Why Casablanca still lives in our hearts and minds.
Howard Koch, co-screenwriter of the iconic film Casablanca, could never have guessed when he picked up his Oscar in 1943 that 20 years later another Oscar would enter his life: Oskar Schindler. Koch’s 1965 screenplay, To the Last Hour, was the first attempt to chronicle the tale that eventually became Schindler’s List. Many observers have commented on the similarities of the swashbuckling, enigmatic Schindler to Rick Blaine, Casablanca’s unforgettable hero. In a 1980 phone call Koch confided to me that Oskar Schindler was the most fascinating character he had ever encountered. More fascinating than one of the most famous characters in cinema history? Could some of Rick’s DNA have made it onto Schindler’s List? I am shocked, er, was shocked when I heard it from the horse’s mouth.
