Celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with a beloved Hollywood film that features the classic line, “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.”
The Cinema Arts Centre will host a screening of “Casablanca” (1942) on Thursday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. that includes a reception with champagne and chocolate-covered sweets.
The Academy Award winner for Best Picture is a captivating wartime adventure of romance and intrigue from director Michael Curtiz that defies standard categorization.
It is the story of Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a world-weary ex-freedom fighter who runs a nightclub in Casablanca, the central-western part of Morocco, during the early part of WWII. Despite pressure from the local authorities, notably the crafty Capt. Renault (Claude Rains), Rick’s Café has become a haven for refugees looking to purchase illicit letters of transit which will allow them to escape to America.
One day, to Rick’s great surprise, he is approached by the famed rebel Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick’s true love who deserted him when the Nazis invaded Paris. Ilsa still wants Victor to escape to America, but now that she’s renewed her love for Rick, she wants to stay behind in Casablanca.
“You must do the thinking for both of us,” she says to Rick. He does, and his plan brings the story to its satisfyingly logical, if not entirely happy, conclusion.
Featuring the distinctive and pervasive theme song, “As Time Goes By,” “Casablanca” will charm both lovebirds and lonely hearts. To purchase tickets ($15 members; $20 general public), go to www.cinemaartscentre.org.
The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Ave. in Huntington.
