Tonight I watched the movie Casablanca for the hundredth time. Yes, that is an exaggeration but I do believe I’ve seen this movie more than any other.

I enjoy the film’s elements: a wartime romance filmed in black and white with a great ensemble cast. 

Humphrey Bogart is an unlikely hero who says he doesn’t stick his neck out for anybody although in the end he does. Ingrid Bergman is his long-lost love but loyal to her super-patriot husband. We have Nazis, the French Resistance, refugees and spies. I am fond of Claude Rains as the opportunist and witty cad, Capt. Louis Renault.

I don’t remember all of the dialogue but I recognize every line when it’s said.

German Major Strasser asks Rick:  “What is your nationality?”
“I’m a drunkard,” he answers.
“That makes Rick a citizen of the world,” Capt. Renault says.

Or, Rick tells Capt. Renault: “And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart.”
Renault says: “That is my least vulnerable spot.”

Then, there is the ending: A foggy exit for the plane carrying Ilsa and Victor Lazlo to Lisbon. The Lazlos are taking too long to say good-bye on the ground. Capt. Renault double-crosses Rick but in the end does the right thing.

Best movie ever? Probably not. I have other contenders. But I haven’t gotten tired yet of watching Casablanca and that’s saying a lot.