It is 1942 and the height of World War II. Refugees, desperate to leave Germany and its occupied territories are trying to get to America. The path to freedom leads them through the French Moroccan city of Casablanca. If one can get a visa there, it is possible to fly to Lisbon and then on to America. Anyone who cannot get a visa is stuck in Casablanca. If you are stuck in Casablanca, you go to Rick’s nightclub. “Rick’s Café Americain” is owned by expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart).
Rick is approached by a man named Ugarte (Peter Lorre) who entrusts him with some letters of transit that he got from questionable sources. With them, two people could leave Casablanca and fly to Lisbon. Ugarte wants to sell them but is captured by police captain, Louis Renault (Claude Rains) at the behest of Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt), from the German Gestapo. Now Rick has the letters of transit.
Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) arrive in Casablanca. Victor is a leader in the French resistance and wants to find passage to Lisbon. Strasser wants to keep him in Casablanca hoping to get vital information from him. Victor finds out that Rick ended up with the letters of transit and wants to buy them from Rick, but Rick had a relationship with Ilsa in the past and is not interested in helping Laszlo.
“Casablanca” was released in 1942 and was directed by Michael Curtiz. It is an American war romance with a bit of propaganda mixed in, as well as a few noir elements.
What makes Casablanca such a favorite is a combination of things in the right doses. The movie starts out as a political message that morphs into a romance and ends as a quasi-buddy movie. All of it flowing seamlessly from scene to scene. The film is punctuated with tiny bits of comedy and some quick action, all of it rolling along at a steady pace. Added to the way the film unfolds are some wonderfully talented actors that know not only their craft but the characters they represent. The dialogue is also as important as the action on screen. Many memorable quotes from the film have become part of American lexicon, even some misquotes. Rick never said, “Play it again Sam”.
The film started out being popular right out of the gate because of the appearance of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. It’s lasted because of all of the film's components coming together in perfect harmony. How all of this was accomplished is a bit of a miracle since the screenplay had more than one hand in it and several endings to the film were tossed around. Plus, the Hays Production Code required that certain topics could not be portrayed so getting around them was a bit of a challenge. The film has references to infidelity, extortion through sex and other moral issues. The fact that the film was relevant to the time it was produced, and the world was indeed at war also added to making it an instant hit. It stayed a hit due to its romantic themes, not only because of the still burning love between Rick and Ilsa but due to the romance of war.
Why Rick is an expatriate is never stated. The film was banned in Germany until after the war. Eventually it was released but without the scenes with Major Strasser and any reference to Nazis.