Casablanca is one of the miracles of the Hollywood studio system. The stars were reluctant to make it, the sets were mostly recycled, the director was a late addition, and the script was still being written when shooting began: but none of this shows. The chemistry between Bogart and Bergman has rarely been equalled; Michael Curtiz thoroughly deserved his Best Director’s Oscar and the script is one of the finest ever written, overflowing with memorable lines. Moreover, the rogue’s gallery who wash up at Rick’s are made up of themost fascinating ensemble of supporting characters you are ever likely to see (none more so than Claude Rains’ cheerfully amoral police chief, Louis). If that was not enough, the film is a textbook example of how to disguise a serious message – about American intervention in the Second World War – as great entertainment. See it on the big screen in a print that brings out the best in Art Edeson’s wonderfully noirish cinematography.