larry rodgers

An unknown critic writes, "Effusive praise creates its own legend," and gives Casablanca 2 stars. He also writes; "it's a second rate melodrama." The he goes on to dissect the film piece by piece, pointing to each flaw, like a medical school doctor dissecting a cadaver to aspiring interns. Oh how we have become so myopic in our pursuit of perfection. I am sure that Casablanca could have adorn every dime store book self in the Romance Novel category, swepted up by every lonely military wife of that era. But rather, Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner graced us with a movie that was simple in concept but filled us with emotional complexities. One could fall back on their memories of their first love; their first breakup, or perhaps love that never was to be. It is all of these and more. You must lose yourself in the story and relate. In doing so, reflections of one's own painful experiences are realized. That is the essence of this movie. So, I say to those critics of a lesser heart, this movie is not for you. It is for those whose who have loved and have known love. This is their movie.