Casablanca(1942)

On a classic kick this week. I’m sure there is nothing I can say about this film that hasn’t already be said but I’ll try regardless. 

The writing is so goddamn clever. There are two extremes to interpreting the ending and a million variations in between, and all of them are beautiful. There is something that the creators did that make human devotion, love, and sacrifice shine in the best way without being cheesy or naive. There is not a single wasted line of dialogue - I already look forward to rewatching this to discover new details I missed on first watch. 

Relating this to current events is also a trip. It’s a bit depressing that a film like this could come out and make big waves, and still not enough to push the US out of isolationism - it had to take Pearl Harbor to get there. On the other hand it’s also comforting that in the height of Nazi Germany’s power, there were enough clear-eyed and brave people to have made a film like this. It must be wild to be an American watching this in 1942. 

Not all of us can be Victor. The hot people can be Ilsas, but most of us probably can’t even be Rick or Ferrari. But we will have a chance to decide what kind of character we want to be when history finally corners us. Heck, if you really are down bad, you can even be Captain Renault. That may be the film’s most generous idea: courage is not reserved for heroes. Sometimes it arrives late, embarrassed, and buried in cynicism, but it still counts