Great Scene: “Casablanca”

When you think about it, screenwriting is really aboutscene-writing. If a typical script is 120 pages and the average scene is 2 pages, then that means we write about 60 scenes per screenplay. Clearly, a writer needs to understand how to craft effective, engaging scenes in order to write a good script.

I thought it would be appropriate to begin our Great Scene Series with one of the most memorable moments in cinematic history: the last sequence from the 1941 Warner Bros. classic Casablanca, from the screenplay credited to Julius & Philip Epstein and Howard Koch.

EXT. AIRPORT — NIGHT

The entire airport is surrounded by a heavy fog. The outline 
 of the transport plane is barely visible.

CUT TO:

INT./EXT. AIRPORT HANGAR — NIGHT

A uniformed ORDERLY uses a telephone near the hangar door.

On the airfield a transport plane is being readied.

ORDERLY
 Hello. Hello, radio tower? Lisbon 
 plane taking off in ten minutes. 
 East runway. Visibility: one and one 
 half miles. Light ground fog. Depth 
 of fog: approximately 500. Ceiling: 
 unlimited. Thank you.

He hangs up and moves to a car that has just pulled up outside 
 the hangar.

Renault gets out while the orderly stands at attention.

He’s closely followed by Rick, right hand in the pocket of 
 his trench coat, covering Renault with a gun.

Laszlo and Ilsa emerge from the rear of the car.

RICK
 (indicating the orderly)
 Louis, have your man go with Mr.

Laszlo and take care of his luggage.

RENAULT
 (bowing ironically)
 Certainly Rick, anything you say.
 (to orderly)
 Find Mr. Laszlo’s luggage and put it 
 it on the plane.

ORDERLY
 Yes, sir. This way please.

The orderly escorts Laszlo off in the direction of the plane.

Rick takes the letters of transit out of his pocket and hands 
 them to Renault, who turns and walks toward the hangar.

RICK
 If you don’t mind, you fill in the 
 names. That will make it even more 
 official.

RENAULT
 You think of everything, don’t you?

RICK
 (quietly)
 And the names are Mr. and Mrs. Victor 
 Laszlo.

Renault stops dead in his tracks, and turns around. Both 
 Ilsa and Renault look at Rick with astonishment.

ILSA
 But why my name, Richard?

RICK
 Because you’re getting on that plane.

ILSA
 (confused)
 I don’t understand. What about you?

RICK
 I’m staying here with him ’til the 
 plane gets safely away.

Rick’s intention suddenly dawns on Ilsa.

ILSA
 No, Richard, no. What has happened 
 to you? Last night we said —

RICK
 — Last night we said a great many 
 things. You said I was to do the 
 thinking for both of us. Well, I’ve 
 done a lot of it since then and it 
 all adds up to one thing. You’re 
 getting on that plane with Victor 
 where you belong.

ILSA
 (protesting)
 But Richard, no, I, I —

RICK
 — You’ve got to listen to me. Do 
 you have any idea what you’d have to 
 look forward to if you stayed here? 
 Nine chances out of ten we’d both 
 wind up in a concentration camp. 
 Isn’t that true, Louis?

Renault countersigns the papers.

RENAULT
 I’m afraid Major Strasser would 
 insist.

ILSA
 You’re saying this only to make me 
 go.

RICK
 I’m saying it because it’s true. 
 Inside of us we both know you belong 
 with Victor. You’re part of his work, 
 the thing that keeps him going. If 
 that plane leaves the ground and 
 you’re not with him, you’ll regret 
 it.

ILSA
 No.

RICK
 Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, 
 but soon, and for the rest of your 
 life.

ILSA
 But what about us?

RICK
 We’ll always have Paris. We didn’t 
 have, we’d lost it, until you came 
 to Casablanca. We got it back last 
 night.

ILSA
 And I said I would never leave you.

RICK
 And you never will. But I’ve got a 
 job to do, too. Where I’m going you 
 can’t follow. What I’ve got to do 
 you can’t be any part of. Ilsa, I’m 
 no good at being noble, but it doesn’t 
 take much to see that the problems 
 of three little people don’t amount 
 to a hill of beans in this crazy 
 world. Someday you’ll understand 
 that. Now, now…

Ilsa’s eyes well up with tears. Rick puts his hand to her 
 chin and raises her face to meet his own.

RICK
 Here’s looking at you, kid.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD — NIGHT

Major Strasser drives at break-neck speed towards the airport.

He HONKS his horn furiously.

CUT TO:

INT./EXT. AIRPORT HANGAR — NIGHT

Laszlo returns. Rick walks into the hangar and Renault hands 
 him the letters. He walks back out to Laszlo.

LASZLO
 Everything in order?

RICK
 All except one thing. There’s 
 something you should know before you 
 leave.

LASZLO
 (sensing what is coming)
 Monsieur Blaine, I don’t ask you to 
 explain anything.

RICK
 I’m going to anyway, because it may 
 make a difference to you later on. 
 You said you knew about Ilsa and me.

LASZLO
 Yes.

RICK
 But you didn’t know she was at my 
 place last night when you were. She 
 came there for the letters of transit. 
 Isn’t that true, Ilsa?

