Casablanca
1942  NR  DRAMA  1h 42min
CAST— Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Dooley Wilson, Marcel Dalio, S. Z. Sakall, Joy Page, Helmut Dantine, Curt Bois
MUSIC— Max Steiner  DIRECTOR— Michael Curtiz  BASED ON— Everybody Comes to Rick’s (play), by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison

     Wartime intrigue and the rekindled flame of long-lost love highlight this classic film that The American Film Institute ranked number one on their list of romantic films. In World War II Europe, the German occupation is in full swing. Refugees swarm to safety through debarkation points on their way to America. One such area is in Casablanca, part of the Moroccan desert; but the Nazis restrict all travel from Casablanca, with the help of the local police. In this tiny part of the world lies Rick’s, a tavern owned by a disillusioned man with a heart of gold. Unexpectedly, a woman walks into the bar one night… the very woman that has left Rick himself so bitter. Their past is involved, but he must put that behind him in order to help her get to America, out of the hands of the Nazis. This beloved film has proven to be a tearjerker for many years, and sixty-five plus years later it shows no sign of wear and tear. Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.
OUR RATING— ***