Casablanca Vs Raiders of the Lost Ark: A Comparative Film Review on the Classics

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." Bogart sits hunched over his bourbon, a pained grimace on his face like "his insides have been kicked out". Bold shadows and silhouettes dance across the stucco of Morocco in Michael Curtiz's "Casablanca" (1943). Casablanca, a cultural oasis in deserts of fascism sets up the war film. The heavy music, the sweeping camera movements with frantic Arabs and evil Nazis are enough to make any movie watchable, but the characters make the film. From the beautiful Ingrid Bergman to the calloused Humphrey Bogart, the players convey utter ambiguity. Claude Raines' corrupt police chief takes the cake with unabashed villainy and endearing French needling. Bogey's character, Rick, must decide weather or not to hold his happiness over the lives of others. In the end, he is uncovered as a "rank sentimentalist", and as he walks into the fog he is welcomed back to the fight with the promise of adventures left untold.

Those adventures may have flowed over into the 1981 film by Stephen Spielberg, "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Though the setting is 1936 Egypt, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) has the cynicism of Bogart, but his youth and passion give him morality borrowed from whip cracking adventurers of 30's serials. It is nonstop action for Indy, but this time, he walks into her bar, bringing up painful memories of lost love. The Nazis are still the bad guys and the Arab backdrop is familiar, but the supernatural Ark brings fantasy to life. The good versus evil dynamic is perpetuated by boulders, snakes, and gunfights. Of course good guys live happily ever after.

Because of the character development, "Casablanca" is a better film. Yet, dazzling special effects and action packed storyline of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" brings excitement propelled by blatant references and familiar feelings that are welcomed in the second Indiana Jones, the third, and... even the fourth.