Casablanca (1942)

About Casablanca

Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. Based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's unproduced stage play Everybody Comes to Rick's, the film is set during World War II in the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca. It centers on Rick Blaine, an American expatriate and nightclub owner, who must choose between his love for former flame Ilsa Lund and helping her husband, Resistance leader Victor Laszlo, escape to continue his fight against the Nazis.

Making / Production

Casablanca was produced by Warner Bros. The production was relatively troubled, with rewrites occurring throughout filming and the ending undecided until the final weeks of shooting. Despite these complications, the film was completed on time and within budget.

Actors

• Humphrey Bogart played Rick Blaine. His portrayal of the cynical yet sanguine nightclub owner is acclaimed for its complexity.
• Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. Bergman's performance as the charismatic and conflicted Ilsa contributed significantly to the chemistry of the lead characters.
• Paul Henreid was cast as Victor Laszlo, providing a strong contrast to Bogart's character with his role as the principled Resistance leader.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The famous line, "Here's looking at you, kid," was improvised by Humphrey Bogart in the Parisian scenes and was later worked into the rest of the film.
• Despite being set in Casablanca, the entire film was shot in a studio in California.

Awards

Casablanca won three Academy Awards in 1944, including Best Picture, Best Director for Michael Curtiz, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch.

Quotes

• "We'll always have Paris."
• "Here's looking at you, kid."
• "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Music, Soundtrack

• As Time Goes By performed by Dooley Wilson (as Sam)
• La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, used at key dramatic points in the score