Casablanca

“I came to Casablanca for the waters,” says Rick. “What waters? We're in the desert,” says Renault. “I was misinformed,” says Rick. You must remember those classic lines, along with “Here's looking at you, kid”, “Round up the usual suspects” and the famously misquoted “Play it, Sam”. Casablanca was conceived in chaos (last-minute casting, an unfinished script), was born a masterpiece and struck a spark with wartime audiences who valued political and emotional commitment. Along with Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, it sums up the myth of movie-making and, along with its perfect pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, boasts a marvellous array of fully developed supporting characters. Although dismissed by one of its writers as just one of the 50 movies Warner Bros made that year, it was special then, winning the best picture Oscar, and always will be.

Cinema par excellence: a studio-bound Hollywood melodrama which after various chances just fell together impeccably into one of the outstanding entertainment experiences of cinema history, with romance, intrigue, excitement, suspense and humour cun