"Casablanca"

"Casablanca" is a movie that has changed the way I look at old, black and white films. It's a movie that challenges the viewer and pushes him to ask questions, something the newer movies are sometimes very bad at. "Casablanca" continuously surprises it's viewers by always pushing you to look at an idea closer.

The first scene that I really liked and that I thought gave some insight into Rick and Ilsa's relationship was towards the beginning of the movie when Victor Laszlo and Ilsa first arrive at Rick's. After Rick briskly walks over to Sam to ask him why he was playing the forbidden song "As Time Goes By," Rick spotts Ilsa and her husband Victor. Rick completely goes against his personal rules of never drinking with a customer and likewise never picking up the tap for a customer and does just that with Ilsa and her husband. This violation of Rick's rules give the viewer clear insight to the mysterious, unresolved relationship between Rick and Ilsa, without the actors really even saying anything about their past together. I think that this scene is one of the most well done and thought through of them all.

The other scene that surprised me as well as the first was when Ilsa had given Rick the power to decide what she does, either leave for the United States with Victor, her husband, or Rick, her long-lost lover. She is confident that Rick will tell Victor about their love and that her and Rick will be on the next plane to the States to live happily ever after. However, Rick surprises both Ilsa and the viewer when he points a gun at Louis, a French officer, and makes him sign the transport papers in Ilsa and her husband's name. Ilsa is devastated and is hesitant to get on the plane with her husband. Rick tells Ilsa that her and Victor were meant to be together and that they'll always have their time in Paris to remember.

"Casabalnca" also has a strong relation to the "Focus on Ideas" section in the text. The seven ideas under this section focus on the deeper meanings within films. These include moral implications, the truth of human nature, social problems, the struggle for human dignity, the complexity of human relationships, the coming of age/loss of innocence/growing awareness, and finally a moral or philosophical riddle. The film "Casablanca" falls under many of these categories. One focus that was quite obvious in the film was the idea of social problems. This film took place right before World War II broke out. The Germans invaded France, which drove the main characters out of the country in search of freedom. The social problem in this movie has a direct relation to the plot and as to how the characters ended up in Casablanca.

The other idea that the film is related to is the complexity of human relationships. Right from the beginning of the movie we see that there are unresolved feelings between Rick and Ilsa. This complex relationship is later explained by Rick's flashback to the lovers' time in Paris. Just when we think the complexity in Rick and Ilsa's relationship has ended, Rick sends her on a plane not with him, but her husband. This leaves the relationship between the two unresolved because they realize they will never actually be able to be together. There is no clear resolution to Rick and Ilsa's love affair, which leaves the viewer asking questions at the end. Do Rick and Ilsa ever end up together? The film leaves the answer to this question up to the viewer.

The timeless film "Casablanca" is an emotional love story that will forever live in the world of American films and will remain in the hearts of many. It has opened my eyes to older movies, for they make you think about life in a way that some of us haven't before.