Casablanca

Yesterday I saw Beethoven’s 7th performed by the San Francisco symphony and it inspired me to finally rewatch Casablanca for the first time in probably 10 years or so. When I first saw it my experience with pre 50s cinema was mostly just Citizen Kane, Wizard of Oz, and It’s a Wonderful Life. I liked it but I remember feeling like the emotional elements didn’t get me the way they were designed to. I chalked it up to time eroding its impact. Now that I’ve seen much more old stuff where I was floored emotionally I was curious how I’d receive it now. And my goodness. I certainly felt the weight of it this time. It is a perfect film whose impact has made everything better. Similar to Beethoven in that way. We’re just extraordinarily fortunate to live in a world where things like Casablanca and Beethoven’s 7th exist. And even more fortunate to live in a time where things like that are so easily accessible. Some of the greatest art ever made is esoteric and less accessible. Like Mahler and Tarkovsky. But there is just as much value in accessible masterpieces like this.