What makes a film great? Is it that a film is a piece of art that is defining of its times? Is it that the film will remain relevant way after its makers and anyone who saw it on the big screen have died? Is a great film dynamic; does it leave us wondering "what's next"?
Shouldn't a film should do all of these things? A truly great film can do all the things that excite our minds and bewitch our hearts. Any great story can do this to a person, but one in particular comes to my mind: "Casablanca."
"Casablanca" (1942) — a political/romantic thriller set in Vichy-controlled Morocco during WWII, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman and directed by Michael Curtiz — is truly a story that stands alone.
I know what you're thinking: "What does a black-and-white film from 66 years ago have to offer me, a youth of the 21st century?"
How about romance? One of the best examples of romance in film is between Rick Blaine (Bogart) and Ilsa Lund (Bergman). They share a twisted romance drowned out by the drums of war in 1940s Europe. Reunited, they have a turbulent relationship, at best.
Don't like romance? "Casablanca" has you covered. There's enough espionage and political intrigue in this story to make James Bond look like Maxwell Smart. Politics are the meat and potatoes of the film. German transit papers that allow free transportation through Nazi-controlled Europe were stolen off of two dead Nazi officers and brought to Rick. A rebel leader wants those papers — a rebel leader who happens to be the husband of Rick's old flame.
Many terrifying and amazing choices that twist and leave you guessing transpire before Rick decides to give the papers to his old love and her rebel husband, with Ilsa pleading with him, culminating in a line so powerful, it is still quoted today: "… If that plane leaves the ground and you're not in it, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But soon, and for the rest of your life."
The movie itself is so genre-defying because of its truly unique production at a time in Hollywood when films were made like cars on an assembly line. It's almost as if it were three movies, because three teams of writers took a crack at the gem of a story — one comedic, one political and one film-noir. This makes you feel connected to the characters in a meaningful way, because life isn't always funny, or intriguing, or dark and hopeless, or full of romance.
Sometimes life just is, you know?
And I think that's the handle of the film: It just is. The film could never be summed up in 500 words — not even by the most masterful pen — but I'm not so arrogant a young man as to try such a foolish endeavor. No, my hope is to get all who read this to think on what they may be missing out on if they've not seen the film, and maybe just be lucky enough to get those who haven't to see it. I could write a million words on this film, and I still wouldn't get adjectives quite right enough to capture the splendor of the thing.
But even that's OK, because my words on the flick don't amount to a hill of beans, compared to what you might feel if you watch it.
So here's hoping, and here's looking at you, kids.
Zac Morrow is a Hempfield graduate and attends Allegheny College, in Pittsburgh. E-mail him at YourLife@LNPnews.com. 
