Casablanca Essay, Research Paper

In choosing the movie Casablanca, I looked forward to re-aquatinting myself with a wonderful old classic Noir film. I wanted to know more about this film for a better understanding of the plot and symbolism, as well as the powerful mystique behind the film that has made Casablanca so enduring. Casablanca (1942), a review by Damian Cannon, movie review UK 1998, provided the following information:

Amidst the Second World War the African City of Casablanca becomes the backdrop for Rick s Caf (where everybody goes), as well as the many dispossessed refugees, black marketers, and a variety of colorful characters, when resistance fighter Victor Laszlo enters the scene. The plot thickens and tension becomes palpable. Accompanied by his beautiful wife Ilsa (Rick Blaines ex-lover), Laszlo soon finds himself immersed in the seamy underworld of Casablanca, and the constant menace of the Nazi occupation with Rick s Caf as the only neutral focal point. As the movie draws to a conclusion Rick (Humphrey Bogart) is forced to take a moral stand which leads to an interesting ending, with unexpected twists. Based on the play, Everybody Comes to Rick s , Casablanca was written by Murray Burnett, and directed by Michael Curtiz. Along with Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Laszlo; Casablanca boasts a stellar cast among them; Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo, Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, Peter Lorre as Ugarte, and Sydney Greenstreet as Senor Ferrari. It is noted that the movie classic one-line comments are still somewhat of a mystery, in that its appeal remains so strong more than fifty years later!

I found Mr. Cannon s review of Casablanca to be clear and concise. A quick overview of the Casablanca plot is meshed smoothly with interesting and lesser-known information concerning the behind the scenes directing from Mr. Curtiz. Mr. Cannon shows excellent insight into Casablanca s more prominent characters, and a good understanding of the movies plot and symbolism. I agree with Damian Cannon s question and puzzlement as to why Casablanca has remained so appealing through so many decades. No one working on the movie planned on making a classic, and yet Casablanca has endured. Is it the wonderful one-liners, Humphrey Bogart s hard-boiled persona, or maybe the chemistry between Rick and Ilsa? Personally, I enjoyed the continuous ebb and flow of humanity in Rick s Caf and the wonderful ongoing atmosphere. In conclusion, my understanding of Casablanca has increased, with greater appreciation for the central characters, and the plot that developed around them. Here s looking at you kid now takes on a whole new meaning!