Writing Dialogue with Subtext: Casablanca (1942):

A famous scene in Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (1942) is when Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) speaks with the piano player, Sam (Dooley Wilson). In this scene, we can see that Ilsa still loves Rick (Humphrey Bogart), even though she is married to Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Although Ilsa never says she loves Rick, her dialogue is filled with subtext, and her facial expressions show us how she feels.

The first moment of subtext is when Sam says, “I never expected to see you again,” and Ilsa later asks, “Where is Rick?” We can conclude that Ilsa had a reason never to return, and it is due to her relationship with Rick.

The second moment of subtext is when Sam says to Ilsa, “Leave him alone… You’re bad luck to him”, we can now draw a second conclusion: Rick and Ilsa were lovers, and when their relationship ended, it had a negative impact on Rick.

The third moment of subtext is when Ilsa asks Sam to play “As Time Goes By.” As Sam plays, the look on Ilsa’s face —one of sad longing and remembrance—shows us this song had a deep meaning for her when she was with Rick. The close-up shot continues while Sam sings, “…when two lovers woo, they still say I love you.” The haunted look on Ilsa’s face suggests that she still loves Rick. The song has brought back memories of their past relationship.

When the song is nearly finished, Rick enters the scene and scolds Sam, saying, “I thought I told you never to play…” Hearing this song is painful to Rick because it reminds him of Isla. Rick’s rebuke of Sam is followed by close-up shots of Rick and Ilsa. Their eyes meet, and Ilsa’s eyes are filled with tears. We can see that the former lovers are still connected after all these years. Time has gone by, but their feelings for each other remain.

The “Play it, Sam” scene in Casablanca impacts the viewer for two reasons: The characters don’t tell us what they feel; their facial expressions show us what they feel, and the viewer can interpret a deeper meaning in the words spoken by Sam, Ilsa, and Rick. We understand what is not directly stated.