Casablanca Essay

Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca may be a black and white film, but the story that it tells is richly saturated with drama, romance, and plot twists.

Casablanca tells the story of a love triangle during a perilous time. Rick Blaine, Victor Laslo, and Ilsa Lund find themselves at odds with each other in Casablanca during the war. The story begins when Ilsa Lund and Victor Laslo coincidently walk into Rick’s Café Americaine shortly after arriving in Casablanca. Victor Laslo is oblivious to the fact that his wife Ilsa and Rick have a romantic history that took place in Paris.

Audiences are quickly aware that Ilsa and Victor’s appearance in Casablanca causes inner turmoil for Rick, who has been there for quite some time. Ilsa and her war rebel husband

Victor wish to escape from Casablanca. Rick, Ilsa’s previous lover is the only one who has the resources to help them accomplish this task. Rick has to decide whether or not he can be selfless enough to let the women that he loves escape with her husband and leave him forever.
Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Blaine, the saloonkeeper who always seems to be on the underdog’s side. Throughout the film his demeanor is solemn, mysterious, and pensive, fitting with a man who has lost the love of his life. Bogart is very consistent within his role and never breaks character. Up until the end of the film, you cannot be sure what Rick is actually thinking or what his true motives are. The only thing that viewer’s can be sure of when it comes to Rick is that he has a deep love for Ilsa.
Ingrid Bergman, who plays Ilsa Lund in the film, does not disappoint either. It is obvious from the moment that Rick and Ilsa make eye contact with each other that there is a distinct chemistry between the two characters. The gaze that they share as they hear the song, “As Time Goes By”, shows the pain that they both feel when they think about their past together. Humphrey and Bergman have an impressive way of telling their story through eye contact and facial expressions rather than verbally explaining what they want to say.
Ilsa plays the role of the confused women caught in between two men.

She is unsure of whether she should stand by her husband and support his efforts to rebel against the war, or whether she should help her husband escape from Casablanca and remain there with Rick to finish what they started in Paris years before. Although she feels loyalty to Victor, it is clear from watching her melt every time that Rick says, “here’s looking at you” that she has a genuine love for him.

For me, Victor Laslo falls flat as a character in comparison to Rick and Ilsa. He left me on the edge of my seat hoping to see something more than he was giving. I wanted to analyze Laslo like I was able to the other characters, and see him break the stereotype of committed husband and war rebel. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but he just seemed too good to be true and un-relatable. In every conflict that he faces in the film, he does the noble thing. In comparison to the other characters, I wanted more from Laslo and didn’t get it.

Casablanca shows that “as time goes by”, the same situations still occur. The film encompasses love, betrayal, and politics. All of these elements remain relevant 74 years later. People are still caught in love triangles. People still are unfaithful to their significant others and feel guilty about it. Many of the conflicts that arise in Casablanca happen to people still

today.
Even though many people may be turned away from this film for fear that it is outdated and for the fact that it is in black and white, I think that the themes within it are current. The fact that it is in black and white can be easily overlooked. Those who are willing to sit and enjoy a timeless film that is a mere 103 minutes will not be disappointed.
Arthur Edeson, director of cinematography, takes advantage of shadows in this movie, which increases the drama that is being conveyed throughout the film. In many of the scenes, you can tell the mood just by looking at the lighting. I thought that the cinematography on the last scene was particularly impressive. The set, the lighting, and the placement of the Rick and Ilsa seems perfect.
The set design is Casablanca is very convincing. Attention to detail was obviously paid in creating the set. The saloon, Rick’s apartment, and the streets that they walk all have a Moroccan flair to them. After watching the film for about twenty minutes you can get an understanding of what Casablanca is like. Through the set, I felt like I was transported into the story and believed it more.