Original artwork, not a still
We'll always have Paris. We didn't have Paris, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.
— Casablanca ‧ 1942
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Rick turns a heartbreak into a keepsake. Paris was where he and Ilsa were happy before the German army arrived, and by calling it theirs for ever he lets her board the plane without regret. It is the most quoted goodbye line in cinema: people say it of a lost love, a trip, a city, anything that stays yours after it is over. Nobody bothers with the fumbled wording that follows it.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for CasablancaShow the scene
At the Casablanca airport, near the end of the film, Rick has fixed things so that Ilsa leaves on the Lisbon plane with her husband, the resistance leader Victor Laszlo. Ilsa asks what is to become of the two of them, and Rick answers that they will always have Paris. In the film he stumbles slightly over the second sentence, saying they had lost Paris until she walked into his bar and had got it back the night before. Rick then tells her he is no good at being noble, and sends her away.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Casablanca (film), airport dialogueRick and Ilsa exchange before 'When I said I would never leave you'Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Casablanca (film), plotPlot sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
