History Film / Casablanca

** Louis’ first meeting with Strasser has him note that they’ve rounded up twice the usual number of suspects for the couriers’ murders, showing both his open corruption and his tendency to not take his job all that seriously. In his next scene, he playfully prods at Rick’s cynical facade, showing that he doesn’t really buy his friend’s gruff demeanor.

* DirtyCop: Captain Renault. He works with Nazis, collects gambling winnings (from a fixed game) despite it being illegal and it's implied that he extorts sex from women in exchange for export visas. Unlike most examples, his conscience comes through in the end.

* AllLovingHero: Victor Laszlo. It says something about him that the only person in the entire movie who isn't in complete awe and admiration of the utterly heroic and saintly resistance leader is the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] officer who has been sent to capture him, which is a [[AcceptableTargets ringing endorsement]] if ever there was one. He's so noble that he doesn't hold a grudge that his beloved wife, believing that he was dead, has fallen in love with another man, and his example is so powerful that that other man is eventually quite willing to sacrifice his one chance at happiness [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy by convincing her to stay with him]].

** Renault, whose "broad-mindedness" is joked about and who mentions that "if he were a woman" he would be in love with Rick although is a womanizer.

* AgeGapRomance: Ilsa is noticeably younger than Victor and significantly younger than Rick. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in Rick’s repeated line to Ilsa (‘Here’s looking at you, ''kid''’) and when Ilsa and Rick discuss in the {{Flashback}} what they were doing 10 years beforehand -- Ilsa was getting her braces, Rick was looking for a job.* TheAlliance: The Allies. Which they go out of their way to demonstrate.

* TheAlliance: The Allies. Which they go out of their way to demonstrate.

* GuileHero: Rick.

* MayDecemberRomance: Ilsa is noticeably younger than Victor and significantly younger than Rick. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in Rick’s repeated line to Ilsa (‘Here’s looking at you, ''kid''’) and when Ilsa and Rick discuss in the {{Flashback}} what they were doing 10 years beforehand -- Ilsa was getting her braces, Rick was looking for a job.

** For all that ''is'' revealed, we still don't know why (and exactly when) he left America or why he can't return.

** Louis' change of heart is more sudden but no less complete: Strasser's death was clearly caused by either him or Blaine, with Louis' lie obvious either way. His subordinates could have turned them both in for a promotion.

* FriendOrIdolDecision: A three-way, playing into the film's TriangRelations and the fact that there are only two Letters of Transit for the three characters:

* TriangRelations: Number seven, initially.

* BareYourMidriff: Yvonne, in her first scene.

* BootstrappedTheme: "As Time Goes By" is now the official VanityPlate jingle for Creator/WarnerBros.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

The setting is Casablanca, UsefulNotes/{{Morocco}} from December 2–5, 1941; the city is a melting-pot hotbed of [[WarRefugees refugees]] from Nazi oppression who are all desperately trying to make their way to the United States -- and freedom -- while trying to avoid the Vichy French authorities, their German masters, and all manner of opportunistic criminals. At the center of the story is protagonist Rick Blaine (Bogart), the bitter, cynical American owner of Rick's Café Americain -- which professes absolute neutrality to all, from the ruthless German commander Major Heinrich Strasser (Creator/ConradVeidt) and corrupt, cynical French police chief Louis Renault (Creator/ClaudeRains) to the various refugees and criminals who employ his bar as a convenient meeting-place for dealings of all kinds.

** Ilsa visits Rick to try to get him to give her the letters of transit, when he refuses, she picks up his gun and threatens to shoot him. Rick's response: "If you'll stick at nothing to get those letters, then go on. Here, I'll make it easy for you." She doesn't shoot. Variation because Rick is saying (paraphrased), "If you're the Ilsa I knew you won't shoot me, but if you will, then I have no desire to live."

* DeadStarWalking: Played with [[spoiler: With the film reteaming Creator/HumphreyBogart with Creator/SydneyGreenstreet and Creator/PeterLorre from ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'' audiences who are familair with Lorre's lengthy career, or who have seen that film before this one, may be expecting Lorre to have a much more prominent role in the film (Since Joel Cairo in the other film was a sizable part), and he's billed right after Greenstreet on the poster for this film. While his role and actions to get the letters of transit kickstart the whole plot, he only has a couple of scenes with Bogart before he's arrested and killed. His character exits the picture in the film's first act.]]

** There's a brief scene at the end where Captain Renault dumps out a bottle of Vichy water and tosses it in the trash. The motivations are hinted at in the movie but it doesn't go into a lot of detail, and may be a skippable scene for modern-day viewers. When the Germans defeated France, they divided the country into two. They themselves occupied the eastern half of the country—including Paris, the actual capital— but because they had bigger issues (including Communist Russia), they set up a puppet government in the western half of the country, with a capital in Vichy France. Technically, Vichy was neutral in the war, but they basically danced to the Germans' tune... and because they controlled Casablanca and other French colonies, we can see that playing out in the film. So basically, Renault's dumping his Vichy water signals that he's no longer willing to be the puppet. He's ready to fight the Germans just like Rick is. But on a subtler level, it also makes a very pointed statement about the U.S. government's position on the whole thing.

