The classic and much-loved romantic melodrama Casablanca (1942) is a masterful tale of two men vying for the same woman's love in a love triangle against the backdrop of the conflict between democracy and totalitarianism. With rich atmosphere, anti-Nazi propaganda, Max Steiner's superb musical score, suspense, and unforgettable characters and memorable lines of dialogue, it is one of the most popular, magical (and flawless) films of all time - focused on the themes of lost love, honor, self-sacrifice and romance within a chaotic world.
             Directed by the talented Michael Curtiz and shot almost entirely on studio sets, the film moves quickly through a surprisingly tightly constructed plot. The script for this film was written from day to day as the filming progressed and no one knew how the film would end [Would Ilsa stay with Rick or leave with Laszlo?]. Its collaborative screenplay was mainly the result of the efforts of Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch - and producer Hal Wallis contributed the film's final line. Except for the initial airport sequence, the entire studio-oriented film was shot in a Warner Bros. Hollywood/Burbank studio.
             Thematically, the film is typical in its appropriation of an official hero (Laszlo), who stands for the civilizing values of home and community and an outlaw hero (Rick), who stands for ad hoc individualism. Formally, Casablanca abundantly illustrates the importance of a number of "centering" techniques that create the illusion of realism while at the same time disguising the complex apparatus that lies behind each shot. By pinning the viewer's consciousness to Rick' s, most of what happens takes its logic from his point of view. The fusion of Rick and audience begins when we first catch a glimpse of nothing more than Rick's hand as it signs a check. Shortly after this shot, the entire body of Rick emerges from the viewer's space as he walks into the frame to confront the ...