Summary: The Greatest Love Story of Our Time

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2001)

If you are a patriotic person you will "know" that to win a war requires great sacrifices of your own desires, wants, and needs. Here, in Casablanca we have a simple story, of which the movie producers themselves didn't think would become such a classic, which has captured the hearts of all who see this movie.
Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine is a man's man. He is courageous and fights a war on his terms with his own resources. The beautiful Ingrid Bergman portrays a woman (Ilsa Lund Laszlo) torn between her true love and her duty to her husband whom she once believed was killed in the war. The moral is that "duty" takes precedence over personal feelings.
Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo the "underground resistance leader" plays his role straight with dedication to the cause of freedom and "understanding" when he learns of Ilsa and Rick's past affair in Paris, France. The most inspiring part was when Victor leads a song challenge with the French National Anthem in Rick's club against the boastful German Army. The emotion of this scene was so strong that it brings tears to the eyes of any true patriot.
If you are a lover of Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Claude Rains, you will find classic performances here! Conrad Veidt played the German Major Strasser to form. I understand that Madeleine LeBeau (Yvonne)is actually French and you can see the tears of patriotism on her face as she sings a most inspiring rendition of Le Marseillaise (French National Anthem).
Dooley Wilson plays Rick's piano player in Casablanca. It is true that "the world will always welcome lovers" As Time Goes By! "You played it for her - you can play it for me. Play it, Sam. Play it!"