CasablancaWhat substance has honor when measured against matters of the heart? Casablanca takes place in the midst of World War II, and is set in the eponymous city of Casablanca in unoccupied French Morocco. The war is a backdrop for the romance--arguably the quintessential movie romance--between Richard "Rick" Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), the cynical proprietor of a watering hole and gambling den, and his erstwhile lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). Ilsa left him in Paris after learning that the presumed dead leader of the European resistance against the Nazis and her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), still lived. Rick and Ilsa reunite in his cafe one fateful night, where the pain of losing one another is revisited. Ilsa and Victor try to convince Rick to turn over a pair of letters of transit to secure Victor's escape from the Third Reich, leaving Rick to choose between his heart and his conscience.
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Casablanca is a political film only as far as it was created during World War II and is unabashed in its critique of Vichy France, not to mention Nazi Germany. Morocco is described as "unoccupied France" since it was a protectorate at the time; its unscrupulous chief of police, Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), conveys little to no sympathy for those squashed under the jackboots of the Gestapo. The Nazis are commanded by the sinister Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt), who wields the real authority during his visit to Casablanca. One of the most stirring moments in movie history comes when the invading Germans begin singing "Die Wacht am Rhein", which provokes Laszlo to conduct the band into playing "La Marseillaise". This duel of anthems becomes a metaphor for the spirit of freedom that cries out within human hearts in the face of tyranny; the majority of Rick's Café Américain joins in with the French song, and their voices overpower the fascists. Strasser's mission is twofold: to find the killers of two German couriers carrying unimpeachable letters of transit to neutral Lisbon--the last stop before fleeing to the United States--and to reclaim Laszlo, who has been a thorn in the side of Nazi Germany. Renault orders his men to "round up the usual suspects"--a favorite saying of his--during which a man who has expired papers flees, and is gunned down beneath a poster of Philippe Pétain, the latter day war hero turned Nazi collaborator and the Chief of State of Vichy France. Residents of Casablanca come from all over Europe, and look up longingly whenever an airplane passes overhead. They know that some lucky soul has made it out of this purgatorial layover; the rest become increasingly willing to sacrifice everything to escape the clutches of evil men like Strasser.
Neutrality becomes increasingly scarce in Casablanca, making Rick's nightclub an ideological oasis in the desert. What passes as "neutrality" in Casablanca is generally opportunism instead, evidenced by a predominance of forgers, smugglers, and black market profiteers. This includes the sniveling Signor Ugarte (Peter Lorre) and the merry (yet shrewd) Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet); both actors also appeared opposite Bogart in The Maltese Falcon in similar roles. Rick comports himself as being indifferent to politics, slyly declaring his nationality as that of a "drunkard". His history precedes him and is well-known to both Laszlo and Strasser; they are convinced his cynicism is merely a facade, and that deep down--like everyone--he has a stake in how the war turns out. Conversations between Rick and Louis are telling--both men are intelligent enough to know that the other is bluffing about their lack of morality, making their dialogue rich with sly insinuations. Their bet on whether or not Laszlo will escape Strasser's clutches has nothing to do with their personal stakes, but the sport of seeing this game of "fox and hound" unfold one way or another. When Rick says to Louis--in perhaps the most memorable of closing lines in any movie--that theirs is the "beginning of a beautiful friendship", it is hardly the beginning. Like Rick, Louis purports to let his allegiances "blow with the wind"; but like Rick, he has tried to drown out the noise of his heart's call to action against injustice by feeding his own vices, keenly aware that those who stand up for something are often the first ones shot down.
