Casablanca

When somebody asks what my favorite movie is, I typically respond, Casablanca. Perhaps you can see why from the 1942 trailer.

“If you are looking for adventure, you will find it in Casablanca. City of hope and despair located in French Morocco in North Africa, the meeting place of adventurers, fugitives, criminals, refugees, lured into this dangerous oasis by the hope of escape to the Americas. But they’re all trapped, for there is no escape.”

“Against this fascinating background is woven the story of an imperishable love and the enthralling saga of six desperate people each in Casablanca to keep an appointment with destiny. The most dangerous man in the world’s most dangerous city. The woman fighting the strange fascination that draws her closer and closer to him.”

“Casablanca where every burning moment brings a new danger; where every kiss may be the last”

Storyline and Impact
Very briefly, Rick (Humphrey Bogart), who owns a nightclub in Casablanca, discovers his old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Laszlo is a resistance leader, and with Germans on his tail, Ilsa approaches Rick for assistance to freedom and he must choose between his love for her and helping them escape.

Filmed and set during World War II, the story portrays the reality of war and real-life refugees escaping from Nazis. The characters were considered “universal and particular to their time” as many of the minor roles and extras were played by European exiles. The resulting realism and greater understanding of the desperations faced makes the screen become alive with the viewer deeply engrossed in the realistic struggle of normal people during war time.

With the allied invasion of North Africa two weeks earlier, Casablanca was rushed to early release to take advantage of the publicity. None of the production crew expected the film to be anything special.

Lasting Popularity
Despite low expectations, Casablanca won multiple Academy Awards and became the first film chosen for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.

Here’s some familiar quotes to watch and listen for:
“Here’s looking at you kid“
“We’ll always have Paris“
“Round up the usual suspects“
“I stick my head out for nobody“
“Everybody goes to Rick’s“
“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine“

One line associated with the movie, “Play it again, Sam,” is not spoken in the film. We do hear Ilsa say, “Play it once, Sam, for old times’ sake,” when she enters the Café Américain. The infamous words title a Woody Allen comedy in which a recently divorced film critic clumsily tries to copy Bogart. Interspersed are clips from the movie and advice from Bogart (actor playing him) about women.

I always leave Casablanca pondering the crucial life changing decisions so many characters make and the impact those decisions have on the future.

If you would like to experience refugees desperately trying to leave Europe during World War II, and if you have wanted to develop a taste for old classic movies, there is no better place to start than Casablanca. Be sure to watch it in the black & white version.

[In her retirement, CJ Austin continues to read, write, publish and share insights from her professional background (marriage and family therapy) with others. Contact: cjaustinauthor@gmail.com]