Writer's Block: The tenth time's the charm

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The movie I've seen the most times in my life is Casablanca.

Okay, so shoot me. I like this film. I do not tire of it, and have lost track of the number of times I've seen it. If I had to estimate the number, I'd put it at more than 100 over the years. I enjoy watching it and manage to glean some new nuance from the screenplay every time I do. I know people who have memorized large sections of dialog, and am proud to count them among my friends.

There are a number of memorable scenes and lines in this movie. Have you ever heard anyone say something along the lines of: "I'm shocked - shocked! - to find <such-and-so> going on in this establishment!" Well, that's one of Captain Louis Renault's lines in the movie. Another of Renault's lines - "Round up the usual suspects!" - should be familiar to many.

Among my earliest memorable recollections of this movie is an exchange between Rick (played by Humphrey Bogart) and German Major Heinrich Strasser (played by Conrad Veidt). Strasser, who has been needling Blaine about the Germans occupying Paris and possibly London presses on and asks how Rick would feel about the Germans being in New York. "Well," quips Rick with mock seriousness, "there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade." How true.

Another exchange that struck a chord within me early on in my acquaintance with this film occurs as Renault (played by Claude Rains) and Rick sit outside Rick's nightclub:

Renault: What in Heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?
Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Renault: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert.
Rick: I was misinformed.
Renault: Hmph.

That "Hmph" is very slight, but it speaks volumes (at least to me)!

If I'm not busy, I can always make time to watch this movie, and if I haven't grown tired of it by now, I probably never will.

Cheers...