I went to see this last night in a 90 year old theater. I’m so glad I did, and hope to be able to go to more of the classic movie showings.

Anyway, instead of previews they showed an animated short titled “Carrotblanca” with Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, and all the gang. Very cute.

Then the movie began. I can’t really say that I’ve seen this movie all the way through before last night.

As time goes by, a bitter Rick remember a lost love as war erupts around them. The plot is great and all that, but the “Hollywood magic” is what really stands out to me.

The way Ingrid Bergman’s earrings catch the light and shimmer in time with he music, and her glassy, shining eyes. The feeling of depth in character relationships brought by impeccable casting.

Movies today should definitely take a lesson from Casablanca… and a great movie does not always require a chiche “happy ending”, although it is nice to know the characters we’ve grown to relate to are going to be alright.