A Classic of Pure Escapism.

Rating: 10/10 (1 September 2009)

Michael Curtiz's "Casablanca" (1942) would be impossible to remake nowadays. Most of the dialogue has passed into the public's conscience, so saying such classic lines like: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." would now be impossible to say with a straight face. What a knack the screenwriters, Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, had for great dialogue! When seen today, "Casablanca" still holds a misty awe about it. Wholly studio bound it may be, but would you rather have the sprawling and ugly city it really is? An improbable classic where the (anti?) hero doesn't get the girl in the end, it is a film only Hollywood could make. A joy to behold.