Timeless story of love, loss and redemption

LOS ANGELES: This weekend marks the 75th anniversary of the premiere of Casablanca ,a timeless story of love, loss and redemption many consider to be the greatest movie ever made.

Rushed onscreen at New York’s Hollywood Theater on Nov 26, 1942, to capitalise on the Allied invasion of North Africa, it won hearts worldwide and a best picture Oscar.

The story is iconic: a devastating romance starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund, star-crossed lovers whose union must be sacrificed for the sake of fighting the Nazis.

Nora Fiore, who runs the Nitrate Diva classic film blog, says Casablanca is about the triumph of idealism over cynicism, pointing to the passion of the supporting cast, many of whom were refugees who had fled Nazi persecution.

The Oscar-winning screenplay by Howard Koch, Julius Epstein and his twin brother Philip is as remarkable for the sheer number of catchphrases it spawned — from “Round up the usual suspects” to “Here’s looking at you, kid”.

“It is a film that gripped audiences during the darkest days of World War 2, and its message is still relevant,” said Amanda Garrett, a writer specialising in films from Hollywood’s

golden age.

“Casablanca puts each of its varied cast of characters in a desperate situation — living under a totalitarian regime — and then forces them to decide how they will react in the face of unimaginable evil.”

Many myths have built up concerning the production, the most common being that the

chemistry between Bergman and Bogart was based on mutual attraction. Family members, including the actresses Isabella Rossellini and the late Lauren Bacall, have insisted, however, that neither Bogart nor Bergman thought very much of the movie, nor of each other. AFP