Casablanca is a 1942 Warner Bros. romantic drama set amid wartime refugee flight and resistance activity. Directed by Michael Curtiz, it follows Rick Blaine, an American expatriate who runs a café in Casablanca, as his past with Ilsa Lund collides with the arrival of resistance leader Victor Laszlo. The film’s story joins a love triangle to the urgent political choices facing people trying to escape Nazi-occupied Europe.
What is Casablanca about?
Rick Blaine runs Rick’s Cafe Americain in Casablanca, a city that has become a stopping point for refugees seeking a way out of Europe during World War II. His carefully guarded distance is tested when Ilsa, a former love, arrives with her husband, Victor Laszlo, a resistance leader pursued by the authorities.
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Their reunion puts Rick between private feeling and the risks of helping others escape. The film’s romance unfolds within a larger story of displacement, political pressure, and resistance. The Library of Congress describes this wartime context in its National Film Registry essay collection.
Who made the film?
Michael Curtiz directed the Warner Bros. production. The screenplay is credited to Julius Epstein, Philip Epstein, and Howard Koch, and is based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison’s unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, according to the AFI Catalog.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe cast is led by Humphrey Bogart as Rick, Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa, and Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo. Dooley Wilson plays Sam. The film’s music includes Herman Hupfeld’s song “As Time Goes By,” and Max Steiner is credited for the score in the AFI Catalog.
When was Casablanca released?
The film premiered in New York on November 26, 1942, and received its national release on January 23, 1943. These are distinct milestones, not competing release dates; the AFI Catalog records both.
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What recognition did Casablanca receive?
The AFI Catalog records three Academy Award wins: Best Picture, Best Director for Michael Curtiz, and Best Screenplay. Humphrey Bogart was nominated for Best Actor. In 1989, the Library of Congress selected Casablanca for the National Film Registry, one of the 25 films in the Registry’s inaugural class.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Production details and historical context
The Library of Congress notes that Dooley Wilson, who portrayed Sam, could not play the piano. That detail belongs to the film’s production history; it does not change the character’s role as the café’s pianist in the story. The Library’s retrospective on the film also places its Registry selection among the first 25 titles chosen in 1989.
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For a catalog record and synopsis, see the Library of Congress record for Casablanca. It also documents a historical RCA SelectaVision videodisc issue; that record is not evidence of a currently available home-video edition.
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