The 1942 Movie Casablanca: Humphrey Bogart

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The 1942 movie, “Casablanca” portrays a World War II era enclave where refugees fled Nazi Europe and used this unoccupied city as a safe haven while pursuing their dreams of coming to America. The main character is Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, who owns a nightclub and casino in unoccupied Morocco during the Nazi era. Blaine, whose sole purpose appears to be money, illuminates a sense of arrogance and self righteousness as he assists in retrieving the necessary immigration documents for those who are willing to pay the price for their freedom. Hidden deep within his memory are the reflections of a women that he once loved, Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman. The third leading role was that of Paul Henreid who played the Ilsa’s husband in the movie. Victor Laszlo, a Jewish activist who was on the run from the German Regime was once believed to be dead after being captured and placed in a concentration camp, during which time his wife (Ilsa) fled to Paris and ultimately had an affair with Rick Blaine.

The ethical concepts of 1940’s era ‘good and evil’ are well portrayed in Casablanca. Evil is not only portrayed by the actors who played the Nazi soldiers but it can also be felt in the mind of the viewer. One must consider the wartime mindset of the American people when the movie was made and the implications that filled the set. During the 1940’s, the United States was still a fairly Christian nation with moral character that was based solely on religious beliefs. Graphic and seductive scenes that would be included in the making of Casablanca were omitted so as not to offend the viewers or their moral standards. In order to abide to the Divine Command Theory, scenes that involved the actual act of killin...

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...o survive and flee the inevitable evil. With World War II raging, viewers in the United States could feel the fear and anxieties as well as compassion for the characters. Although some movies can be rewritten to obtain a better effect over the viewers, Casablanca cannot be redone. The mere fact that the evil of the day was a reality of the time prevents this movie from ever having the same effect on the audience.

Works Cited

Wallis, H.B. and Curtiz, M. (Producer & Director). (1942). Casablanca [Film]. Burbank: Warner Brothers.

Kant, Immanuel. (2007). In Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com.library.capella.edu/entry/macpt/kant_immanue.

John Stuart Mill. (2004). In Great Thinkers A-Z. Retrieved from

http://www.credoreference.com.library.capella.edu/entry/contgt/john_stuart_mill.

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