Most people who have heard of the motion
picture sensation of the 40s, Casablanca,
understand the film to be wartime propaganda and/or a romance. Staring
established actors and created with first-rate writers, the movie is famous for
its memorable lines and stirring theme song among other notable aspects.
This
historical artifact has stood the test of time with its classic theme of patriotism,
love, and sacrifice as the words in the catchy script still maintain potency
today after so many years. The passion of this never-aging movie is beautifully
fashioned into the lyrics of the familiar theme song: “As Time Goes By”. The
passion instilled in the lyrics of the song empowered the viewers in the 40s
and still resonates meaning in viewers today. The words are relatable, and in a
poetic soliloquy of music, a timeless emotion thrives when the song is heard.
“Time is always going by…. It’s still the same old story, a fight for love and
glory.” Casablanca has maintained potency in its icon status even today
for the resemblance it mirrors throughout society, history, politics, and
culture.
Casablanca is a
cultural icon that resonates throughout several generations. Young and old
alike find meaning and entertainment in the witty phrases, the romance, and the
conceptualization of sacrificial heroism. In this way, it succeeds as
representational art of cultures both past and present because its intrinsic
value lingers in our society even today. Casablanca as historical evidence of past societies The movie is a masterpiece, and a
stunning visual creation to holds the song of the ages. As time goes by,
Casablanca will continue to share its message and pass along that hopeful
reminder of what freedom fighting is all about.
Something becomes an icon when its
resemblance resonates all over the world through its permeation of social,
cultural, political, and historical barriers. Once it has been involved in
every layer of interactive life over a certain amount of times – meaning its
“essence” appears and is recognized in each successive generation – it becomes
noticeable, recognizable, and familiar. The familiarity is what keeps the icon
lingering because it is essentially part of the intrinsic makeup of a culture’s
atmosphere. Its importance lies in its continual presence it owns in our lives. Learn why here
Even today, the quotes that linger on our
tongues and the echo of the dramatic music the film featured keep the power of
the film in our society like a dense fog that refuses to lift. No one argues
against it: Casablanca is an icon. Top 50 quotes from Casablanca
Casablanca is an icon because its power
of familiarity is recognizable in most cultures across America, namely the
Brattle of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Scott McGee a writer for TCM, a network
that airs classic movies wrote on how the American Culture of the 1960s paid
homage to the film. The Brattle of Cambridge Located in Cambridge, there was a movie theater named The
Brattle that decided to celebrate Casablanca following Humphrey Bogart’s death
in ’57. The theater ran Casablanca every year for three weeks at a time, and
each time, the extremely enthusiastic theater crowd grew larger in number.
Eventually, it turned into a cult: the fans would arrive in trench coats and
snap-brim hats in honor of Bogart’s character Rick and shout out the dialogue
in1975). But the recitation of the famous quotes of the movie
reached beyond the culture of the Brattle of Cambridge. Many who have never even seen
Casablanca, would recognize some of the quotes. For example:
·“…Here’s looking at you, kid.”
·“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she
walks into mine…”
·“…If we stop breathing, we’ll die. If we stop fighting our
enemies, the world will die.”
·
·“What is your nationality?” (Major Strausser) “…I’m a
drunkard.” (Rick)
·“We all try, you succeed.”
·“Remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart.” (Rick)
“…That’s my least vulnerable spot.”(Captain Renault)
·“I’d bet they’re asleep in New York. I’d bet they’re asleep
all over America…” (Rick)
·“I’m the only cause I’m interested in.” (Rick)
·“Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful
friendship.” (Rick)
·“…Who are you really, and what were you before? What did you
do and what did you think, huh?” Rick “…We said no questions.” (Isla)
·If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him,
you’ll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the
rest of your life.” (Rick)
·“We’ll always have Paris . . . . Ilsa, I’m no good at being
noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people
don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you’ll understand
that.” (Rick)
If any of those famous quotes sound familiar,
than welcome to the culture of Casablanca. Casablanca quotes are high in number
on all the top 100 famous movies quote lists. The American Film Institute
ranked, “Here’s looking at you, kid” as number 5 on the list. That spot put
Casablanca higher than Citizen Kane, Star
Wars, Streetcar Named Desire, and countless other classics. But more
interestingly, even though quotes from Gone
With the Wind, The Godfathers, and the Wizard of Oz filled in the spots
above Casablanca, the list of 100 quotes includes six from Casablanca. The next
winner for the most quotes being mention is the Wizard of Oz with three. Even
the institute’s countdown of the greatest love stories of all time, Casablanca
was ranked number one.
