Casablanca
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Synopsis
In wartime Morocco, cynical nightclub owner Rick Blaine runs an establishment where refugees gamble for exit papers. His detached neutrality is tested when his former lover Ilsa Lund arrives with her fugitive resistance-leader husband, needing the very transit visas Rick has hidden away.
Our Review
Unarguably one of the very best films in Hollywood history, CASABLANCA is set in French Morocco just before the start of World War II. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick, the nightclub owner who has refused thus far to take sides with the French resistance or the newly-appointed Nazi officials. He’s his usual cool, collected self until a ghost from his past walks in on the arm of the most wanted man in the resistance. The woman is Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), his lost love from Paris who never made it onto the train with him.
Since then he’s managed to suppress the emotional scars of jilted love, but finds himself drinking alone that night, pondering the reason why, “of all the gin joints in all the cities in all the world, she had to walk into mine.” Without her unexpected arrival, there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell. But the Paris past of Rick and Ilsa and her reasons for staying behind are what drive the movie, along with the exit visas Rick has in his possession that are the only chance of Ilsa’s husband, the resistance leader, to get out of Casablanca safely.
Repeated viewings add a lot of poignance to the early scenes, not just in putting the intricate, slowly-unfolding plot in big picture perspective, but in fully appreciating the reunion of Rick and Ilsa in his nightclub and understanding why Rick comes storming out to stop Sam the piano player (Dooley Wilson) from playing “As Time Goes By” after Ilsa requests it. The song, for anyone who’s seen CASABLANCA, is symbolic of so much of the movie’s meaning that it will be forever identified with CASABLANCA, even though it pops up in a great many other romances, including SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.
In the end it comes down to the age-old love triangle scenario. Bergman is still in love with Bogart but feels obligated to support her husband, while Bogart is in the situation of being in control of the destiny of the man who is married to the woman he loves. The ending is one of the most famous and memorable in movie history, and just about any line of dialogue is quotable. CASABLANCA is a wonderful, must-watch film from the Golden Age of Hollywood, one of the few movies that has actually improved with age and demands repeat viewings, holding a permanent place among the foundational cinematic works featured on MovieToWatch.
Plot
In December 1941, European refugees fill Casablanca trying to buy illegal exit visas to reach neutral Portugal and the United States. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a hardened American expatriate, operates Rick’s Café Américain, maintaining a rule of staying out of everyone’s business while socializing with local police head Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains).
A black-market smuggler named Ugarte (Peter Lorre) asks Rick to hide two stolen “letters of transit”—documents that allow anyone carrying them to leave the territory with no questions asked. Before Ugarte can sell them, the police arrest him, and he dies in custody without revealing where the papers are hidden.
That night, Czech resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) arrives at the club to secure passage out of Casablanca. With him is Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). When Ilsa asks house musician Sam (Dooley Wilson) to play “As Time Goes By,” Rick rushes out to stop the music, only to freeze when he sees the woman who abandoned him without explanation in Paris years earlier.
Ending Explained
Rick initially refuses to hand over the exit visas out of lingering resentment. Late that evening, Ilsa comes to his room above the cafe, threatening him with a gun to get the papers. When she breaks down and cannot shoot, she explains the truth: she was already married to Laszlo when she met Rick in Paris, believed Laszlo had died in a concentration camp, and only left Rick when she learned her husband was alive and needed her help.
Realizing the stakes are bigger than their personal history, Rick puts a plan in motion. He tells Captain Renault that he intends to frame Laszlo and run away to Lisbon with Ilsa himself. However, when they arrive at the foggy airfield, Rick pulls a gun on Renault, forcing him to clear the flight for Laszlo and Ilsa instead.
Rick tells Ilsa she must get on the plane with her husband, pointing out that their personal problems “don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world” and that staying behind would lead to regret. German Major Strasser arrives to stop the flight, but Rick shoots him when he reaches for a telephone. When the local police arrive, Renault looks at Strasser’s body, looks back at Rick, and orders his officers to “round up the usual suspects.” With the plane safely in the air, Rick and Renault walk off into the night together to join the resistance effort.
What We Think About This Movie
What We Liked
Natural, magnetic chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
The screenplay moves fast and gives almost every character iconic lines.
Claude Rains brings sharp wit and charm to Captain Renault.
Great use of shadow and lighting that makes the nightclub feel like a real crossroads.
The emotional weight behind songs like "As Time Goes By" and the singing of "La Marseillaise."
What We Didn't Like
Victor Laszlo is played so cleanly as a hero that he lacks the human flaws given to Rick.
A few exterior airport scenes show their studio backlot limits by modern standards.
Who Should Watch
Anyone looking to watch essential Golden Age Hollywood cinema.
Fans of wartime dramas, classic romance, and dialogue-driven stories.
Viewers who appreciate films about personal sacrifice and integrity.
Who Should Skip
Audiences who strictly avoid pre-1970s black-and-white films.
Viewers looking for fast combat action rather than character drama.
Movie Details
Where to Watch Casablanca in the USA
Frequently Asked Questions About Casablanca
Is Casablanca (1942) worth watching?
Holding a 9.6/10 rating on MovieToWatch, Casablanca remains one of the most widely watched classic films, known for its acting, dialogue, and enduring romance.
Who directed Casablanca?
The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, who won the Academy Award for Best Director for this project.
Did Casablanca win any Academy Awards?
Yes. Casablanca won three Oscars at the 16th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Curtiz), and Best Screenplay (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch).
Does Rick ever say "Play it again, Sam"?
No, that line is a common misquote. Ilsa asks Sam to "Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake," and Rick later demands, "Play it!" Neither character ever uses the exact phrase "Play it again, Sam."
How long is Casablanca?
Casablanca has an official runtime of 102 minutes (1 hour and 42 minutes).
What is the age rating for Casablanca?
The film carries a PG rating for mild violence, smoking, and wartime themes.
