Released in 1942 in the midst of World War II, Casablanca follows the loveable rogue and expatriate Rick, as he struggles to decide whether or not to help a former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco. Suspense, romance, humor, it’s a film that has it all. Over 80 years after its initial release it still manages to transfix audiences in a way that is somehow more than the sum of its parts.
The Love Triangle
Casablanca might be set during World War II, with Nazis, resistance members, and everything in between, but at its soul, it’s a love story. When Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) first set eyes on each other, their chemistry is undeniable. It’s a complicated affair, as both have moved on from their previous romance, even though both still bear the scars of their Paris fling. The film gradually reveals to us the details of the conflicted love triangle, somehow keeping the audience empathetic with all sides involved.
This was an important move, as at the time the Motion Picture Production Code forbade showing a woman leaving her husband for another man. This effectively killed off the possibility of Rick and Ilsa ending up together. The outcome was always going to be Ilsa fleeing with her husband and resistance leader Laszlo, with the real question being how to arrive at that ending.
In Casablanca, it’s about the journey and not the destination. It’s hard not to root for a happy ending that sees Rick and Ilsa elope together. Yet leaving Lazslo out in the cold would have left a sour taste in the mouth. In the end, everything is tied together beautifully. The man who sticks his neck out for nobody does just the opposite. And in doing so he resolves the complex love triangle, with all involved ending in a better place. More importantly, they end up working towards a common goal that is far more important than simply the love of two people.
The Real Life Rick’s
Rick’s Café Américain is a multicultural melting pot, heaving with clientele from all sides of the war. The fictitious cafe has a few influences and would have been a likely place to exist at the time of filming.
Casablanca was based on an unproduced screenplay called Everybody Comes to Rick’s. Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the play in 1942 for $20,000. At the time this was the most anyone in Hollywood had ever paid for an unproduced play. The play was inspired by a trip to Europe made by the writers in 1938. In the south of France, they went to a nightclub that had a multinational clientele, among them many exiles and refugees, and the prototype of Sam, which all featured in the script.
A more direct inspiration for Rick’s Café as seen in the film was Cinema Vox. This was Africa’s largest movie theatre when it opened in 1935. Based in Tangier, which was officially a Spanish territory, the theatre’s wartime bar heaved with spies, refugees, and underworld hoods, securing its place in cinematic history as the main inspiration for the famous Café featured in Casablanca.
Iconic Lines
Casablanca is an iconic movie, and one reason for that is the slew of iconic lines. Endlessly quotable, some of these were not in the original script, with some even existing only in the imagination of viewers.
One of the most endearing characters in the movie is the house pianist Sam. There are several occasions where he is requested to play what became the theme for Casablanca, As Time Goes By. It’s a tune that has deep meaning to Rick and Ilsa’s initial love affair in Paris. The line “Play it again Sam” comes to many viewers’ minds when thinking about this. Strangely, this is a misquotation, with the line never actually featuring in the movie. This is partly down to some confusion and crossover with Woody Allen’s 1972 film which was itself entitled Play It Again, Sam.
Initially, there were also two options for the final line of the movie. As Rick and Louis consider their next moves in the closing stages, Rick was scripted to say “Louis, I might have known you’d mix your patriotism with a little larceny”. In the end the line “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” was favored, and I think we can all agree the right choice was made.
Rick’s pet line to Ilsa” Here’s looking at you, kid”, is said four times throughout the movie. But it was not in the original screenplay draft. The origins of the line have been attributed to a comment Borgart made to Bergman in between takes, as she played poker with her English coach and hairdresser.
There are many other quotes, such as “We’ll always have Paris”, and my personal favorite “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine”. There is no doubt all these lines put together raise the iconic status of Casablanca as a whole.
What Casablanca Means to Us
Casablanca was one of the first classics I wanted to knock off once I began my movie a day. I had always seen it in the top five of any best movies of all time list but always put it off for whatever reason and once I finally watched it, I was disappointed. I thought the dialogue was amazing and the performances were next level but it felt utterly inert to me. It felt too stagey to me and I just couldn’t connect to it. Years later, I decided to revisit it and am baffled by my past critiques. This deserves its reputation and then some. This is about as perfect a film as I’ve ever seen. The characters are iconic, the dialogue is perfect and it’s so well-paced that it feels like it’s all one take. Casablanca is about as good as films get and is beyond essential.
–Sailor Monsoon
I’ve seen bits and pieces of Casablanca over the years, but I didn’t sit down and watch the full movie until last year. Which is weird, because I love old movies. I knew the basic story, and I expected to be awed by the iconic romance and electric chemistry of Bogart and Bergman. I didn’t realize I’d be sucked in even more by the intrigue and suspense. The acting is phenomenal, of course, but the script is so much more than the legendary quotes that have seeped into the collective consciousness. It twists and turns eloquently, weaving together plot threads from the past and present, not just for Rick and Ilsa, but for everyone around them caught in this small corner of World War II. We are immersed in their desperate struggle for survival as the world outside tears itself apart. Casablanca is certainly an epic tear-jerker of a love story, but it is also a story of sacrifice, of courage, and of fighting for what’s right. That’s what makes it a timeless tale, deserving of its place in cinema history.
–R.J. Mathews
Legacy
Casablanca was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three. It is ranked third on the American Film Institute’s 100 best movies of the last 100 years. It launched Ingrid Bergman’s career, established Humphrey Bogart as a romantic lead, and has influenced numerous works since its release, from The Usual Suspects to Bugs Bunny cartoons.
To this day it has remained one of Hollywood’s most beloved works and has become part of the American cultural fabric. Rick and Ilsa will always have Paris. We will always have Casablanca.
Have you seen Casablanca? What did you think of the film? Got a fun fact or piece of trivia on the making of the film? Share it in the comments below!
