Eternal Glamour

"Where I'm going you can't follow. What I've got to do you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Now, now … Here's looking at you, kid." -- Rick

Unlike most films from Hollywood's so-called Golden Age, Casablanca has not faded with age. Quite the opposite - its unforgettable script, iconic performances and bold rejection of the predictable happy ending make it a must-see even 60 years after it was first screened. Casablanca is set in French Morocco during World War II. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick, the local nightclub owner who has refused to take sides with the French resistance or the newly-appointed Nazi officials. Ingrid Bergman is Ilsa, Rick's lost love, who he believes abandoned him as they prepared to flee the Nazi advance on Paris.

Dooley Wilson's rendition of "As Time Goes By" became a worldwide smash hit; its Chinese version is still familiar to many Chinese youngsters even today. Humphrey Bogart's status as a romantic hero was cemented for all time, while Ingrid Bergman set fashion trends for post-war women the world over. 

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Casablanca was also a triumph at the 1944 Academy Awards.

Michael Curtiz won the Oscar for Best Director.

Producer Hal B. Wallis took away the Oscar for Best Picture.

Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch won Best Screenplay.

Humphrey Bogart was nominated for Best Actor.

Claude Rains was nominated Best Supporting Actor.

Arthur Edeson was nominated for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White).

Owen Marks was nominated for Best Film Editing.

Max Steiner was nominated for Best Music.