Daily Dialogue — December 20, 2018

Captain Renault: No matter how clever he is, he still needs an exit visa… or I should say two?
Rick: Why two?
Captain Renault: He is traveling with a lady.
Rick: He’ll take one.
Captain Renault: I think not. I have seen the lady. And if he did not leave her in Marseilles or Iran, he certainly won’t leave her in Casablanca.
Rick: Maybe he’s not quite as romantic as you are.
Captain Renault: It doesn’t matter. There is no exit visa for him.

— Casablanca (1942), screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Warning suggested by Lois Bernard.

Trivia: Producer Hal B. Wallis nearly made the character Sam a female. Hazel Scott, Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald were considered for the role.

Dialogue On Dialogue: This is a subtle warning playing in subtext. Renault strongly suspects Rick has come into possession of the exit visas. While not directly accusing Rick, he intimates to Rick that he’d better not help Laszlo and his mystery female companion escape.

Of course, Rick does not know that the mystery female companion is his former flame Ilsa Lund. He will make that discovery in just a few hours.