It is ironic that Rick runs a bar that has gambling, since he takes great pains to abstain from risking any more pieces of his soul; he would say it was all used up after his heartbreak by Ilsa. It isn't until she walks into his "gin joint" that he is reminded of this part of himself that used to care about lost causes and underdogs, or that he used to let himself love at all. His current relationships, like a brief interlude with a French woman named Yvonne (Madeleine Lebeau), are suggested to be superficial or one-sided--Rick sees love like a shell game now. He drowns his sorrows in liquor and barks at his long-time friend and pianist, Sam (Dooley Wilson), to play the song they loved in Paris, remembering that time which seemed like a lifetime ago. This flashback is crucial to understand how Rick became so embittered, falling deeply in love with Ilsa, despite the implication that their affair was formed on the basis of knowing little about one another. The venom he showers upon Ilsa when she visits him alone is unfair; while Rick stewed in his own self-pity, Ilsa was burdened with keeping her infidelity a secret from her husband, who exercises a saint-like level of understanding when he finds out. Ilsa justifies withholding the truth about Victor from Rick because she believes that he would have remained in France as the Germans invaded had he known; yet this raises the question as to whether she really knew him well enough at all. Rick and Ilsa's romance was a whirlwind, suggested to have been passionate and with abandon--the kind that comes from being caught in a war, where every day feels like it might be the last. Rick reconsiders his sardonic worldview after Ilsa decries his drunken rant as being full of hatred, revealing that he is no longer a man she loved. Her thrust strikes true, and its sting is felt when Rick gives secret patronage to a young couple from Bulgaria at the roulette tables. Rick's sacrifice comes at the iconic climax of Casablanca; he parts ways with Ilsa not because he doesn't love her, but for the very opposite reason. Just as Laszlo convinced Ilsa that there is something more important than "the problems of three people" at stake in the world, she convinces Rick that to love her means letting her life serve a greater purpose in the war--a noble act that restores his long lost sense of honor.
Few movies have had such an indelible impact on the cultural zeitgeist like Casablanca, due to a miraculous alchemy of ingredients like its timing, dialogue, and heart. Although made in America, the film explores France's existential crisis at this time. Despite Vichy France collaborating with Germany, the true heart and soul of the nation and what it stands for--liberty, equality, and fraternity--is with those brave few who speak out against tyranny, which is a common thread between France and the United States. Casablanca is blessed with some of the most memorable lines of dialogue in any film--the American Film Institute's list of memorable movie quotes credits this movie with having more entries than any other. The DVD release of Casablanca includes an introduction by Lauren Bacall,; when she says that lines like "here's looking at you, kid" have been absorbed into the collective lexicon, it's no exaggeration. Casablanca has become so entrenched into movie history, that it is directly referenced in films ranging from the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... to spoofs like The Cheap Detective. Rick's cafe is a haven from the troubles of the world, but it is also a music hall; as such, Casablanca features several selections of music that are good, but one of them is truly great. "As Time Goes By" has become unquestionably the most iconic love song in any film; it is so timeless, that it often accompanies the Warner Brothers logo at the beginning of their other films, and has been covered by numerous musicians like Harry Nilsson. It is filled with the perfect blend of bittersweet longing and wistfulness that is emblematic of the passionate love between Rick and Ilsa that can never be. It is as evocative and haunting as the scent of lingering perfume or a faint wind that blows through the air, ferrying one's wandering thoughts back to gentler and more carefree times gone by.
Recommended for: Fans of one of the true classics of movie history, covering everything from romance, action, suspense, and even moments of light comedy. Casablanca has become so iconic that audiences may feel they have seen it without having actually done so; yet it remains fresh and invigorating, and it can genuinely be said that it should be recommended to all.
Neutrality becomes increasingly scarce in Casablanca, making Rick's nightclub an ideological oasis in the desert. What passes as "neutrality" in Casablanca is generally opportunism instead, evidenced by a predominance of forgers, smugglers, and black market profiteers. This includes the sniveling Signor Ugarte (Peter Lorre) and the merry (yet shrewd) Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet); both actors also appeared opposite Bogart in The Maltese Falcon in similar roles. Rick comports himself as being indifferent to politics, slyly declaring his nationality as that of a "drunkard". His history precedes him and is well-known to both Laszlo and Strasser; they are convinced his cynicism is merely a facade, and that deep down--like everyone--he has a stake in how the war turns out. Conversations between Rick and Louis are telling--both men are intelligent enough to know that the other is bluffing about their lack of morality, making their dialogue rich with sly insinuations. Their bet on whether or not Laszlo will escape Strasser's clutches has nothing to do with their personal stakes, but the sport of seeing this game of "fox and hound" unfold one way or another. When Rick says to Louis--in perhaps the most memorable of closing lines in any movie--that theirs is the "beginning of a beautiful friendship", it is hardly the beginning. Like Rick, Louis purports to let his allegiances "blow with the wind"; but like Rick, he has tried to drown out the noise of his heart's call to action against injustice by feeding his own vices, keenly aware that those who stand up for something are often the first ones shot down.
