There's an inherent difficulty in writing about classic films. In a pithy 400 word piece, how can you expect to find something new to say about what's roundly labelled a masterpiece, a critical darling or even just a beloved family favourite? Time magnifies this problem. I often suspect this worry particularly affects my generation of film-watchers, who've had time to hear Roger Ebert's, Pauline Kael's and Mark Kermode's dissection of the classics to the extent that it seems perfunctory to actually sit down and watch them. I'm guilty of this. Why watch all of Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin when you've seen the 'Odessa steps' sequence on Youtube? Why read Jane Eyre when you've read The Madwoman in the Attic?

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the release of Casablanca, a film so well-remembered it appears six separate times on the AFI's Top 100 movie quotes. Even if you've never even seen the DVD cover, you've probably heard “Here's looking at you, kid” or “We'll always have Paris” sprinkled into random conversation or chat-show patter over the years. Like everything about Casablanca, these lines have been put through the cultural grinder until all that remains are some fine and singular remnants. Humphrey Bogart's moody mug on the poster. The fedoras and cigarette smoke. Maybe that iconic final farewell at the airport. But even this is pretty impressive for a film that came out before the D-Day landings.

It's fair to say that what is so lasting about Casablanca is encapsulated in those (frequently misquoted) lines. Like the best film-noirs of the era, the script fizzles with witty exchanges and droll one-liners. Howard Koch and the Epstein brothers shared Oscars for the screenplay at the 1942 Academy Awards. But Casablanca wasn't then, and isn't now, a deep or challenging artistic statement. The film was produced as an unspectacular part of Warner Bros. studio line-up, intended to do some solid business at the box office and entertain Joe Public. Director Michael Curtiz had to shoot the film in sequence because he only had half a script when filming began. Casablanca is never more than a quasi-historical romantic melodrama, but when it's done this well, it doesn't need to be.

The film's quality speaks for itself, and I can do nothing more than implore you to seek it out. Bogart is timelessly cool. Ingrid Berman makes her damsel role undeniably touching. And the slimy Ugarte defines Peter Lorre as the greatest scene-stealer in history. It's a cliché but Casablanca is really one of those movies that has everything: terrific music, fine acting, a brilliantly-realized setting and a surprising amount of laughs.

Watching old films might seem like the cinematic equivalent of eating your vegetables, but it doesn't have to. Black-and-white film doesn't make a movie automatically brilliant, but it also shouldn't discount it either. Your library's DVD collection is undoubtedly full of great movies you've never seen before, so why not go explore? It's cheaper than the cinema and it won't use up your bandwidth. Remember, they're called classics for a reason.

Support Varsity

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too!

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!