"If that plane leaves and you're not on it, you'll regret it, not today, not tomorrow but soon, and for the rest of your life." The best line in the whole of cinema! It still sends chills down my spine, and I've watched this movie dozens of times. Thank you for the sensitive reaction.

Very few pick up on the significance of Rick saying "I suggest you ask your wife." She wears no wedding ring and eventually explains to Rick that not even their closest friends knew they were married and that's the way Victor wanted it, for her protection. Yet Rick looks him straight in the face and says "Ask your wife." That's why Victor looked surprised, because Rick knew they were married and only one person could have told him. It didn't take much for Victor to figure out the relationship.

This film was released at a point when the fate of the world was very much in question. I can't imagine how viewing it at that time must have felt. It's chilling to think about.

Many in the cast were people who had fled Europe, and the Nazis. When the band plays La Marseilles, the emotion was genuine. Many in the cast had loved ones still stuck in imprisoned Europe, and the song was a release of tremendous emotion. Rick and Ilsa are the love of each other's lives, and Rick has to watch her walk out of his life TWICE. Ilsa has it the worst. She will live the rest of her days happily married, but not to the one. It's the most heartbreaking thing imaginable.

The last talk between Rick and Ilsa pretty much explains why Rick has made his decision. This scenario is set at a time when the entire history of the world was teetering on the edge of disaster. Rick has weighed the options and realizes that, as deeply as he loves her and she loves him, the Cause is more important. "Love outweighs everything" is a trope so strong that most of us simply no longer see it as a trope but as an "absolute truism." But compared to the survival of millions, duty and morality does sometimes outweigh "true Love." There are some sacrifices that have to be made. And in 1941 millions of sacrifices were being made all over the world. Compared to that, as Rick says, "the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans."

Ingrid Bergman did not know who she would end up with until the final scene, which let her be authentic in her confused emotions. My favorite movie ever.

She didn't think she was cheating on Lazlo when he was in the concentration camp; she thought he had died there. But then he showed up on the day Rick and Ilsa were going to flee Paris.

Madison saw the play twist way ahead of time and still teared up. Underneath her hard shell lies a sentimentalist.

“There’s nothin like two tortured lovers pining for each other!” Beautifully said! Love your reactions!!

Many of the cast members were actual refugees who fled Nazi-occupied Europe, including Madeleine Lebeau who played Rick's early love interest Yvonne. So you can imagine how emotional the scene where Lazlo leads the singing of "La Marseillaise", the French national anthem, was to many of the cast. Madeleine's tears in that scene were real and you can see how much it means to her.

This is quite simply one of the most iconic films of all time. So much in fact that even Warner Brothers realizes it, and their logo uses the "As Time Goes By" music to this day at the beginning of most Warner Brothers films (with some occasional exceptions).

Imagine yourself in a theater in early 1942! Watching this movie! Wow! Your beautiful eyes would be filled with tears!

3:28 - "Tonight he'll be at Rick's. Everybody comes to Rick's." I never caught that before - the script for 'Casablanca' is adapted from an unproduced play titled..."Everybody Comes to Rick's".

The script was written on the fly as the movie was being made . Quite an accomplishment.

Wonderful reaction. The screenplay for Casablanca is largely considered one of the all-time great works of cinema.

Madison: the BEST part of classic movies is, the more times you watch them, the more of the little subtleties you'll pick out.

13:41 - "From every corner of Europe, hundreds...thousands would rise to take our places. Even Nazi's can't kill that fast." I always loved that line. And it occurred to me that we see that idea in microcosm later in the film when Victor leads the entire cafe in that stirring rendition of La Marseillaise drowning out the German officers' song. Everyone in the cafe, people from all over Europe, literally rise to their feet to unite and sing. (And the actress who played Yvonne, who tearily shouts "Viva La France!" at the end, was a French actress named Madeleine Lebeau and was herself an actual refugee having fled German occupied France.) Also, at the end of the film, right after Bogart's "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." the closing music contains a rousing rendition of La Marseillaise. And, by the way, the translated lyrics to La Marseillaise (the French National Anthem): Arise, children of the Fatherland Our day of glory has arrived Against us the bloody flag of tyranny is raised; the bloody flag is raised. Do you hear, in the countryside The roar of those ferocious soldiers? They’re coming right into your arms To cut the throats of your sons, your comrades! To arms, citizens! Form your battalions Let’s march, let’s march That their impure blood Should water our fields.

