: Initially a cynical, self-interested bar owner ("I stick my neck out for nobody"), Rick evolves into a self-sacrificing idealist. This journey mirrors the United States' transition from isolationism to entering the war after Pearl Harbor.
: The central conflict lies in Rick’s choice between his love for Ilsa and helping her husband, resistance leader Victor Laszlo, escape to continue fighting the Nazis. : Initially a cynical, self-interested bar owner ("I
: The setting of Casablanca, Morocco provided a unique "bottleneck" where refugees, Nazis, and Resistance members were forced to coexist. : Initially a cynical
: Warner Brothers moved up the film's premiere to November 26, 1942, to capitalize on the real-world Allied invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch). Casablanca: Plot Summary | SparkNotes resistance leader Victor Laszlo