1940's

I chose Casablanca because it was way out of my era and really didn't know anything about it. The film was set during World War II, time when there really was'nt very much to be excited about. It was shot in a town called Casablanca that was located in South Africa. People came there to escape Europe and the German invasion. Casablanca was a place that you had to be at in order to get to America. In order to leave Casablanca you had to have a Letter of Transit. The movie was focused on a man torn between love and virtue. He had to choose between his love for a woman or helping her and her husband get to America. The movie was set in December of 1941 and the song "As Time Goes By" became popular. The movie was not suppose to be released  until spring of 1943 but was released November 26, 1942 so it could coincide with the invasion of North Africa and the capture of Casablanca. I believe the reason this film made a lasting impact it grew in popularity so fast that the film was called "true yesterday", "true today", "true tomorrow". They say that it is the third most successful wartime movie ever made. In Cambridge, MA they show this film every year as part of a old movie series. Casablanca became so popular that the University of Harvard began playing it during final week and they still do it as of today. By 1977 Casablanca was the most played film on American TV.