CASABLANCA — ★ ★ ★ ★ — Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Dooley Wilson.; rated PG (violence)

Paul Henreid died just a few weeks ago. He was the last surviving member of the primary cast of "Casablanca."

His death seems significant as we pay tribute to one of, if not the finest romantic melodrama ever to grace the silver screen as it goes into a theatrical re-release for its 50th anniversary.

The logical question one might ask is, "Why bother to pay movie prices to see `Casablanca' in a theater when you can rent it on video for a couple of bucks?"

But the greatest movies are even greater in a darkened theater. And "Casablanca" is no exception. (In fact, many critics internationally consider it to be the best movie ever made.)

Though I have seen many of my old favorites on the big screen, I had never seen "Casablanca" in a theater before a critics screening a few weeks ago. It's easy to see why audiences in the '40s, when World War II was raging, were so fascinated by this movie.

But it was also easy to see why it has endured as it has, why so much of the wry dialogue has

MOVIE entered the lexicon and why we remember Bogie and Bergman as one of the hottest romantic couples in movie history.

The script and direction are crisp and clear, the story is compelling and the casting is first-rate.

The story, of course, has enigmatic Humphrey Bogart as the cynical owner of Rick's, a nightclub in Casablanca where wartime refugees are a dime a dozen. But Rick is a man of principle — even if he seems selfish on the surface.

The plot hangs on his unexpectedly being reunited with the love of his life, Ingrid Bergman, who shows up at his nightclub with her husband (Henreid), the revered leader of an underground movement. Will Bogie help them, or will he steal her away?

But the real joys are contained in the set-pieces, the characters (superbly played by a wonderful cast) and the stars . . . Bergman has never been — or looked — better. And Dooley Wilson singing "As Time Goes By" is just extra frosting.

"Casablanca," which the ratings board has given a PG for this release, is superb filmmaking and seeing it on the big screen is a rare opportunity.

Don't miss it. And don't rent it, either.