Almost every single line is an all-time quote. And Ingrid Bergman.... "ooof."

A great reaction, Madison. Rick did the noble thing, at his own expense. That is true love selfless and noble the best of us, he did what was right, not want he ultimately wanted.

"Rick shot first!" What a wonderful movie.

Thanks for posting this review, Madison. It’s always fun to watch someone cry while watching a classic while you’re also crying while watching the reaction.

@15:11 Elsa: _If I had to stay & there was only one Visa, would you take it?_ Laszlo (looking at her dreamily): _Yes I would._ From the look on his face he obviously lied to convince her to take the one visa if he had to stay.

The fact that the script came together so well is remarkable when you consider they were still writing and rewriting parts while the movie was actually being filmed. At one point Ingrid Bergman went to the director and asked "Who am I supposed to be in love with?" The director told her to "play it in between" because at that point even he wasn't sure how the script would wind up. There's so much trivia about this film. It's suspenseful, romantic and at multiple points outright hilarious. Rains has razor sharp wit, Karl and Sacha are outright comics at points...even the pickpocket can make you laugh.

So glad you called out the fantastic screenwriting. I love the script so much, I typed it out on a typewriter when I was a kid, so to better devour and learn from it. The story of how the script came to be is very interesting. There are many books on Casablanca, but I enjoyed "The Making of Casablanca: Bogart, Bergman, and World War II". Enjoy revisiting this joyful experience from time to time. A true classic.

Great reaction. When Renault drops the bottle labeled Vichy Water in the trash can that is his rejection of Vichy France and the Nazis. He has become a patriot of free France and a member of the resistance.

"The Maltese Falcon" and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" are amazing, must watch Bogart films. Also "the African Queen"....Three legendary John Huston directed classics!

The script was written day to day during shooting. In fact nobody knew how the film was gonna end until the last day of filming. Remarkable!

Now you know why this is near the top of almost every greatest movie list.

I simply can't get enough of this exemplary film. Your reaction to it captures both it's greatness and your heart. I'd love to see to react to Notorious, a Hitchcock film with Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and Claude Rains. I think you'd love it.

What a fantastic cast -- Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Bogart. All three in another classic, The Maltese Falcon. Other Bogart classics include The Big Sleep with Lauren Bacall and The African Queen with Katherine Hepburn.

Saw you tear up during the final airport scene! Your whole response was perceptive, and you picked up things well. Subscribed. Carl the waiter was Jewish, and had a sister in a German concentration camp. She was to die there. "Yvonne" and the croupier were RL husband and wife, and both had actually fled Paris when the Germans came in. He was Jewish. They fled by car, bicycle and foot to Portugal and escaped from there to Argentina, then to the USA. Her tears and passion during the La Marseillaise scene were totally real. The director, Michael Curtiz (also Jewish) also (yes, really!) had his own escape from Paris when the Germans came in! I have read that there was not a dry eye on the set by the end of that anthems scene! Almost all of the small parts and extras were actual European refugees! That was done deliberately, for realism and also it gave them work. Every part of what makes up a film was done phenomenally well on this film. Warner's "traded" Olivia De Havilland to MGM for Ingrid Bergman, who was incredible for the part. There are entire books written about this movie, as well as some great documentaries on YT.

The most significant scene is when Rick saw that the young woman was willing to give herself to another man because she loved her husband more than her own dignity. This inspired Rick to make his own sacrifices but also in order to prevent Victor from always suspecting that his wife was still in love with Rick he lied and said that Ilsa gave HER body to Rick in order to save her husband. He knew that Victor would believe that lie and love her for her act of sacrifice.

Often cited as the best film to come out of the "studio system" during Hollywood's golden age. Basically it exceeded expectations at the box office and Oscar night. A great film that stood out from the hundred others Hollywood churned out that year. A-list stars fulfilling their contracts. Basically an all in-house production, save for the script which was adapted from the unproduced play: "Everyone Comes to Rick's." An unexpected hit.

