Casablanca: 10 moments that made it Hollywood’s greatest romance

When Casablanca first came out in 1942, no one expected it to stick around. It was just another wartime drama, rushed through production with borrowed sets and a reportedly half-finished script. But somehow, it outlasted trends, generations, and even color film. Casablanca is still watched, quoted, and whispered about — especially when someone talks about love that didn’t end with 'happily ever after.'

This is not a sweeping love story filled with rose petals and champagne. It is quiet and complicated, like love often is. Rick and Ilsa don’t get the fairytale. What they do get is something more grounded — love with scars, and choices that come with real cost. That’s probably why Casablanca hits differently. It doesn’t promise everything will work out. It just shows two people doing the best they can with what’s left.

Let’s revisit 10 moments from Casablanca that turned this wartime tale into something unforgettable — not because it tried too hard, but because it didn’t.

10 moments that made Casablanca Hollywood’s greatest romance

1) When Ilsa walks into Rick’s Café

Rick’s Café in Casablanca is his world. He built it to keep the rest of the world at arm’s length. Then, one regular night, Ilsa walks in with her husband, and suddenly the air feels heavier. Rick doesn’t even see her at first — but when he does, he freezes. The look on his face isn’t anger — it’s history. It’s everything he thought he had buried, showing up in lipstick and a hat. That one look tells you this isn’t just a reunion, it’s the reopening of a wound.

2) “Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'”

Ilsa doesn’t ask for the song like it’s a big deal, but when she says those words you know something's about to shift. Sam hesitates. He knows what the song means. And once the music starts, you can feel the weight of the past flooding in. It’s not just a melody — it’s a memory set to piano keys. Rick hears it and storms out, she hears it and looks like she’s about to cry. This is not just nostalgia, This is heartbreak on a loop.

3) “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world…”

Rick’s been holding it together. Drinking, yes. Brooding, definitely. But keeping his cool... until now. When he mutters this line, it sounds like he is talking to the air, but really, he is talking to himself. He’s not mad she walked in — he’s mad the universe still knows where to hurt him. He didn’t want to see her again, and yet here she was. That line feels like someone poked a bruise that had never fully healed, and you can’t look away.

4) When Paris felt untouchable

The flashbacks to Paris in Casablanca show a different side of Rick and Ilsa — one without the shadows. They are relaxed, smiling, even playful. The world beyond their bubble doesn’t seem to matter. You get glimpses of them sharing drinks, riding through the city, holding hands like they have all the time in the world. But the scenes don’t last long, they come and go like memories do — soft around the edges, almost too perfect to trust. And that is what makes them sting, you are not just watching a romance — you are watching the echo of one.

5) Ilsa shows up at Rick’s after hours

It’s late, she is nervous, he is bitter. This is not a friendly chat, Ilsa comes to explain why she left him in Paris. But there’s no script for what she is trying to say... she is not asking for forgiveness — she is trying to make him understand. He doesn't yell — he holds back tears. It’s two people trying to untangle a knot they tied years ago, and finding it’s still tight.

6) Lazlo knows more than he says

Victor Lazlo could’ve made this messy. He is the husband, after all. Instead of drama, we get something quieter. He sees the connection between Rick and Ilsa. Maybe he has known all along, but there is no anger in him — just calm acceptance. He is focused on the larger fight, the one outside their triangle. Somehow, that makes him more admirable. He doesn’t push, doesn’t accuse — he just lets things unfold. That kind of grace isn’t loud, but it lingers, and not everyone would have handled it that way.

7) The foggy goodbye at the airport

There’s no shouting, no dramatic soundtrack — just fog, footsteps, and final words. Rick doesn’t plead with Ilsa to stay, he tells her to go, and she listens. Not because she wants to, but because they both know it’s right. It is a farewell that feels like a slow, clean cut. You expect them to kiss again, they don’t. You expect her to run back, she won’t. The plane leaves, and that’s that. It’s not the ending you want watching Casablanca, but it’s the one that fits.

8) “We’ll always have Paris.”

Rick says this like a gift towards the end of Casablanca. It’s not about holding on — it’s about letting go, gently. He reminds Ilsa of what they had without trying to drag it into the present. It’s a sentence soaked in memory, not regret. Paris was theirs, and nothing can take that away. Even if everything else is gone, that one piece remains untouched. It’s not a plea, not a promise — just a soft acknowledgment of something beautiful that once was, and that’s enough.

9) Renault surprises us

Renault spends most of the film as a smooth operator — always neutral, always watching. He jokes, takes bribes, and never commits to anything. But in the end, something shifts. When Rick makes his choice, Renault doesn’t hesitate. He backs Rick quietly, and without fanfare. Maybe it’s respect, maybe it’s friendship. Either way, it feels earned — and it says more than any speech could.

10) Rick walks into the fog

After Ilsa’s plane takes off from Casablanca, Rick doesn’t collapse, he doesn’t light a cigarette and spiral. He straightens his coat, says a line about “a beautiful friendship,” and walks off with Renault. That walk into the fog isn’t a sad ending. It’s a beginning. Not for Rick and Ilsa, but for Rick himself. He made a hard choice, and he didn’t crumble, and that matters.

Casablanca doesn’t scream romance, it whispers. It’s in the looks, the silences, the things unsaid. It’s not about love fixing everything. It’s about love asking something from you, and how you answer. The film never pretends the world is fair, it just shows two people trying to make peace with what they had. Somehow, that is more moving than any sunset kiss. The story ends, but the feeling stays. Not loud, not grand — just quietly unforgettable.