When the Epsteins returned about a month later, they joined forces with Koch to complete the script. This three-way collaboration, though unorthodox, resulted in one of the most finely balanced screenplays in film history. Each writer brought a distinct sensibility: the Epsteins’ gift for sharp dialogue and humor, and Koch’s inclination toward political and moral depth. The result was a screenplay that deftly combined romance, suspense, and patriotism, avoiding sentimentality while maintaining emotional resonance.
The final shooting script evolved almost daily during filming. Actors often received revised pages hours before their scenes were shot, and even the now-famous ending—Rick’s decision to help Ilsa and Laszlo escape—was not finalized until late in production. Despite this uncertainty, the film’s dialogue remains among the most quoted in cinematic history. Lines such as “Here’s looking at you, kid,” “We’ll always have Paris,” and “Round up the usual suspects” have transcended their original context to become part of the cultural lexicon.
Principal photography began on May 25, 1942, and concluded on August 3 of the same year. The film was shot almost entirely at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, except for a brief sequence filmed at Van Nuys Airport, which doubled for the Casablanca airfield in the film’s climactic finale. Given the constraints of wartime production, Casablanca was made with modest resources by A-list standards. The sets were largely repurposed from previous Warner Bros. films, including the marketplace scenes, which were recycled from The Desert Song (1943). Yet, through Curtiz’s deft direction and the contributions of cinematographer Arthur Edeson, the film achieved an atmospheric richness that belied its studio-bound origins.
