Local theaters mark 70th anniversary of ‘Casablanca’

Jason Fraly, WTOP Film Critic

WASHINGTON – “You must remember this.”

Local theaters are celebrating the 70th Anniversary of “Casablanca” Wednesday night in Arlington, Leesburg, and Hanover, Md.

The 1942 classic was recently voted the greatest movie romance of all time by the American Film Institute. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America voted it the greatest script of all time with six — count ’em, six — lines making the AFI’s Top 100 Movie Quotes:

  • (#67) “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
  • (#43) “We’ll always have Paris.”
  • (#32) “Round up the usual suspects.”
  • (#28) “Play it, Sam.”
  • (#20) “Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
  • (#5) “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman sacrifice their hearts for the betterment of mankind, striking a major blow against the Nazis in exotic Morocco.

But why do we keep returning to the film after all these years? The film’s legendary song says it all:

“It’s still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of do or die. The world will always welcome lovers as time goes by.”

“Casablanca” is screening at three locations in our area Wednesday, March 21:

  • Regal Ballston Common Stadium 12

  • 671 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203
    2:00 p.m.
    7:00 p.m.

  • Cobb Village 12 Cinemas

  • 1600 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg, VA 20176
    7:00 p.m.

  • Cinemark Egyptian 24 and XD

  • 7000 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD 21076
    2:00 p.m.
    7:00 p.m.

I already have my tickets for the Arlington showing. See you in the aisle.

Read more from WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley by clicking “Fraley on Film” under the “Living” tab above, and check out his blog, The Film Spectrum.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

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