Casablanca

Antiquities are a niche interest. People collect relics from the past to learn about how people once lived, how they occupied themselves, and the kinds of comforts they could enjoy. For many people, perusing gilded mirrors, dusty phonographs, and hideous cushions in a poorly lit store on your local town square constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, but some artifacts defy age and become entrenched in our daily lives for all time thanks to their enduring viability. The same is true of movies, especially when it comes to Casablanca, a 1942 film directed by Michael Curtiz and source for most of your grandparents’ references. Casablanca takes place on obvious sets, was filmed during World War II, and its entire cast smokes enough to be two days away from a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, and yet for all its superficial seniority, it has stood the test of time for the simple reason of being a doggone masterpiece. Casablanca is achingly romantic, its characters are eloquent yet understated, and its powerful cast deliver career-defining performances, and today, thanks to a request from one of our loyal listeners, Magellans at the Movies will be gushing about it. Here’s looking at you kid, now let’s jump in!Magellans at the Movies: the Blog (magellansatthemoviesblog.blogspot.com)