Considered one of the greatest movies of all time, "Casablanca," a timeless story of love, loss, and, redemption, celebrates its 75th anniversary this weekend.
Released hastily at the Hollywood Theater in New York on November 26, 1942, to capitalize on the Allied invasion of North Africa, it was slow to take hold at the box office, but it ended up conquering hearts around the world and winning the Oscar for best film in 1944.
The story is iconic: a devastating romance starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund, star-crossed lovers whose union is sacrificed for the sake of the fight against the Nazis, in the Nazi-controlled city of Casablanca.
For Nora Fiore, director of the classic film blog "Nitrate Diva", "Casablanca" is about the triumph of idealism over cynicism, highlighting the passion of the supporting actors, many of whom were refugees escaping Nazi persecution.
"'Casablanca' shows, in a sweetened way, an allegory of the United States coming out of its isolationism and selfishness, and taking risks to help others, especially refugees," she told.
Written by Howard Koch, Julius Epstein, and his twin brother Philip, the Oscar-winning screenplay is notable for the catchphrases it spawned, from "Round up the usual suspects" to "We'll always have Paris" ("We will always have Paris").
With the death last year of Madeleine LeBeau, who plays Yvonne, Rick's scorned lover, in the film, there are no more living actors left, but no one doubts the film's legacy.
Considered the third-best film of all time in 2007 by the American Film Institute, it still continues to fill movie theaters today.
In 2012, Michael Curtiz's Best Director Oscar was auctioned for $2.1 million in Santa Monica, California, and the piano at Rick's Cafe where Sam played, for $3.4 million two years later in New York.
"This is a film that captivated audiences in the darkest days of World War II and its message is still relevant today," Amanda Garrett, a writer specializing in films from the golden age of Hollywood, told AFP.
"'Casablanca' puts each of its various actors in dire straits -- living in a totalitarian regime -- and then forces them to decide how they are going to react to unthinkable evil."
Many myths circulate about the production and the best-known claims that the famous chemistry between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart was based on a real mutual attraction.
But several relatives, including actress Isabella Rossellini and the late Lauren Bacall, have insisted that neither Bogart nor Bergman thought highly of each other or appreciated the film very much.
Ingrid Bergman, who died at age 67 in 1982, had not really wanted to do "Casablanca" but she accepted the role of it after initially being turned down for the film that she was really interested in: "For whom does the bell toll?" of Sam Wood (1943), in which she will finally star.
She was only offered the role of her in "Casablanca" after Hedy Lamarr, her first choice, turned it down.
Film historians note that the script was written and rewritten dozens of times during filming, leaving Bergman in the dark: Will her character end up with Rick or Victor Laszlo, played by Paul Henreid?
She pressed the writers to find out, but they didn't know themselves either. The actress was forced to show as neutral a face as possible in the final scene in Rick's Cafe, hence her mysterious and admired facial expression.
"'Casablanca' illustrates the strength of the (Hollywood) studio system, with a great director, stars, character actors, script, cinematography, costumes, and sets all working together to produce an exhilarating film," Fiore told AFP.
"It's a tribute to the genius and quality of old Hollywood and the relevance of the movies the studio system produced in its heyday."
