Casablanca

TCM really did me in tonight. They had The Philadelphia Story on and then followed it up with Casablanca, so it's after midnight, and I'm still watching. Both movies are favorites of mine, but has there ever really been anything that compares to Casablanca?

I'll never forget the first time I saw it. IU had a free film series called City Lights that showed classic movies on the big screen, and my friends and I used to go see them. I got to see several wonderful old films that way, and Casablanca was one of them. I wish Podunk would revive its wonderful old movie palace downtown and show some of these great films there. Seeing Casablanca on that big screen, as is the case with any film, really made a difference.

There have been too many wise words written about it for me to add anything worth saying except my admiration. Every time I see it, the film just gets better and better. It's like a gem held in a strong light; facets sparkle and come to attention as it turns.

One of my favorite moments in the film comes when the German troops are singing some anthem loudly in Rick's while all the other patrons are very silent and sad. Then suddenly, Lazlo hurries down the stairs, strikes up Rick's band into the French national anthem, and and the entire cafe rises and sings. As the camera pans across the faces, tears are in their eyes, even the eyes of the cafe girl Yvette who has been dating a German officer. Eventually the Nazis are completely drowned out, and they stop singing altogether. It's a powerful moment.

Uh-oh....TCM just announced the next film: North by Northwest. I need sleep, but it's Cary Grant and Hitchcock......