ILSA
 (facing Laszlo)
 Yes.

RICK
 (forcefully)
 She tried everything to get them, 
 and nothing worked. She did her best 
 to convince me that she was still in 
 love with me, but that was all over 
 long ago. For your sake, she pretended 
 it wasn’t, and I let her pretend.

LASZLO
 I understand.

RICK
 Here it is.

Rick hands the letters to Laszlo.

LASZLO
 Thanks. I appreciate it.

Laszlo extends his hand to Rick, who grasps it firmly.

LASZLO
 And welcome back to the fight. This 
 time I know our side will win.

On the airfield the airplane engine TURNS OVER and the 
 propellers start turning. They all turn to see the plane 
 readying for take-off.

Ilsa looks at Rick and he returns her stare with a blank 
 expression. He then glances at Laszlo, as does Ilsa.

Then Laszlo breaks the silence.

LASZLO
 Are you ready Ilsa?

ILSA
 Yes, I’m ready.
 (to Rick)
 Goodbye, Rick. God bless you.

RICK
 You better hurry, or you’ll miss 
 that plane.

Rick watches as Ilsa and Laszlo walk very deliberately towards 
 the plane.

RENAULT
 Well I was right. You are a 
 sentimentalist.

RICK
 Stay where you are. I don’t know 
 what you’re talking about.

Rick puts a cigarette in his mouth.

RENAULT
 What you just did for Laszlo, and 
 that fairy tale that you invented to 
 send Ilsa away with him. I know a 
 little about women, my friend. She 
 went, but she knew you were lying.

RICK
 Anyway, thanks for helping me out.

RENAULT
 I suppose you know this isn’t going 
 to be pleasant for either of us, 
 especially for you. I’ll have to 
 arrest you of course.

RICK
 As soon as the plane goes, Louis.

The door to the plane is closed by an attendant and it slowly 
 taxies down the field.

Suddenly a speeding car comes to a stop outside the hangar.

Strasser alights from the car and runs toward Renault.

STRASSER
 What is the meaning of that phone 
 call?

RENAULT
 Victor Laszlo is on that plane.

Renault nods toward the field. Strasser turns to see the 
 plane taxiing towards the runway.

STRASSER
 Why do you stand here? Why don’t you 
 stop him?

RENAULT
 Ask Monsieur Rick.

Strasser looks briefly at Rick, then makes a step towards 
 the telephone just inside the hangar door.

RICK
 Get away from that phone.

Strasser stops in his tracks, looks at Rick, and sees that 
 he is armed.

STRASSER
 (steely)
 I would advise you not to interfere.

RICK
 I was willing to shoot Captain 
 Renault, and I’m willing to shoot 
 you.

Strasser watches the plane in agony. His eyes dart towards 
 the telephone. He runs toward it and desperately grabs the 
 receiver.

STRASSER
 Hello?

RICK
 Put that phone down!

STRASSER
 Get me the Radio Tower!

RICK
 Put it down!

Strasser, one hand holding the receiver, pulls out a pistol 
 with the other hand, and SHOOTS quickly at Rick. The bullet 
 misses its mark.

Rick now SHOOTS at Strasser, who crumples to the ground.

At the sound of an approaching car both men turn. A police 
 car SPEEDS in and comes to a stop near Renault. Four gendarmes 
 hurriedly jump out.

In the distance the plane turns onto the runway.

The gendarmes run to Renault. The first one hurriedly salutes 
 him.

GENDARME
 Mon Capitaine!

RENAULT
 Major Strasser’s been shot.

Renault pauses and looks at Rick. Rick returns Renault’s 
 gaze with expressionless eyes.

RENAULT
 Round up the usual suspects.

GENDARME
 Oui, mon Capitaine.

The gendarmes take Strasser’s body away and then drive off.

Renault walks inside the hangar, picks up a bottle of Vichy 
 water, and opens it.

RENAULT
 Well, Rick, you’re not only a 
 sentimentalist, but you’ve become a 
 patriot.

RICK
 Maybe, but it seemed like a good 
 time to start.

RENAULT
 I think perhaps you’re right.

As he pours the water into a glass, Renault sees the Vichy 
 label and quickly DROPS the bottle into a trash basket which 
 he then KICKS over.

He walks over and stands beside Rick. They both watch the 
 plane take off, maintaining their gaze until it disappears 
 into the clouds.

Rick and Louis slowly walk away from the hangar toward the 
 runway.

RENAULT
 It might be a good idea for you to 
 disappear from Casablanca for a while. 
 There’s a Free French garrison over 
 at Brazzaville. I could be induced 
 to arrange a passage.

RICK
 My letter of transit? I could use a 
 trip. But it doesn’t make any 
 difference about our bet. You still 
 owe me ten thousand francs.

RENAULT
 And that ten thousand francs should 
 pay our expenses.

RICK
 Our expenses?

RENAULT
 Uh huh.

RICK
 Louis, I think this is the beginning 
 of a beautiful friendship.

The two walk off together into the night.

FADE OUT:

THE END

Here is the scene from the movie in two parts:

http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=hZ73T

http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=TjiNa

[Originally posted August 1, 2008]
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