Just to be clear, the phrase “Play it again, Sam” is never once mentioned in Michael Curtiz’ WW2 classic. (The actual phrase is just “Play it, Sam.”) But that does nothing to diminish Casablanca’s status as one of the most beloved and iconic films of all time.

Humphrey Bogart is perfect as Rick Blaine, the cynical American expatriate who runs a nightclub and does his best to stay out of the encroaching war. But that proves impossible when his former flame Ilsa — a luminous Ingrid Bergman — shows up at his club with her new husband, an infamous resistance leader, with the Nazis hot on their heels. What follows is an absolute treat of a film, as Rick tries to outmaneuver Nazis and corrupt police alike even as his cynicism begins to melt bit by bit in Ilsa’s presence.

Casablanca is filled with classic scenes (“La Marseillaise”) and even more classic performances from Bogart, Bergman, Peter Lorre, and Claude Rains as the corrupt police chief that you can’t help but love.