Think I said it before , but it bears repeating - you are one of the most astute and empathetic movie reactors that I've watched . Always stay for your summaries . I've seen Casablanca countless times and react emotionally every time . Best of luck and stick with reacting to movies ! - Can't believe you almost didn't show this one .

She truly believed her husband was dead when she first met and fell in love with Rick in Paris. She actually said so, in the flashback. Her moral conflict and heartbreak in their final scene in Paris are the core of her character. What would you do if you truly believed yourself to be a widow, then fell in love, and then suddenly found out that your "late" husband was still alive? What else could she do, except write a letter? I kind of hate how Ilsa keeps being interpreted as a player, when she literally broke her *own* heart out of loyalty to her husband.

One of my very favorite movies, Madison, as it was my Dad's before me, and your reaction might be the best combination of mature contemplation and emotional engagement I've seen for one of the all-time greats! Well done.

This is one of the best films ever made, because it is so reflective both in the Micro and the Macro of the terrible struggles of the times. A time of incredible heartbreak, incredible fear and incredible bravery, many times from unexpected sources. So many incredible performances and such terrific writing. Whenever this movie comes on I'm watching it.

She loves them both, but her passion is for Rick. And Rick and Victor are very similar people; Rick has just been wounded in love and lost himself. He finds himself again in the end, and I think that's really why the end is so satisfying.

Victor needed Ilsa because he loved her so much, even though she did not love him equally in return. Rick didn't want him to become broken and distracted, as he had been. All Rick needed was to know that what happened in Paris was real, that Ilsa truly loved him, and he would always have that time in his life to cherish as he joined the fight. With Louis deciding it was finally time to take a side (the one he had always wanted to take, of course), now there are three good men plus Ilsa in this movie fighting for the cause of freedom, each in their own way.

7:56 "Are my eyes really brown?" That is so funny in a black and white movie. :)

Arguably the most quoted film in cinema.

"Here's looking at you, kid" and "We'll always have Paris". Others have mentioned the scene playing "La Marseillaise". Paris fell on June 14, 1940. Everything was up in the air and this came out in the earlier part of the war. La Marseillaise was in the movie not at all by accident. Considered one of best if not best movie of all-time.

Great film. Great reaction. 👍 That look when they first see each other is so powerful; one of the most poignant in film history.

My father used this film to explain the opening of WW2 to me as a child, it remains my most emotional movie to this late day.

There are few movies I see more than 1-2 times, but this is an exception. I watch this about once a year and I'm still amazed that I continue to find little gems to appreciate in the acting and script every time I see it.

There is no beating these beautiful old classics. There are so many more to explore.

IMO the most underrated lines: "Alright, I'll make it easy for you. Go ahead and shoot, you'll be doing me a favor."

Winner of 3 Oscars including Best Picture.

Ingrid Bergman was, without doubt, one of the most coolly beautiful actresses of all time. That is the sort of face, and those are the sort of eyes, that could launch a thousand ships.

Great reaction, Madison!! If you want to check out Ingrid Bergman's range as a actress, try out the film that she made after Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). It's dynamite!!! Also Katina Paxinou won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

This is obviously a classic, but Ingrid Bergman was always perplexed as to why it became so. She was pleased to have been in a film which she knew would be remembered forever but felt she had been in much better films

Arguably my favorite movie. The African Queen gives it a serious run for it's money though. If you haven't seen it, it's amazing. Another Humphrey Bogart, also starring Katherine Hepburn.

Considering the standards and technology of the different eras of cinema, I believe this is the best film of all time. It's definitely the best screenplay ever. Kudos to you on your edit and your insight as to the eventual ending. Please continue reacting to classic cinema. There are three directors in particular that I love...Hitchcock, Billy Wilder and Stanley Kubrick. Wilder's Some Like It Hot is widely considered the best comedy ever made, and I hope you consider reacting to it and to some of these other classics from a different era. I've subscribed in hopes of seeing you watch more great films of different eras...

