16. Casablanca (1942)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid

Other Oscar Wins: Best Director, Best Writing

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Humphrey Bogart), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Claude Rains), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Score

Favourite Line: "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca.

Casablanca is an undeniably brilliant film, and is one of my all time favourites. It is full of romance, intrigue, action, and exceptional acting, and of course includes the timeless song, "As Time Goes By". This film is set in Casablanca, Morocco during the Second World War, a dangerous city full of refugees trying to escape to the new world. American saloon owner Rick Blaine must decide between staying with the woman who once broke his heart, and helping her husband, a prominent leader of the resistance, to escape.

Art by Olly Moss.

The story itself is enough to make a wonderful film, but it's the performances of all the actors that really makes it. Humphrey Bogart as the hard and secretly sentimental Rick is stunning, delivering one of the most memorable film performances of all time. Ingrid Bergman is also incredible, despite her being a little uncomfortable throughout the filming over the fact that the script was not finished until the last minute and she did not know whether her character ends up with Rick or Victor Laszlo. My favourite character, however is the selfish and yet strangely charming Captain Renault, played to perfection by Claude Rains. He makes what could be a very dislikable character someone who the audience still feels for to some degree.

Casablanca is one of history's greatest films. An undeniable classic, which has woven itself into popular culture, with some of the most famous lines of all time; "We'll always have Paris", "Play it Sam", "Round up the usual suspects", and of course, "Here's lookin' at you, kid". This nearly perfect film is one that should be watched over and over again. It lives up to it's reputation, and will endure for years to come.