106 - Casablanca

One of us has seen it countless times. The other has never seen it. Fortunately for José, Mike instantly falls in love with Casablanca. In a way, the pressure was on for Mike to enjoy it, as it's considered one of the greatest films of all time, and its screenplay in particular held up as a shining example of the craft. And how effortless it is to enjoy it! José notes how rare it is in cinema to see a man suffer for love, as Rick does, and the film's romance is intense and unapologetic. We swoon over the elegance of Michael Curtiz's direction, the sheer beauty of the cinematography - nobody these days is shot like Ingrid Bergman is here - and the rich cast of characters, played by one of the all-time great supporting casts. José considers how the refugee situation and politics depicted - that of a war-torn world relocating regular people to geographic and bureaucratic purgatory - haven't gone away, and Mike picks up on Madeleine Lebeau's Yvonne, a minor character whose story recapitulates Rick's in microcosm. The Marseillaise scene in particular gives us a lot to talk about. And so does much, much more. It's a good film. Who knew? Recorded on 30th October 2018.