Casablanca

Storyline

Directed by Michael Curtiz, the 1942 wartime romantic drama Casablanca is revered by film historians and audiences as the definitive Hollywood screenplay and one of the greatest movies ever made, winning three Academy Awards including Best Picture. Set in Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca during the height of World War II, the narrative revolves around Rick's Café Américain, an upscale nightclub and gambling den run by cynical, disillusioned American expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart in an immortal screen persona). Rick sticks his neck out for nobody until his former Paris lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman in an ethereal, radiant performance), walks into his club with her husband, Czech anti-Nazi resistance hero Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Desperate for rare letters of transit to escape to neutral America, Ilsa's presence reopens Rick's broken heart, forcing him to choose between personal romantic passion and self-sacrificing moral courage to aid the Allied cause against Nazi Major Strasser. Featuring unforgettable dialogue ('Here's looking at you, kid', 'We'll always have Paris', 'Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship'), Max Steiner's score playing 'As Time Goes By', and Arthur Edeson's shadowy noir lighting, Casablanca is cinematic perfection.