Of all the films in all the world …

First port of call on Saga Ruby’s mystery cruise last December was a north African city which has for decades been synonymous with glamour and romance – among people who have never been there.
For the passengers who stepped ashore in an industrial container port shrouded in dust from the phosphates being loaded from silos into a cargo ship, and with its once-elegant boulevards a shadow of their former selves, Casablanca did not exactly live up to the image created by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
In fact some, who had visited the Moroccan city on earlier travels, chose to remain on board ship, despite the fact they had been at sea for three days since leaving Southampton.
None of this has prevented the 1942 film from reaching third place in the 50 favourite films of all time, voted for by Saga customers. It just had to be one of the usual suspects.
Saga teamed up with LOVEFiLM to compile the list, and all the films will be available on Saga Sapphire, now on her (delayed) maiden voyage. Top of the bill is the American prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins and wise old Morgan Freeman. No red faces at Saga, I hope, given that one of their rivals in the insurance and financial services market is advertised by a soundalike character called “Morethan Freeman.”
Perennial Christmas favourite It’s A Wonderful Life fills the second spot, and the Top 10 is completed with Schindler’s List, Some Like It Hot, Forrest Gump, The Great Escape, Singin’ In The Rain, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Had Sapphire’s debut not been delayed by over-running work on its multi-million pound refit, the list would have been revealed at a lunch on board with Nigel Havers, who features in number 13 on the list, Chariots of Fire.
He said: “”This is a great line up of movies; as well as some of the timeless classics you would expect to see there are some great adventures and poignant dramas. The choice of foreign language films