In 1942 Warner Bros. released
what would soon become one of the most iconic films in the history of
Hollywood. A gripping romantic drama set
in the coastal city of Casablanca in Morocco the film Casablanca, Directed by Michael Curtiz, is 102 minutes of love, suspense and treachery. With a cast including the legendary Humphrey
Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid along many other talented actors this
film is as breathtaking as the city it is named after. Casablanca
tells the story of an embittered freedom fighter named Rick Blaine
(Humphrey Bogart) who owns a café in Casablanca called Rick’s Café Americaine. Sticking to complete neutrality in all
matters Rick’s world is turned upside down when his once lover, Ilsa Lund
(Ingrid Bergman), walks in the door of his club with an escaped Czech
Resistance leader Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid).
The film beautifully tells the story of everything that happens to Rick
from this point on in this war theme movie.
The script of Casablanca plays
an important role in the success of the film along with its plot and excellent
acting. Casablanca is one of those timeless classics which everyone should
see at some point in their lives and deserves a rating of 9/10 for telling one
of the most intimate and suspenseful stories in film history.
The
film Casablanca takes place in the coastal
city in Morocco after which it is named.
It tells the story of Rick Blain the owner of a luxurious night club
names Rick’s Café Americaine, which serves as host to everyone from the most
powerful to the most low life residents of Casablanca. Rick, once a self-righteous freedom fighter,
is now neutral in all aspects of life even saying his famous line “I stick my
neck out for nobody.” This all changes
when his once lover and soul mate Ilsa Lund walks in the door with his Victor
Lazlo an escaped Czech resistance leader who is being persecuted by the
police. Embittered towards Ilsa who left
him waiting at the train station in Paris Rick has a hard time coming to terms
with her reasons for abandoning him.
Ilsa and Lazlo need to escape from Nazi Europe so he can continue his
work and to do so they need transit passes which Rick has acquired through a
twisted turn of events. Throughout the film
Rick and Ilsa struggle with their emotions for each other until Rick decides to
help Lazlo escape while Ilsa plans to stay with Rick. Through suspense, drama and some action a
plan comes together to allow Lazlo to leave Casablanca but without Ilsa, at
least that was the plan ….
Casablanca is a film that was released
over 50 years ago and yet remains a classic watched in film courses throughout America
every year. This is only so because of
the amazing work that was done when writing the story and theme for the
film. The story in a film is of course
nothing without a script to base the production on; writers Julius and Phillip
Epstein along with Howard Koch have provided such a superb script that this
film could not help being one of the best of its kind.
The
story of Casablanca covers two of the most classic themes in movie making; the
triumph of love over adversity (even if the outcome is not what we would
expect) and the undesirability of freedom and its importance to the human
race. These themes are repeated
throughout the story of Casablanca
with the centerpiece of it all being the relationship between Ilsa and
Rick. This love story which is framed in
the troubles of World War II and Nazi Europe follows the classic style of
raising action leading to a climax and then a resolution, but it adds a plot
twist at the end that none of the viewers expect, but at the same time no one
regrets. Casablanca uses conflict and emotion to move the story forward,
often in a way that we don’t see coming.
Even though the war and Lazlo’s escape is the catalyst for the action in
the film, it is often Rick’s and Ilsa’s emotions that move us through the story
and causes the two main characters to do what they do. The theme of freedom and free choice also
leads the actions of some of the supporting characters such as that of Captain
Louis Renault (Claude Rains) at the end of the film. The story is so well built
that it leaves the viewer in suspense most of the time, this suspense is
further amplified by everything from the mis en scene to the camera angles that
are outlined in the script. The story in
Casablanca has become a classic tale
of romance in times of trouble in the world as a whole.
The
script of this 1942 classic is a perfect complement to the theme and story of
the film in everything from dialogue to cinematography and costume. The genius of the script is its ability to
compliment the story by helping set the mood for the scene. The mis en scene does a great job of this by
using both the atmosphere and props to help the mood. This can be seen in scenes such as the final
scene where the fog helps keep the suspense of what the future holds for the
characters as well as shrouding Rick’s relationship with Renault in
mystery. The cinematography also aides
in this by using different shots, many of which are borrowed from film
noir. Close up shots/ expression shots
are used often to show the feelings and thoughts of a character and wide shots
are used during times of greater chaos such as the singing of the Marseillaise
at Rick’s club. Costume and music also
play an important role with costumes being appropriate for the time period and
music, especially when Sam sings “As time goes by” becomes crucial for setting
the mood of the scene and to the story itself.
All these different pieces which are outlines in the script help the
story of the film move along and helps set the mood.
There
are actors who play a role well but every so often we encounter a role which
was made for a specific actor and this is the case with the role of Rick and Humphrey
Bogart. Bogart’s performance during this
film is completely convincing and mysterious, but the reason he is perfect for
this role is his own persona. Bogart has
had a history of characters in film that closely resemble Rick in the sense
that they are shrouded in mystery.
Because of this he gives the character a deeper feeling than just what
is seen on the screen, because of what we associate with Bogart, Rick comes
with a history. This added history with
the audience along with his spectacular performance makes Humphrey Bogart
pretty much the only actor who could have played Rick Blaine in Casablanca.
The
story portrayed in the film Casablanca
has made it a timeless classic to be studied for many years to come. This story is further enhanced by a
magnificent script and is driven solely by emotion and the most basic human
ideals of freedom. This along with a
spectacular cast and amazing performances makes this film reach a whole new
level of excellence which had not been reached in 1942 upon its release. All this factors together lead me to give Casablanca nothing less than a 9/10
rating and mark it down as one of the most magnificent movies ever
produced.
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