Culture in itself as pertaining to ethnicity is another
key element that’s portrayed in the movie. As each character is introduced, the
nationality is made evident or it’s inquired about. For example, when the
German Major Strausser first meets Rick, he asks him about his nationality.
Rick states in response that he is a drunkard, and the wit creates a comedic
element, but more importantly this line emphasizes that Rick feels no sense of
nationality, hence his cynical disinterest to get passionate on the current
events of the world. The different characters represent several nationalities
and ethnicities presented in the film, and those characters relations with the
others are startlingly parallel to the national relationships between allies
and countries at the time.
For example, in the beginning of the film we meet
the passionate young French woman at Rick’s bar, who clearly has feelings for
Rick and is wondering why he didn’t come to visit her the previous night. Rick
gives a very unsentimental cold response and she becomes clearly distraught to
be so ignored. Likewise, France was extremely confused in their suffering when
American forces did not immediately sympathize with them and come to their aid
militarily following the German’s march on Paris.
Representing neutral territory, Rick’s Café is a
little bit like a melting pot – or salad bowl – of cultures. So many countries
have representation through the characters in this film: America, Norway, France, Germany, Russia, Italy,
Spain, Bulgaria, French Morocco and Czechoslovakia are the main ones
represented. Nationality in Casablanca
Casablanca has stood the test of time and has become a beloved social artifact for all the generations. It's impact in our culture will continue to live on as the themes of love and sacrifice never grow old. As time goes by, Casablanca will remain a beloved film for all ages.
Most have heard Casablanca be
referenced to as war propaganda (see The Art of Persuasion for more on political propaganda) or as a movie with a political purpose, and in
retrospect, the movie did reach out to the political culture of America. There
was an emotional impact that resonated with viewers back then and arguably
still now. Casablanca was extremely influential and has earned a valued
position in American film history. The film addressed America’s crucial
intervention with foreign affairs in WWII by starting a movement that
encouraged Americans to get involved in the suffering and oppression of the
world. Furthermore, the film criticized America’s quiet stance in response to
undemocratic behavior being exercised in the world.
Just like the characters in Casablanca,
Americans were trying to resolve their commitment issues about the war. While
they might’ve been concerned about what was going on in Europe, the war was not
on their doorsteps, so they were as Bogart famously says, “…They’re asleep in
New York – I bet they’re asleep all over America.” That quote specifically
elicited a reaction; in this way, Casablanca was like an alarm clock that woke
up American’s fervor to stamp out the evil of a fascist dictator and intervene
with some international wartime politics. Learn more here.
Casablanca was powerful because it inspired the
American community into revealing unvoiced emotions and sentiments about the
important controversy occurring at the time. This was achieved through the
political transformation Americans underwent being mirrored through that of
Rick’s. From indifferent businessman to social activist to political actor to
freedom fighter for the cause of democratic ideals, the political lesson Rick
learns was the same for many Americans. (For a further look on the details of this transformation see this article by Michael Belding)
Casablanca is considered propaganda, but
propaganda has many levels and many journalistic points of interest that
Casablanca is not trapped in. Learn more about propaganda here.Casablanca is a unique artifact of
propaganda because it is not guilty of the typical deception that
propaganda usually succumbs to. Why Casablanca is different from other propaganda
The
history of Casablanca is a colorful one, first, of course because of its
historical setting being WWII and second simply the history of the production
and life of the film is interesting in of itself. To understand the latter,
it’s important to set the stage with the first. Because there were so many
ideas, opinions, and cultures that were expressed in Casablanca pertaining to
WWII, it is critical to understand the environment the world was suffering
under to better appreciate the thoughts reflected in the film.
The creation of Casablanca was a tale in itself. The story
was birthed by writer Murray Burnett, who while traveling with his wife to
visit some of her family in Europe in the late 30s, witnessed for himself the
refugee movement that stranded thousands. During this trip, he accompanied a
friend to a nightclub where a black man was playing at the piano. It was
recorded that Burnett said, “Gee, what a setting for a play,” and then he wrote
the play, Everybody comes to Rick’s. Jack
Warner paid more for this play than had ever been paid for an unproduced play
before in Hollywood’s history: $20,000.
Rick: “Ilsa, I'm no good at being
noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little
people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday
you'll understand that. Now, now. Here's looking at you, kid."
The Epstein brothers were the original writers and began to adapt the play for the screen.
