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How many of us sacrificed our love for friends, family, social prestige, better financial conditions, better position in society, or country? Whenever you are in love, its always hard to let go person
you love but sometimes you have to make decisions against your will and sacrifice your love for better cause which is more important than yourself or your loved one or your doomed relationship.
Casablanca (1942) tackles one of those scenarios in the backdrop of World War II. It is basically a love story and classic tale of loving stunningly beautiful girl, loosing her without any forewarning, learning to live without her, miraculously founding lost love again, reuniting and sparkling old passion again, and then loosing her again (let go her again) but this time forever for much greater cause.
Story
Year is 1941 and place is French occupied Moroccan city of Casablanca in North African continent. During World War II, as germens approaching towards France and Italy, most of French, Italian, and Americans try to reach refuge camp at Lisbon, Portugal. Because of heavy rush and long waiting queues to reach Lisbon, many Europeans found alternate route to travel to Morocco to Lisbon. Once Europeans are in Casablanca, there are letters of transit available for purchase if they want to leave city. The French government headed by corrupt local chief of police Captain Renault (Claude Rains) demand transit letters to be presented for anyone to fly out of the city. If you don’t have enough money then you are almost stuck forever in Casablanca.
One day, two German espionages are found dead in the outskirt of Casablanca and their transit visas are stolen. Murderer of Germans, Ugarte arrives at nightclub cum café, bar, and casino owned by American soldier with fortune Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart). Rick’s café is common hanging out place for French, Nazis, refuges, spies, traitors, and crooks like Ugarte. Ugarte suppose to meet couple that can be his potential customer at Rick’s club. But, before Ugarte’s deal takes place, cops follow him so, he secretly hands over transit letters to Rick. Unfortunately, police arrest Ugarte and kills him in the jail leaving Rick sole occupier of rare transit letters.
In the mean time, same night young couple Czech freedom fighter Victor Laslow (Paul Henreid) and his beautiful wife llsa (Ingrid Bergman) visits Rick’s café to meet Ugarte for transit visas. For Rick’s horror, Ilsa is nothing but his lost love and later knows the truth that when he was in love with Ilsa, she was already married to the Victor and she loved him because she presumed her husband was dead at Nazi’s camp. Later when they were planning to leave Paris together on the train as the Nazis come closer to the city, Ilsa never came to station because at the last minute she founded out that her husband was alive, wounded and hiding. But, When two see each other again in cafe, sparks fly, and memories of an enchanted time in Paris come flooding back.
Nazis visit Casablanca in search of Victor who is in town to attend underground meetings of freedom fighters. Victor and Ilsa wanted to fly out of Casablanca as soon as possible but fail to get transit letter from different sources. Later Victor and Ilsa finds out that Rick has letters so, Ilsa visits Rick for letters but Rick withhold them from her in order to hurt her the way she has hurt him. In the weak moments of love, Ilsa discloses that she still loves him in spite of the fact that she has tried hard not to. Rick and Ilsa make plans to leave Casablanca together, but Rick secretly hatches a plot to get Victor and Ilsa out of Casablanca without the knowledge of the Captain Renault and Nazis and sacrifice his love for greater cause of defeating the Nazis.
Analysis
Even though Casablanca is romantic war melodrama, it is much more. It has everything – suspense, espionage, romance, comedy, valor, heroism, and sacrifice. It is about a man and a woman who is in love, and sacrificing their love for a higher purpose of a freedom. Casablanca is greatest of all American triangular love stories. One of the reason triangular love stories works is melodrama and Casablanca unlike most of all American movies is high in emotions - characters cry, make emotional decisions, hurt by loved ones, and think by heart.
Casablanca is famous for many of its unforgettable scenes. One of the famous scenes is when Victor and Ilsa come to Rick’s bar and Ilsa asks piano player, Sam to play ’’As Time Goes By’’ (Rick and Ilsa’s favorite song when they were in love in Paris). As Sam starts playing song, Rick without knowing Ilsa requested the song, emerges furiously from his office, reminding Sam that he has told him to never play that song again and he suddenly comes face to face with Ilsa – his lost love and camera concentrates on Rick’s face with mixed emotions of anger, surprise, love, depression in single frame – an outstanding non-dialogue sequence of acting which shows pain and happiness in one single shot. But, my favorite scene is later same night when streets are deserted, Rick and Sam are alone in the café during after hours, and Rick has been drinking, smoking, and arguing over Ilsa’s presence and suddenly door opens and Ilsa appears in dark ghostly foreground and white background creating dreamy angelic image that sends chilly signals in my spine whenever I see it. Also, Casablanca known for its bittersweet ending photographed in dark, chilly, foggy, misty airport.
Even though it’s been 60 years, Casablanca is still fresh and enjoyable in modern times. Perhaps, one reason is its witty and timely dialogues. - “Here’s looking at you, kid”, “The Germans wore gray, you wore blue”, “I stick my neck out for nobody”, “Round up the usual suspects”, and “We’ll always have Paris”. But, Most famous of all is “Play it again, Sam”, which is not even in movie, closest one in movie is “Play it, Sam”. And, of course, one of the most celebrated jazz of American cinema with its evergreen lyrics is sung by Sam (played by singer Dooly Wilson himself) is highlight of this classic. - “A kiss is still a kiss, A sigh is just a sigh, As time goes by”.
Humphrey Bogart as Rick is a cynical, tough, and charming man. He is outstanding as an owner of a small club, who gets caught between French freedom fighters, German invaders, local French government, and his lost love. Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa is a gorgeous, luminous beauty. She is every man’s dream, Ingrid Bergman is prettiest face I ever seen on silver screen and as many of you know, and she is my all-time favorite actress. Bogey and Bergman’s onscreen romantic tension and heated relationship are so real that you could feel their palpable heart. Images of Bogey’s white dinner jacket, belted trench coat and Bergman’s elegant white dress with tilted hats are more memorable than movie itself. Claudio Rains as Captain Renault is outstanding as a cynical, corrupt but romantic police officer.
Conclusion
Casablanca is arguably one of the most beloved movies made in history of American cinema. Even though its been half a century since it was first graced on silver screen, it stood against time and found itself in most of American’s heart and American critics top 10 lists. They say Hollywood doesn’t make movies like this any more and you have to see it to know why. It’s an evergreen timeless classic.
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