Conrad Veidt, who played Major Strasser, had a clause in his contract with the film studio that whenever he was cast as a Nazi, the character would be a villain. He made sure to play them as evil as he could manage. Fair is fair; he and his Jewish wife had fled Germany in 1933.

A little -known gem is THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP. It's one of Scorcese's three favorite movies.

I always thought Ilsa loved Viktor the way a student loves a mentor who opens up the world to them.... Her love for Rick was different. It was passionate and carnal. Neither love was lesser - just different, and she was understandably torn. I always thought Ilsa's reaction during the famous 'battle of the bands' scene was "....oh lord, here we go again...." Loving, yet weary. It was a delight to watch Casablanca through your fresh eyes. I love this film and have seen it countless times. It is imho the greatest propaganda film ever. (Not that I disagree with the message.) This is a timeless classic. Thanks for posting this. It was a pleasure watching this with you.

You had your finger on the pulse throughout the movie. Good job Madison. :)

I love it when a new generation watches these older movies. Especially the black and white movies because the cinematography was so special and unique to the black and white filming. That is why I hate it when they try to colorize these movies. They loose their magic. The stroies are so good too. If you haven’t watched them you should try All About Eve, Gentlemans Agreement, and The Best Years Of Out Lives. So good.

Your life will be enriched and made better by viewing these classics. Rick's character was also a metaphor for how America felt about getting involved in the war in Europe. We were isolationists during the early years of the war. It wasn't until Japan attacked the US did the US get pissed off and got involved. So this film was an attempt to sway Americans' feelings of the war against Hitler.

Rick didn’t sacrifice their love for the sake of the cause. He did it because it was the only choice he could make. Taking someone’s wife was against Ricks base ethics and the situation only occurred due to cruel circumstances. The fact that her husband was not a scumbag, but a loving caring attentive husband and a great man as well…cemented that. Rick knew that sooner or later both their guilt and self loathing would undermine their love if they selfishly pursued it(especially his) The only chance at a happy ending for all three was for her to be on that plane with her husband. Retaining their self respect, respect for each other, and healing of closure to move on with their lives…something Rick and her did not have till the end. It is bittersweet but a great testimony for love and sacrifice of our selfish wants for it.

The Maltese Falcon has 3 of the same actors from Casablanca, Humphry Bogart, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. Great movie!!!

Your reaction and review is among the best I have seen for Casablanca. It demonstrates why multiple watchings of this movie are a requirement. It is easy to miss things that lend even more depth to the story. For example, the story of the young Bulgarian couple and the "secret" she would need to keep locked in her heart. After at least 50 watchings over my life, I still find nuance and simple pleasure in each additional viewing. Madison, you really won my heart with your heartfelt, honest and insightful reaction. I look forward to seeing more of your work. I'll drop you a few recommendations after I review your already completed movies. "Here's looking at you kid."

I first saw this over fifty years ago. I've seen a lot of movies made before this, and I've seen a lot of movies since. I was even a screenwriter for a small hunk of that. For me (and I appreciate that tastes differ), this is still the best movie yet made. Not that the runners-up aren't nipping at its heels, but it just doesn't have a weak moment.

Ingrid Bergman first saw the film on TV but stated, during an interview, that she has not seen the film on "the screen" until the early 70s. That would have been 30 years after the movie premiered! That is astonishing to me!

Please watch Casablanca again. Now that you know the back stories and the character motivations, you’ll see tiny little details that truly reveal how great the film really is. The scene where Ilsa and Rick first meet again is an example. You caught how thunderstruck Rick and Ilsa were in the scene, but did you notice how Ilsa’s voice cracks just a little bit when she says “Hello, Rick”? As if she is trying her best to keep it together. Thanks for the admiring tears. I’ve shed a few of those myself over this movie.

When Capt Renault said "Round up the usual suspects", it might have inspired the title of the modern film The Usual Suspects. In it, the police are trying to figure out why a man with bodyguards was murdered on a docked ship.

Casablanca! Rick & Ilsa! What a fantastic movie, one of the greatest ever! "Here's looking at you, kid." "We'll always have Paris."