It is ironic that Rick runs a bar that has gambling, since he takes great pains to abstain from risking any more pieces of his soul; he would say it was all used up after his heartbreak by Ilsa. It isn't until she walks into his "gin joint" that he is reminded of this part of himself that used to care about lost causes and underdogs, or that he used to let himself love at all. His current relationships, like a brief interlude with a French woman named Yvonne (Madeleine Lebeau), are suggested to be superficial or one-sided--Rick sees love like a shell game now. He drowns his sorrows in liquor and barks at his long-time friend and pianist, Sam (Dooley Wilson), to play the song they loved in Paris, remembering that time which seemed like a lifetime ago. This flashback is crucial to understand how Rick became so embittered, falling deeply in love with Ilsa, despite the implication that their affair was formed on the basis of knowing little about one another. The venom he showers upon Ilsa when she visits him alone is unfair; while Rick stewed in his own self-pity, Ilsa was burdened with keeping her infidelity a secret from her husband, who exercises a saint-like level of understanding when he finds out. Ilsa justifies withholding the truth about Victor from Rick because she believes that he would have remained in France as the Germans invaded had he known; yet this raises the question as to whether she really knew him well enough at all. Rick and Ilsa's romance was a whirlwind, suggested to have been passionate and with abandon--the kind that comes from being caught in a war, where every day feels like it might be the last. Rick reconsiders his sardonic worldview after Ilsa decries his drunken rant as being full of hatred, revealing that he is no longer a man she loved. Her thrust strikes true, and its sting is felt when Rick gives secret patronage to a young couple from Bulgaria at the roulette tables. Rick's sacrifice comes at the iconic climax of Casablanca; he parts ways with Ilsa not because he doesn't love her, but for the very opposite reason. Just as Laszlo convinced Ilsa that there is something more important than "the problems of three people" at stake in the world, she convinces Rick that to love her means letting her life serve a greater purpose in the war--a noble act that restores his long lost sense of honor.
Few movies have had such an indelible impact on the cultural zeitgeist like Casablanca, due to a miraculous alchemy of ingredients like its timing, dialogue, and heart. Although made in America, the film explores France's existential crisis at this time. Despite Vichy France collaborating with Germany, the true heart and soul of the nation and what it stands for--liberty, equality, and fraternity--is with those brave few who speak out against tyranny, which is a common thread between France and the United States. Casablanca is blessed with some of the most memorable lines of dialogue in any film--the American Film Institute's list of memorable movie quotes credits this movie with having more entries than any other. The DVD release of Casablanca includes an introduction by Lauren Bacall,; when she says that lines like "here's looking at you, kid" have been absorbed into the collective lexicon, it's no exaggeration. Casablanca has become so entrenched into movie history, that it is directly referenced in films ranging from the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... to spoofs like The Cheap Detective. Rick's cafe is a haven from the troubles of the world, but it is also a music hall; as such, Casablanca features several selections of music that are good, but one of them is truly great. "As Time Goes By" has become unquestionably the most iconic love song in any film; it is so timeless, that it often accompanies the Warner Brothers logo at the beginning of their other films, and has been covered by numerous musicians like Harry Nilsson. It is filled with the perfect blend of bittersweet longing and wistfulness that is emblematic of the passionate love between Rick and Ilsa that can never be. It is as evocative and haunting as the scent of lingering perfume or a faint wind that blows through the air, ferrying one's wandering thoughts back to gentler and more carefree times gone by.
Recommended for: Fans of one of the true classics of movie history, covering everything from romance, action, suspense, and even moments of light comedy. Casablanca has become so iconic that audiences may feel they have seen it without having actually done so; yet it remains fresh and invigorating, and it can genuinely be said that it should be recommended to all.