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Rating: 10/10 (26 March 2005)

I didn't see Casablanca all the way through until I was in my late 20's, and I'm glad. I wouldn't have appreciated the truth behind the actions and relationships of the characters at an earlier age. This is one of the world's great films.
I remember one television viewing especially. I had returned home from seeing a movie which was so poor that I have no recollection as to what film it was. I got home just as Casablanca was starting, and -- in spite of, or maybe beCAUSE of having already seen a movie that day -- sat mesmerized through the entire film. When it was over I looked at my wife and said "Do you think the guy who made that piece of crap we saw earlier has ever even SEEN a good movie?" I suspect that some young film makers have not. Casablanca has, besides one of the great casts in film history: sharp, smartly paced dialogue; layers of true- to-life stories; superb black-and-white photography. Anyone who has ever lost at love will ache as the characters wrestle with life-affecting decisions which wrench the heart. This is a great film.