Casablanca

RomanceWarDrama 102 min Masterpiece Golden Age

In occupied Morocco, a cynical nightclub owner must choose between love and the fight against Nazism.

Why It Matters

The platonic ideal of the Hollywood studio film. Defined romantic dialogue and the noble sacrifice plot.

Historical Context

Released the same week US troops landed in North Africa. The war was everywhere.

Historical Forces at Play

World War II · 1939

War films surged during and after WWII, with Hollywood enlisted as a propaganda machine. The war also drove studios to romanticize the home front — Casablanca, Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives.