Casablanca (1942)
About This Movie
An American nightclub owner in wartime Morocco must choose between the woman he loves and helping the resistance fight the Nazis, and the choice he makes has defined screen romance ever since. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman generated a chemistry so intense that the fog and shadows of the airport finale feel like the most romantic setting ever filmed. Every single line seems to have become a quote.
Why It's a Classic
The screenplay, credited to Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch, is the most quotable in film history: 'Here's looking at you, kid,' 'We'll always have Paris,' 'Round up the usual suspects,' and 'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine' all come from the same ninety minutes. Bogart's Rick Blaine defined the cinematic archetype of the principled cynic, the man who claims not to stick his neck out for anyone but ultimately sacrifices everything for a cause larger than himself. The film was shot on a compressed schedule with a script that was rewritten daily, and yet every element aligns as though it were planned for years. Claude Rains' Captain Renault provides the perfect moral counterpoint: a cheerful opportunist who discovers his own conscience just when it matters most. The final scene on the tarmac remains the gold standard for romantic sacrifice in cinema.
Fun Fact
The script was being rewritten throughout production, and neither Bogart nor Bergman knew until the final days of shooting whether Rick and Ilsa would end up together. Ronald Reagan was briefly considered for the role of Rick, though this may be studio publicity rather than a genuine offer. The piano in Rick's café, a 58 key upright, sold at auction in 2014 for $3.4 million. Dooley Wilson, who played Sam, was a drummer and could not actually play piano; a pianist performed off camera while Wilson mimed.
Parent Note
The violence is mild by modern standards, with a few shootings and wartime tension. The romantic content is passionate but entirely chaste by today's measures. Nazi villains provide clear moral context. The black and white photography and 1940s pacing may require an adjustment period for viewers raised on modern cinema, but the story's emotional power transcends era. Suitable for all but the youngest viewers.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 1942
- Type
- 🎬 Movie
- Category
- Classic Drama
- Age Group
- Adults (Ages 18+)