It ends its search for 'Rosebud,' his dying word, with a final image that explains everything and nothing, and although some critics say the image is superficial, I say it is very deep indeed, because it illustrates the way that human happiness and pain is not found in big ideas but in the little victories or defeats of childhood.įew films are more complex, or show more breathtaking skill at moving from one level to another.

It tells of all the seasons of a man's life, shows his weaknesses and hurts, surrounds him with witnesses who remember him but do not know how to explain him. We took 10 hours and really looked at this film, which is routinely named the best film of all time, almost by default, in list after list. I have just seen it again, a shot at a time, analyzing it frame-by-frame out at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 'As Time Goes By.' If there is ever a time when they decide that some movies should be spelled with an upper-case M, ' Casablanca' should be voted first on the list of Movies. Dooley Wilson at the piano, looking up with pain when he sees Bergman enter the room. Bogart with his cigarette and his bottle.

The black-and-white closeups of Ingrid Bergman, the most bravely vulnerable woman in movie history. The sheer beauty of the film is also compelling. Their better nature simply informs them what they must do. At the end of the film, when they rise to heroism, it is so moving because heroism is not in their makeup. These are realists, pragmatists, survivors: Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine, who sticks his neck out for nobody, and Claude Rains' police inspector, who follows rules and tries to stay out of trouble. These are not heroes - not except for Paul Heinreid's resistance fighter, who in some ways is the most predictable character in the film.

It's because it makes me proud of the characters. It's not because of the romance, or the humor, or the intrigue, although those elements are masterful. And so my greatest films must be films that had me sitting transfixed before the screen, involved, committed, and feeling.Īfter seeing this film many times, I think I finally understand why I love it so much. If a movie changes your vote or your mind, it does so by appealing to your emotions, not your reason. Cinema is not very good, on the other hand, at intellectual, philosophical or political argument.

Roger ebert the great movies book