Much of the attributes of the colorful characters along with the humor
is attributed to their talent. At the time of the flashback within the
movie, Hal B. Wallace, Director Curtiz’s right hand man who ran the
studio, brought in Howard Koch, another notable film writer to write the
second half. Koch is credited with adding the dimension of mysticism
that Casablanca is now celebrated for. Koch saw the potential power of
the film and believed in its potentiality as the message America needed
to hear. “There were values,” he said, “that were worth making
sacrifices for, and the film said it in a very entertaining way”. Koch’s artistic and visionary flare is what made
Casablanca’s allure legendary. His touch gave the romantic flavor
through the trials of Ilsa and her love for one man while being devoted
to the cause of another. For more on the writers and the development of the screenplay and script, click here.
This incredible work of art, however, was a bit of a diamond in the rough. In the early 40s, movies didn't receive the months of attention they receive today. Studios never knew if a movie would be a hit or not, only that Hollywood had to keep up its revenue. Casablanca, although it starred famous "A List" actors, was not speculated to be any above average success, and it certainly wasn't expected to be the box office hit it turned out to be. Casablanca ended up earning eight Oscar nominations and won three of them for best picture, best director, and best adapted screenplay.
Learn more here.
Rick: “Who
are you really and what were you before? What did you do and what
did you think?" Ilsa: “We said no
questions."
Casablanca was truly a perfect film, and most
feel that the film’s intrigue can never be duplicated. Of course that hasn’t
stopped people from trying. In 1946 the Marx brothers made a tribute called “A
Night in Casablanca,” and in 1956 and 1981, Warner Brothers tried twice to
start a series that captured the magic of Casablanca but failed both times. The
only recreation of the film that received any worthy accolade was by Looney
Tunes. The cartoon was called, “Carrotblanca,” with Bugs Bunny playing the cynical
Rick, Tweety Bird playing Ugarte, and Daffy Duck playing Sam. As enjoyed as
that tribute was, Casablanca still remains un-triumphed: “As time goes by, the
cinema magic of Casablanca will cast its spell.”
(Click above to listen to the iconic theme song while you browse)
In the 40s the world was divided up into
societies: the societies of Europe and the society of the west. The society of
the west was that of the American Patriots. As writer J. Hoberman would
articulate, “Casablanca was the culture of the west,
everything we were fighting for in World War II, brought together in one neat
package.” Casablanca: An Essay Many
critics who saw the translation of society being represented in the
film praised the specific artistic roles that represented each group. Casablanca as an allegory
To be more in-depth on the articulation
of society in the film, many sources have listed out the symbols in the movie,
a powerful tool that the producers used to make Casablanca the vivid creation
it is. The movie, flowing with symbolic idealisms, uses its symbols to portray
the societies of the late 30s up until Pearl Harbor. The first symbols of course, are the
characters themselves. By observing the
personalities of the characters, it’s easy to see the symbolic matchup to
societies. (Symbols and Semiotics: themes and symbols & Casablanca Semiotics: Characters as symbols )
Although Casablanca is a fictional film, it can be used as historical
evidence for past societies the same way other representational art
forms do. Learn why Casablanca is an accurate assessment of past societies
By
observing the personalities of the characters, it’s easy to see the symbolic
matchup to societies. Lazlo represents the freedom fighter society. He
represents those in the resistance willing to do whatever it takes to keep the world
from a sick Nazi regime. Ilsa, as previously mentioned, represents the higher
ideals in life. Her personality shows the plight of the society she represents:
the innocent people who know what’s going on in Europe is wrong but doesn’t
know how to respond. This decision of the heart was beautifully reflected in
the love triangle. Not simply a romantic twist, the love triangle is critically
important to the society Ilsa represents because it shows the conflict of
purity in the 40s. The higher ideals are too pure to be polluted, so they can’t
succumb to a corrupt dictator. However they must choose between how belief in
such ideals will be expressed. Will Ilsa’s conscience decide to come forth like
Rick, with an indifferent, keep to yourself attitude, or like Lazlo with
passion and willingness to fight regardless of the cost? Themes and Symbols in Casablanca
This
historical artifact has stood the test of time with its classic theme of patriotism,
love, and sacrifice as the words in the catchy script still maintain potency
today after so many years. The passion of this never-aging movie is beautifully
fashioned into the lyrics of the familiar theme song: “As Time Goes By”. The
passion instilled in the lyrics of the song empowered the viewers in the 40s
and still resonates meaning in viewers today. The words are relatable, and in a
poetic soliloquy of music, a timeless emotion thrives when the song is heard. 
