It was my second time watching “Casablanca,” though my first time was almost 15 years ago. My daughter had watched it a couple of weeks ago, but begged me to watch it again with her. It was not difficult to comply.
When Casablanca was filmed in the early 1940’s, there was no expectation of major success. Unlike our star-studded and financial extravaganza of movies today, even though Casablanca hailed an enormously well-known cast (Bogart, Bergman and Paul Henreid), the movie was produced on a very tight budget.
When Humphrey Bogart played in “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” his role was of a generally damaged hero. Casablanca granted him a status of sacrificial hero. Virtually every word that came out of his mouth is memorable (“Here’s looking at you, kid!”).
The city of Casablanca is in French-ruled Morocco. During World War II, people wanted to find refuge outside of Europe and eventually make their way to the United States. The best route to escape Nazi-occupied places was to make their way to Lisbon, Portugal which served as a port of exit to America. Casablanca served as the place for refugees; a thriving economy where negotiations, secret handshakes, and exit visas were provided.
At the center of Casablanca’s display of war-weary refugees was Rick’s Café Americain, a stylish nightclub and casino where the movie’s central events occur. When a couple of Germans come into Casablanca carrying letters of transit, they are murdered. The letters end up in Rick’s possession who hides them in his musician’s piano. And speaking of the house musician Sam (Dooley Wilson), those few scenes he played are some of the finest in American television. “As Time Goes By” is as simple as it is majestic.
Rick is a rather mysterious figure who seems to understand how to navigate through political nuances of the German and the French and garners much influence in the community. He was involved in underdog causes in the 1930’s and guards a certain anti-Nazi disposition close.
When Ilsa, his former lover in France re-enters Rick’s life, the Café Americain owner transforms himself into a melancholic lover who is uncertain on how to proceed. He discovers that Ilsa has/was married to a well-known Czech nationalist, Victor Laszlo who serves the anti-Nazi cause. The story unfolds as Ilsa discovers that Rick possesses the necessary letters of transit so that she and Laszlo could leave the country. But in the process, their past romantic history re-flourishes. Yet, Rick is fully aware that Ilsa is married and that their affections cannot be realized as before. Rick’s uncertainty and sadness do not lead his role to a disoriented hero, but provides the animus towards a sacrificial orientation. As the theologian Walter Brueggeman once illustrated, and which I freely apply, Rick’s life undergoes disorientation, then orientation, and finally, a new orientation. This new orientation gives a strengthened Rick the gravitas to act decisively and sacrifice his relative calmness in Casablanca for a greater cause.
The intrigue at the end and the unexpected turn of events make Casablanca a charming and romantic movie that sealed the roles of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in film history.
*Brito Ratings give a 5/5!
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