsa to allow her go with Victor hence his duty supersedes his love for that woman. He chooses timeless moral victory over a fleeting personal happiness Cynicism Vs idealism- Rick in the beginning starts as very cynical about the political climate at the time but starts to see what Laszlo stands for and appreciate his viewpoints. The repeating motif in this film has its own special significance. “As time goes by” isn’t just a love song, it’s nostalgic too and every time Sam plays it, he relives and cherishes those moments he had with Ilsa The phrase “here’s looking at you kid” has different emotional meaning in different emotional states. When he says it in Paris, it’s when he’s full of love. In Casablanca when he reunites with his former lover as a reminder of what they had and at the end at the airport as a farewell and finally letting it go. Beautiful film. The dialogue is beautiful. The cinematography is iconic. The screen presence by the leads is incredible. Greatly rewatchable.