Original artwork, not a still
Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.
— Casablanca · 1942
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It sounds like a goodbye said as a hello, and the film lets you hear that later, because by the time Rick stands on the platform in the rain the phrase has become a cruel joke he cannot get out of his head. Ingrid Bergman gives it tenderness; Bogart's bitter Rick of Casablanca gives it weight. It is the film's love story in one breath, and the reason the Paris scenes matter.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for CasablancaShow the scene
In the Paris flashback, on the day the German army marches into the city in June 1940, Ilsa and Rick embrace at the window. She asks whether the sound she hears is cannon fire or her own heartbeat, tells him she loves him and hates the war, and asks him to remember it if something should keep them apart. Then she says this line. They plan to flee together and meet at the train station, but Ilsa does not come, and Rick gets a note whose ink the rain has washed away.
Sources (2)
- Filmsite: Casablanca synopsisParis flashback paragraphReference checked
- Wikiquote: Casablanca (film)Renault dialogue with Rick; Ilsa Lund sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
