The story centers on Rick Blaine, an American expatriate who runs "Rick’s Café Américain," a popular nightclub and gambling den . Rick maintains a neutral, cynical exterior until his former lover, Ilsa Lund, walks into his café with her husband, Victor Laszlo, a renowned Czech Resistance leader. The couple is seeking "letters of transit"—valuable documents that allow the bearer to leave German-occupied territory freely—which Rick happens to possess .

Despite having a chaotic production where the script was often written day-to-day, Casablanca won three Academy Awards, including , Best Director (Michael Curtiz), and Best Screenplay . It is a staple of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list, often ranking in the top three. AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

: It stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund .

: It is famous for its iconic dialogue, including lines like "Here's looking at you, kid" and "We'll always have Paris," though the famous "Play it again, Sam" is actually a misquotation of the dialogue . Production and Impact