Picking a good movie to watch can sometimes be an exhausting affair. You walk into the movie store with a purposeful air, only to find your excitement melt into confusion as you stare at the endless shelves of new titles.

Most of the time if a new movie turns out to be worse than expected, you can shrug it off and call it bad luck, but if you want to make sure you’ll have a nice time – and get a bit of culture in the process, there is no safer bet than watching a good classic.

Many people hear the term “classic movie” and think “old and boring”. This association is not entirely unjustified. After all even among the thousands of acclaimed films, there are bound to be some that are outside your areas of interest – if you make an informed choice however, chances are you will be in for a real treat.

The purpose of the “weekly classics” is to help you do just this – every week one of Dawn.com’s movie-buffs will give you the low-down on a movie that we have watched from among the top films ever made. This way not only do you know which ones to choose, you also know exactly what you are in for.

Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca is one of the greatest American films ever made. This wartime romantic-drama is a seminal work of filmmaking that greatly influenced movies and culture, while reflecting the captivating styles and ideals of its time. The American Film Institution rates Casablanca as the second greatest film ever.

The movie takes place in Morocco during World War II in the city of Casablanca. Here people from Europe and Africa came in order to flee the reach of the war. A multinational mix of fugitives, officers, criminals and refugees frequents the classy nightclub of the jaded but suave American, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart). Here he becomes entangled with an old love (Ingrid Bergman), a fleeing resistance leader (Paul Henreid), their Nazi pursuers and the effort to get them out and to safety.

When I sat down to watch this movie, I thought I was in for a slow and tedious romantic film that would have me yawning through the drawn out stares and dramatic dialogue. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the film in-fact moved quickly and engagingly in plot, while making every moment enjoyable with a dialogue so smooth, I wanted to memorise every line.

The first thing I noticed about Casablanca – and other movies from this time – is that they are not as narrowly defined in genre as modern movies. The film is defined as a romantic drama but also has a healthy share of suspense, action, and comedy – all executed with an impeccable style that shines through as the most memorable aspect of the movie.

I also realise that the shots, characters, and dialogue of Casablanca have influenced western pop-culture so deeply that even though I was watching the movie for the first time, I felt like I had seen each scene and heard each line before – and in a way I had, because they have been copied, referenced and parodied in many other movies and even the shows I watched when I was a kid.

Who Should watch this movie

If you think you will enjoy the classic 40’s Bogart swagger and Bergman’s bright-eyed beauty, smooth jazzy music, and iconic lines delivered with style, then you should definitely give this movie a shot.

If you end up watching this movie or have already seen it, do share own review and observations in the comments section – and add your own reasons for liking/disliking it.

Because this blog is weekly we will continue to highlight one classic a week, including foreign-language films, as well as local classics, so check back same time next week to see our next weekly classic!

If you liked Casablanca: watch “The Maltese Falcon”, “Play it again, Sam”.

Nadir Siddiqui is a photographer and interactive producer at Dawn.com. You can view some of his photography here.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.