Michael Curtiz directs Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid in this gold standard slice of studio era filmmaking.

Bogie and especially Claude Rains are both utterly wonderful here. You could watch an entire mini-series of just them respectfully bullshitting each other. Everyone talks in double speak but the scripted lies and hidden truths are so poetically phrased it is like witnessing a tongue-twister seduce a lullaby. Bergman is inarguably gorgeous and for a film about cynical people in an exploitative situation it is all heart and romance… she’s just the only one pure enough and therefore not scared to wear hers’ on her sleeve. Classic moment after classic moments cascade into each other. Perpetual perfection. They don’t make them like this anymore… they only made them like this once! “Here’s looking at you, kid!”

10

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/