We’ll Always Have Paris

By Jennifer VerPlanck

      Some people say that the 1942 film, Casablanca, is the best film ever made.   Although it’s been around for 75 years, it still has great authenticity, a suspenseful plot with an exotic location, complex characters, many of them shady, romance, betrayal and political intrigue, a great score and theme song, and the irresistibly alluring Ingrid Bergman. The film was made during World War 2 and had an intensity which may have been partly because no one knew what the outcome of the war would be. One emotional scene in the film has the patrons defiantly singing the French National anthem over the German soldiers singing of “Watch on the Rhine”. Many of the extras in that scene had real tears in their eyes, as they were actual refugees from Nazi persecution at the time.

    Perhaps you haven’t seen this one, but you may have heard some of the often- quoted lines: “Play it (again), Sam”, “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine”, “Round up the usual suspects”, “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “We’ll always have Paris”. The rich dialogue is just one of its charms. The characters smoke and drink like there’s no tomorrow, while they desperately connive and deal for precious ‘letters of transit” they need to escape Morocco and the dangerous Vichy regime.  It’s bittersweet that Rick and Ilsa are destined to be kept apart but they will always have the memories of their idyllic time together in Paris. 

   There is talk about a sequel. I’m not sure it could ever match the magic of the original film; the expectations would be impossibly high. What do you think? The ending has to rank as THE classic ending, though. It’s one of those things that is so perfect that I would rather they left it alone.

    I have a cork from the wine that we had on our wedding day; I kept it as a memento. We were married in Paris, it was rosé Champagne and it was a lovely romantic time. We enjoyed Paris. It might be fun to revisit the places we went but we could never recreate the mood or the moment. It’s more fun to create new happy memories.

    Good wine is not like any other drink. It’s not made in such a way, like soda or tea, that you will have an exact taste every time. That is just elusive with wine. That fabulous wine that you had on vacation, when you open a bottle when you get back home, may surprise you. It’s not that it will be bad, just probably a bit different.

    Mitigating factors as varied as the accompanying food, serving temperature and the shape of the wine glass to the weather, altitude and even the mood you’re in, all will influence your enjoyment of a wine. Wine is a living thing and it is constantly evolving. It’s an expression of a time and place.

   You may never find the same experience that you once had, so try something new or look for a wine that is reminiscent of the style that you like. You may find something that you like even better!    

Photo / illustration Credits: Public Domain, Pixabay, Wiki Commons,Pexels