I’ve seen this film many times and it always seems fresh. What is amazing to me is that this was only one film of over 50 that were made by Warner Brothers during 1942. The Studio cranked out a picture in only a few weeks by using the available studio craftsmen. The fortunate combination of Script Writers, Director, Camera Men, Actors, Set and Costume Designers plus the lucky timing of the American Army invading Morocco and Casablanca was like Catching Lighting in a Bottle'. Everything lined up perfectly. An element of this film, that made it so suspenseful, was the love triangle between Rick, Ilsa and Victor. Normally in a Hollywood movie two of the people, the leading man and the girl are obviously meant to end up together. The third character is always shown with some flaw or attitude that makes them an unsuitable mate. In Casablanca, all three leading characters are shown to be equally heroic and desirable choices. Thus making it more difficult for the theater audience to decide who should end up flying off together and who should be the one left behind.

This is one great movie. The anthem singing gets me.

romantic: They run off together. Romantic: Their Love leads them to Honor their Duties.

Madison! I’m so glad you’re showing your older reactions from another channel. The ending to Casablanca had not yet been written so the actors had no idea who was going to be with who. Movie suggestions: The Apartment- excellent writing, won Best Picture Oscar, It Happened One Night (1934) also won a lot of Oscars, has held up very well and The Wizard of Oz (1939) amazing movie. Since you appreciate good writing, how about the WW ll film The Americanization of Emily with Julie Andrews and James Garner? This was James Garner’s favorite film.

Casablanca is also a political allegory of World War II. Rick Blaine represents the United States, which initially insisted that it should be neutral in World War II. However, when the United States was bombed at Pearl Harbor, it had no choice but to get involved.

Possibly the best film ever made. It never gets old.

So many lines are world famous, including one never uttered "Play it again, Sam"

Famous lines from this film " Play it again Sam" , " Here's looking at you Kid" and " I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"

Ingrid Bergman was magical. I loved her most in Hitchcock,'s Spellbound (1945) having as romantic partner Gregory Peck.

this movie has three of my favorite character actors; claude raines, john qualen and peter lorre. bogart starred in some of the best movies ever made. his early gangster films include "the petrified forrest," "dead end," "the roaring twenties" and "high sierra." his classic private-eye films are "the maltese falcon" and "the big sleep." his ww2 themed classics are "casablanca," "to have and have not' and "sahara." his late 40's and 50's flicks include "the treasure of the sierra madre," "key largo," "the african queen" and "the caine mutiny." all of these are excellent films and worth a watch! ingrid bergman, in the 50s, was the first actor to be offered a Million bucks for a movie contract. she turned it down saying - offer me good scripts and you won't have to pay me a million dollars. about 5 years later elizabeth taylor was paid a million dollars to star in the mega-flop "cleopatra."

My own first viewing, age 27, was in the company of a talented, bright beauty, and her family. This young woman was pursuing me romantically, while engaged to another man, which she didn't mention! The saga between us burned red hot to it's dramatic conclusion, which I don't share on social media. So yes, watching this film includes a complicated backstory romance of my own! A special film for me. Thank for reviewing it so wonderfully!

So many people today can't fully grasp the impact of this movie on audiences at the time. It was made during the early stages of WWII. The US population had mostly been against entering the war until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Rick represents that isolationist "I stick my neck out for nobody" view. Many of the supporting actors had in fact escaped Nazi Germany in real life. (Including Conrad Veidt who played Colonel Strasser). They were deeply emotionally invested in this film.

This movie had quite the international cast. Humphrey Bogart and Dooley Wilson, American; Ingrid Berman, Swedish; Paul Henried, Austrian; Claude Rains and Sydney Greenstreet, British, Conrad Veidt, German; Peter Lorre, and S Z Sakall, Hungarian, Leonid Kinsky, Russian; Madeleine Lebeau, French. Plus many others. The director, Michael Curtiz, was Hungarian, while the composer, Max Steiner, was Austrian.

You should react to mor old gems like this one. Take a look at movies with Audrey Hepburn for example - "Sabrina", "Breakfast at Tiffanys" or "Roman Holiday". "High society" with Grace Kelly would be a good choice as well!

