Taking A Look At The Movie "Casablanca"

With how many different choices there are for movies, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out what you and your spouse should watch on your next movie night; when this becomes a difficult choice to make, the best approach is often to fall back on a classic. And when it comes to classic American movies, there are few that can come close to the esteem in which the film Casablanca is held; even sixty-nine years after its original release in 1942, this movie is a great viewing experience!

Casablanca - which is considered by many to be the finest screenplay ever written - was not expected to meet the success it did while in production; the film was written by the Epstein twins (Julius and Philip), and it starred Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman (each of whom were huge Hollywood stars at the time), but the studio imagined it being something that would simply round out their year of movies. As it turned out, however, Casablanca became an immediate success, drawing large audiences and taking home three Academy Awards - including Best Picture of the year!

The focus of the movie is an American expatriate played by Bogart, who is living in (and running a saloon in) the French-controlled, African city of Casablanca - a city that was teeming with Europeans at the time who were fleeing the devastation of World War II in Europe, trying to leave from Casablanca for the safety of America. This seemingly simple premise rapidly grows into a thick, finely-designed love story - a love story that contains all the tragedy of war, all the agony of betrayal, and all the mystery of unrevealed secrets - which leaves the viewer feeling satisfied in a way few movies can achieve!

Casablanca is a reminder of what movies can be, and even after all these years, it is a perfect movie to watch on a movie night with someone you love.