* ActorAllusion: Possibly, Rick's quip that [[BrooklynRage there are parts of New York which the Germans should avoid invading]]. One year before ''Casablanca'', ''Film/AllThroughTheNight'' featured Creator/HumphreyBogart fighting against a Nazi cell in New York.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Signor Ferrari has a nice ring.

* NiceHat:
** Ferrari's fez.
** Rick is wearing Bogie's iconic Fedora during the final scenes, and also during the Paris railway station platform scene.

''Casablanca'' is a 1942 Creator/WarnerBros [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII wartime]] drama film, considered by many to be one of the greatest films of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood.

''Casablanca'' is a 1942 Creator/WarnerBros wartime drama film, considered by many to be one of the greatest films of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood.

''Casablanca'' is a 1942 Creator/WarnerBros wartime drama film, considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made (and quite possibly ''the'' greatest of Hollywood's [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood golden age]]).

''Casablanca'' is a 1942 Creator/WarnerBros wartime drama film, considered by many to be one of the greatest Hollywood films ever made.

-->'''Renault:''' ''(to Rick, after the Brandels have left)'' I'll forgive you this time. But I'll be in tomorrow night with a breathtaking blonde, and it will make me very happy if she loses.

-->'''Renault:''' I'll forgive you this time. But I'll be in tomorrow night with a breathtaking blonde, and it will make me very happy if she loses.

** There's a brief scene at the end where Captain Renault dumps out a bottle of Vichy water and tosses it in the trash. The motivations are hinted at in the movie but it doesn't go into a lot of detail, and may be a skippable scene for modern-day viewers. When the Germans defeated France, they divided the country into two. They themselves occupied the eastern half of the country—including Paris, the actual capital— but because they had bigger issues (including Communist Russia), they set up a puppet government in the western half of the country, with a capital in Vichy France. Technically, Vichy was neutral in the war, but they basically danced to the Germans' tune…and because they controlled Casablanca and other French colonies, we can see that playing out in the film. So basically, Renault's dumping his Vichy water signals that he's no longer willing to be the puppet. He's ready to fight the Germans just like Rick is. But on a subtler level, it also makes a very pointed statement about the U.S. government's position on the whole thing.

* ScarpiaUltimatum: The scene with the young Bulgarian newlyweds, the Brandels, trying to buy passage to Lisbon from Captain Renault. He wants either a very large sum of money or sex with the wife. In the end, Rick helps them raise the money cheating to let them win at roulette. In contrast to most examples of this trope, Captain Renault apparently always does keep his word and is willing to take the money if they do happen to have it. It's what lets him keep the 'Affable' in AffablyEvil.

The screenplay was written by Howard Koch, based on the unproduced play ''Everybody Comes to Rick's'' by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison and enhanced by the brilliant dialogue of brothers Julius and Philip Epstein. The film was given to ace director Creator/MichaelCurtiz, and respected composer Music/MaxSteiner wrote the music score. Early press releases claimed that UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan and Creator/AnnSheridan were to be the leads, but this was just the WB publicity department using an opportunity to promote those actors in the upcoming ''Film/KingsRow''. George Raft also made a play for the lead role, but the studio had ''always'' planned the film as an A-list picture and never considered ''anyone'' but Creator/HumphreyBogart for its starring role.

The screenplay was written by Howard Koch, based on the unproduced play ''Everybody Comes to Rick's'' by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison and enhanced by the brilliant dialogue of brothers Julius and Philip Epstein. The film was given to ace director Creator/MichaelCurtiz, and respected composer Music/MaxSteiner wrote the music score. Early press releases claimed that UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan and Creator/AnnSheridan were to be the leads, but this was just the WB publicity department using an opportunity to promote those actors and the upcoming ''Film/KingsRow''. George Raft also made a play for the lead role, but the studio had ''always'' planned the film as an A-list picture and never considered ''anyone'' but Creator/HumphreyBogart for its starring role.

** Seemingly Louis, at first, but ultimately subverted (the evil part that is, not the affable).
** Even the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazis]] are relatively affable at times - Strasser in particular is almost always exquisitely polite.
** Ugarte, played by Peter Lorre, is an earnest and polite man. He is also an unrepentant assassin, thief and human trafficker.
** Ferrari is TheDon, Rick's chief competitor and has his fingers in every illegal pie in Casablanca. He is also a BigFun-type, and while he tries to buy both Rick's café and Sam's services, he never does anything an interested legitimate businessman wouldn't.

** Averted with Ferrari. The film initially depicts him as a sinister character (the fact Sydney Greenstreet did play a villain opposite Bogart in another film doesn't hurt), but by the end he turns out to be an ally, providing Ilsa and Victor with important guidance regarding the letters of transit. He is only an "enemy" of Rick's by virtue of being a business competitor who wants to buy his cafe (and he oversees illegal activities in Casablanca, which is not a major plot point and doesn't seem to bother Rick); in the end, he agrees to not only buy the cafe, but agree to Rick's terms as well, which includes giving Sam a ''massive'' raise.

''Casablanca'' is a 1942 Creator/WarnerBros wartime drama film, considered by many to be one of the most romantic (and best) Hollywood films ever made.