"Casablanca" is one of the worst movies ever made. The screenplay and acting are wooden and stilted, and the plot is simply silly. It's appallingly bad, and why it is considered a classic is beyond me, because all of the actors were dreadful.
I confess I've never been able to watch the whole thing, but saw a few minutes of it the other day, and realized why.
GASP! How could you say that, or even think that? LOL
This movie was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, from the get-go.. Nobody wanted this throwaway screenplay until the newly named Warner Bros Film studio, took the project on as their attempt to organize the new venture, and used all of their available talent to keep them busy, and earning their salary..
The writers, the Epstein bros, revised, rewrote, and changed the storyline as the filming progressed, much to the dismay of the talent and production team, but everyone was sufficiently committed to finish they suffered though to the finish..
I was told, no one expected anyone to like this so many didn't attend the premiere, much to their regret.. The shock came from the people, that loved it, and the critics, that were prepared to bash it, but waited to take the pulse before they even wasted their typewriters to bash it, when they emerged as the biggest boosters..