A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.
The story of Rick Blaine, a cynical world-weary ex-patriate who runs a nightclub in Casablanca, Morocco during the early stages of WWII. Despite the pressure he constantly receives from the local authorities, Rick's cafe has become a kind of haven for refugees seeking to obtain illicit letters that will help them escape to America. But when Ilsa, a former lover of Rick's, and her husband, show up to his cafe one day, Rick faces a tough challenge which will bring up unforeseen complications, heartbreak and ultimately an excruciating decision to make.Written by
Kyle Perez
Some years ago in a shop dealing with historical documents, a photo still from this film was found, showing Rick sitting at the chess board. Accompanying the photo was a letter from Humphrey Bogart to a friend in New York, indicating a specific chess move. The document dealer explained that the chess game in the movie was a real game Bogart was playing by mail with his friend during the course of filming. See more »
Goofs
Major Strasser addresses Ilsa as "Mademoiselle," because as explained by Ilsa (when she attempts to get the letters of transit from Rick) her marriage to Victor was kept secret even from her friends. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator:
With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great embarkation point. But, not everybody could get to Lisbon directly, and so a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang up - Paris to Marseilles... across the Mediterranean to Oran... then by train, or auto, or foot across the rim of Africa, to Casablanca in French Morocco. Here, the fortunate ones through money, or ...
[...] See more »
Alternate Versions
As late as 1974, the references to an extra-marital affair were banned in Ireland. The Irish cut got rid of two important sequences. First, after Ilsa tells Rick that she had left him after finding out that Viktor was still alive, the embraces and dialogue that followed were cut. Second, the emotional dialogue at the end of the film from Ilsa's line "You're saying that only to make me go" to Rick's line "What I've got to do, you haven't any part of". This led to Irish audiences' being bemused by the relationship between Rick and Ilsa, and often interpreting Rick's final speech beginning "I'm no good at being noble" as a reflection on the debilitating effects of war. See more »
I say a 'simple' story because I am writing this piece after almost 77 years of the film's release, but in 1942, this story would have been quite original and new. The film naturally and flawlessly integrates a moving love story with the War backdrop. Bogart and Bergman make you feel the love through their expressions and emotions. Top-notch acting by the entire cast makes Casablanca one of the masterpieces of the 20th century. The film is crisp and fast and manages to keep you hooked throughout with its thriller element. With so many stories going on, you will be hooked to the screen.
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I say a 'simple' story because I am writing this piece after almost 77 years of the film's release, but in 1942, this story would have been quite original and new. The film naturally and flawlessly integrates a moving love story with the War backdrop. Bogart and Bergman make you feel the love through their expressions and emotions. Top-notch acting by the entire cast makes Casablanca one of the masterpieces of the 20th century. The film is crisp and fast and manages to keep you hooked throughout with its thriller element. With so many stories going on, you will be hooked to the screen.