Thanks for posting this reaction, Madison. It was so much fun watching you carried away with this as a writer. Story development really sweeps you away, doesn't it? If I had to name the most beautiful film leading lady of all time without thinking, I'd say "Ingrid Bergman." Maybe the lighting and the diction had a little something to do with her allure but they don't make actors like her anymore, not even her daughter Isabella Rossellini. Humphrey Bogart had an appeal all his own that's hard for me to quantify but that Lauren Bacall apparently picked up on because after working together, she fell in love with him.

Oh good! There are not enough reactions to this iconic film. So many younger reactors see the opening and go "Oh no, it's in black and white and I LMAO. Then they get roped into the story and the characters and forget it's in black and white. Like cuing up to watch a cowboy westerns and saying, oh no, there are only horses, no cars. There are many quotes from this movie that were passed down from one generation to the next in language and borrowed in other later moves and TV as a joke: "Here' Looking at You Kid." "We'll always have Paris," "Round up the usual suspects" [often used by elementary school principals lol], "Welcome back to the fight...this time I know our side will win," "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" and the iconic "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...she walks into mine." That one we used in college every time one of our friends ["he" or "she"] in music college walked in the room, it was a running joke. By the way, thanks for the nod to Max Steiner - his musical score was brilliant. Your demeanor is refreshing and intelligent, you nailed the ending down before you were halfway through. they kept changing the script during the filming, driving the actors crazy, and had at least 2 endings, no one knew until the day of shooting which one they would use. No one thought this movie would become one of the greatest classics, it was just another job to them. the supporting players, character actors also really made this film brilliant.

Rick represented America, and it was time for America to ante up and kick in.. The responses from audiences across America were legendary..

Conrad Veidt who played Major Strausser, played Cesare in "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" in 1920.

This film is in itself a gem: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director. And it is also an important document of the history. See (it's on youtube) the Warner Bros. "Making-of" "Casablanca Accidental Classic" to get the fuller picture of the chaos of its making with the context of the chaos in the world at the time. Much is presented about the writing of the screenplay.

"Rick" is Humphrey Bogart", "Ugarte" is Peter Lorre. "Renault" is Claude Rains. "Ilsa" is Ingrid Bergman.

LOL Harrison Ford said he modeled Han after Boggie's Rick Blaine. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ very perceptive!

Your emotional reaction at the end was awesome. The first time I saw it in 1989 I was confused too and had a tear when he forced her to go with Victor. Humphrey Bogard just exudes coolness. I'd put him up against any leading man in a movie. "The Maltese Falcon" is also great. Bogey was a master.

A classic for all time.

Rick gave up the love of his life for a greater love - the love of country, freedom and his fellow man. The ending hits me deep every time I see this movie.

The stunning thing to remember about this film is that Warner Bros made 50 films a year back then. Casablanca was simply one of the 50.

The "letters of transit" are a plot invention for the movie (and a great one, to keep things moving along). Historically, they did not exist. The Nazis would not have let people they regarded as dangerous threats (like Victor Laszlo) escape, based on a "fill in the blank" document. And Charles de Gaulle was the leader of the Free French, in exile; his signature on anything would have been valueless to Germany.

There wasn't a full script before the movie was made. The script was being written as the movie was being filmed. Amazing that it was so good.

Rick was either a mercenary or weapons dealer. The US prior to Pearl Harbour was very neutral. It’s possible they would consider him acting against neutrality and there might be a law or act that he violated.

Every character was played amazingly well by amazing actors in a day when they didn't have to rely on special effects. A beautiful movie with a message that, sadly, is lost to today's youth.

The man who was shot at the beginning was underground resistance. The man with the ring was underground resistance; he, and "Ilsa," are from Norway, which at the time was under Nazi occupation; research "Quisling". The thing is that the film is not only about a "romance".

Late 1993, an eighteen year old me bought my first copy of Casablanca. I loved it. Have a great weekend

Yes, she didn't say "I love you" back, but he also said in that scene, "You don't even have to say it and I'll believe."

Director Michael Curtiz deserves more credit than he gets. People aleays talk about the story, the acting, and the music, but just forget about the direction.