The final scene at the airport, enveloped in fog and illuminated by the glow of searchlights, epitomizes Curtiz’s mastery of atmosphere and emotion. Rick persuades Ilsa to leave with Laszlo, telling her, “The problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” As Ilsa and Laszlo’s plane departs, Rick kills Major Strasser, the Nazi officer attempting to prevent their escape. When Captain Renault (Claude Rains) covers for him, declaring, “Round up the usual suspects,” the two men walk off into the mist, signaling both an end and a beginning. The closing line—“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”—encapsulates the film’s unique blend of cynicism and hope.
Themes and Symbolism
Casablanca operates on multiple thematic levels, blending romance, politics, and existential reflection. At its most immediate level, the film is a love story marked by loss and redemption. The relationship between Rick and Ilsa dramatizes the conflict between personal desire and moral responsibility—a dilemma heightened by the context of global war. Their love, rekindled under impossible circumstances, becomes a metaphor for the sacrifices demanded by history.
