Given its ubiquity in popular culture and its place in the hearts of generations of moviegoers, one wonders, after all this time, if there could be anything more we don't already know about "Casablanca." No matter how familiar the images, how memorable the lines, how timeless the story, the answer is, yes, there's a whole book worth of things most will be "shocked, shocked" to learn. "The Essential Casablanca" is brimming with amazing true stories, corrected myths, and particular particulars about the most popular movie in the history of cinema. It's not meant to provide a comprehensive nor com-plete academic reference, but rather an accessible distillation, a delightful confection in its own right, about a film that is one of the most beloved pieces of motion picture art and one that has resonated across nearly three-quarters of a century."