In Which We Serve Which We Sink"". On Christmas Eve 1942 in New York, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures honoured the film as the Best English Language Film of the Year citing Bernard Miles and John Mills for their performances. The film was nominated in the 1943 Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay (losing out to "Casablanca" and "Princess O'Rourke" respectively). However, Coward was presented with an Academy Honorary Award for "his outstanding production achievement." "In Which We Serve" also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film (beating "Casablanca") and the Argentine Film Critics
Casablanca (film) elements can be criticized, citing unrealistic special effects and the stiff character/portrayal of Laszlo. Critic Leonard Maltin considers "Casablanca" to be "the best Hollywood movie of all time." Rick, according to Rudy Behlmer, is "not a hero ... not a bad guy": he does what is necessary to get along with the authorities and "sticks his neck out for nobody". The other characters, in Behlmer's words, are "not cut and dried" and come into their goodness over the course of the film. Renault begins as a collaborator with the Nazis who extorts sexual favors from refugees and has Ugarte killed.