I. Setting
A. Casablanca, Morroco
1. World War II, 1940's
II. Introducation
A. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)
1. Main character
2. Owns "Rick's Café Américain"
B. Two German couriers are murdered
C. Ugarte (Peter Lorre) ,
1. Petty criminal who arrives in Rick's club with "letters of transit"
2. He plans to sell them to the highest bidder
3. Gets arrested before the exchange
4. Dies in police custody and entrusts the letters to Rick
III. Rising Action
A. Rick's ex-lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), walks back into his life.
1. She asks Sam (Dooley Wilson), the house pianist, to play "As Time Goes By"
2. Rick is mad that Sam is playing that song after he ordered him to never play it and sees Ilsa when furiously walking toward Sam.
3. She is married to Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), who is a fugitive Czech Resistance leader that escaped from a Nazi concentration camp.
B. In order for Victor to continue his work, they need the letters to leave for America.
C. Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet), a very popular guy in the criminal underworld and who is also Rick's friendly business rival, tells Laszlo that he suspects the letter to be with Rick.
IV. Climax
A. Laszlo later in the night meets up with Rick asking him for the letters, and Rick refuses and tells him to " ask his wife"
B. Strasser starts a group of officers singing "Die Wacht am Rhein".
1. In response to that, Laszlo orders the band to play "La Marseillaise".
a. Rick nods his head and gives permission when the band over at him.
C. Strasser acts back by having Renault close the club.
D. Ilsa confronts Rick in the cafe.
1. She threatens him with a gun when he refuses to give her the letters.
2. She confesses her love to him
3. She explains what happened back in Paris; when she fell in love with him, she thought Laszlo was killed when attempting to escape from the concentration camp, and then later when she was about to runaway with him to the German army, she was informed that Laszlo was still alive and hiding. So she had to leave Rick without an explanation to go back to her sick husband.
V. Falling Action
A. Rick agrees to help Isla, and makes her believe that they will remain together after Laszlo leaves.
1. Isla is hidden in the back when Laszlo unexpectedly appears in the cafe, and Rick and Laszlo talk
B. Laszlo tells Rick that he is aware of the love between him and Ilsa.
1. He tries to persuade Rick to have the letters in order for Ilsa to be safe.
C. Police arrest Laszlo on a minor charge, but Rick convinces Renault to let him go by promising to set him up on a more serious crime; which was the possession of the letters of transit.
D. To relieve Renaults suspicions, Rick claims that he and Ilsa will leave for America
E. Renault secretly makes a phone call to Major Strasser
VI. Conclusion
A. As Renault tries to arrest Laszlo as planned, Rick points a gun towards him and makes him help in their escape.
B. Rick makes Ilsa board the plane that is heading to Lisbon with Laszlo, convincing her that she would regret staying with him.
1. Ilsa disagrees but is later on forced and convinced.
C. Major Strasser arrives at the scene and Rick shoots him when trying to intervene
1. When his men arrive, he plays it cool and tells the men to "Round up the usual suspects"
D. The film ends with everyone pretty much satisfied and with a famous line, " Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
