Casablanca: Looking for the spirit of Rick's Cafe

I miss "Bogey's Bar" in Roppongi, which tried with fair success to imitate the atmosphere of Rick's Cafe. Similar interior, retro cocktail;s on the menu, waiters in old-fashioned tuxes, etc., even a pianist who would take requests including, of course, As Time Goes By.

It hung on for quite a while, but finally fell victim to the bubble bursting.

the Cintra, a cramped bar known for cheap beer

The Cintra in Marseille, on the other hand (now closed) was an "elegant" place to meet on the corner of the "Vieux Port" and the Canebière.

Went to Rick's in Casablanca a couple of years ago, excellent club that really evokes the movie. Very interesting walk from downtown through the medina to reach it.

If I understand, everybody is fan of that boring movie but nobody has ever watched it.

Hey, I've watched it. Heck, at one time, our dorm answering machine had that famous line, hahaha.

Casablanca in 1942 was a jewel of the French colonial empire,

There was no French empire in 1942. If I understand, everybody is fan of that boring movie but nobody has ever watched it.

"We don't do much jazz, we don't have a piano and we don't live in black and white," he said, with a touch of Rick's gruff humor from the movie. "This place is for young people who live in the 21st century-We live in color."

This somewhat morose manager's "gruff humor" makes living "in color" seem mandatory...

If nostalgia and comparison of the original "Rick's" brings such rancor, why model the place after such an icon?