The most quotable movie of all time is a classic that was released 81 years ago. Films have been a part of society for more than a century, with the very first motion pictures dating back to the end of the 1880s. By the 1920s, various sounds were able to be incorporated into motion pictures, allowing them to include music, sound effects, and then, speech.
Each aspect has made films so much more dynamic and interesting. While musical score and background music have enhanced the experience of watching movies, adding dialog has tremendously helped in making the filmmaker’s storytelling more effective. Aside from that, it has also allowed for countless memorable lines that are fully ingrained in pop culture.
Casablanca Has The Most Iconic Quotes Of Any Movie On AFI’s 2005 List
Based on the American Film Institute’s list from 2005, Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca has 6 out of the top 100 movie quotes of all time — more than any feature. Released in 1942, the film tackles the heartbreaking war-set love affair between Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). This makes it the most quotable film on the roster, followed by Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz with three each. Meanwhile, Sunset Boulevard, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Graduate, and Jerry Maguire have two quotes each.
Starting at #67 is Rick’s heartbreaking “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” The line was delivered on the heels of Rick’s tense reunion with Ilsa in Casablanca. #43 also comes from Bogart: “We’ll always have Paris,” which he delivers on the tarmac as he tries to convince Ilsa to get on the plane with Victor Laszlo. Coming in at #32 is “Round up the usual suspects” from Captain Renault — the only one from the list that is not delivered by Casablanca‘s lead characters.
It is followed at #28 with Ilsa’s “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By’,” as she convinces Sam Wilson (Dooley Wilson) to play her and Rick’s theme. Coming in at #5 is from Bogart’s Rick again, saying “Here’s looking at you kid,” first during the flashback sequence of the couple in Paris. He repeats the line at the end of Casablanca as he consoles the desolate Ilsa before she boards the plane with her husband.
One Of Casablanca’s Greatest Lines Is Also Famously Misquoted
Despite being one of the most quotable lines in film ever, Ilsa’s “Play it again, Sam” is usually misquoted. In the iconic movie, Bergman doesn’t say it that way. Instead, she says “Play it once, Sam. For old time’s sake.” After Sam pretends not to understand her, Ilsa follows it with “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.'” The meaning behind the whole exchange remains, but Bergman’s iconic line in Casablanca is usually misquoted because of the typical disregard for Sam’s reply in between her two aforementioned lines.
