General Vision and Viewpoint in Casablanca
Central Characters
(Central Characters are Rick and Ilsa)
Our view of the integrity of a central character, as well as their ability to find fulfilment over the course of the text, colours our general vision and viewpoint. Rick Blaine is a self-contained, somewhat enigmatic figure at the start of the film. He owns a popular café and is well-known in the city. Captain Renault tells Major Strasser, the Third Reich representative who has recently arrived in the city, that ‘everybody comes to Rick’s and the German replies that he has already heard about Rick’s café and ‘about Mr Rick himself’.
Rick keeps himself to himself and, although he is polite and even friendly on occasion, he never drinks with customers, preferring to sit alone and watch the goings on in the café from a discreet distance. He has a lover, Yvonne, but shows little interest in her and resists all her attempts to arrange another date. Rick’s treatment of Yvonne is quite callous, as it is clear she cares a great deal for him. Renault tells Major Strasser: ‘Rick is completely neutral about everything. And that takes in the field of women, too’. However, this neutrality does not make Rick particularly admirable. As Casablanca is both a love story and a political allegory of the Second World War, Rick’s disinterest in German occupation conveys a negative and pessimistic message. This is deliberate, because in the early part of the film, Rick represents the American isolationist approach to the war. Over the course of the film, there are several unsubtle links between Rick and American political views. When Renault tells Rick that Ugarte will be arrested in this bar and that he not interfere with the process, Rick says, ‘I stick my neck out for nobody’. Renault approvingly calls this ‘A wise foreign policy’.
There are hints, however, that Rick’s sympathies lie more with the Allies than the Germans and that he is at heart, a kind and decent man who cares for those around him, despite his best efforts to appear cynical and aloof. These little flashes of hope create a sense of optimism, albeit briefly. Major Strasser has a dossier on Rick that shows that in the past, Rick was far from neutral and even risked his life to fight for what he believed was right. Strasser says he knows what Rick did in Paris and why he left Paris. Renault also has information about Rick, reminding him that for all his claim not to care about the war, he has fought against oppression before: ‘Let me point out just two items. In 1935 you ran guns to Ethiopia. In 1936, you fought in Spain on the Loyalist side.’
On a personal level, Rick shows his true nature quietly and without fuss. One seemingly irrelevant incident is Rick’s reaction to Emil, the croupier, telling him that a customer has had a big win at the casino. Rick takes the news calmly and assures Emil that he does not mind. We see the same decency in the way Rick treats Sam. He will not ‘sell’ him to Ferrari and insists that they ask Sam if he would like to switch employment. Sam refuses, reinforcing the idea that Rick is an admirable man who inspires loyalty and gratitude in those close to him. Similarly, Rick’s generosity to Annina Brandel, rigging the roulette table so her husband wins enough money to allow them passage to America is a kind and selfless act. All of these small moments build up a picture of a man who may well be capable of heroism and who is not indifferent to the plight of others.
Rick and Ilsa’s reunion throws Rick off balance and, for a time, his behaviour is far from admirable. His bitterness and pain come to the fore and he is incapable of seeing past his own suffering. The mood of the film becomes deeply pessimistic when Rick refuses to give Ilsa and Laszlo the letters of transit. His change of heart when he realises Ilsa truly loves him after all rekindles our hope that perhaps all will be well, and shows Rick at his best once more.
Rick’s ultimate act of self-sacrifice at the end of the film contributes to a positive and optimistic general vision and viewpoint. Heroically, he insists that Ilsa and Laszlo escape to America together and, in some of the most often quoted lines form the film, tells Ilsa, ‘I’ve got a job to do, too. Where I’m going you can’t follow. What I’ve got to do you can’t be any part of. 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 shows great integrity in allowing the woman he loves to go away with another man because he knows that the war effort is more important than any individual. Even the self-serving Renault is moved by Rick’s nobility and decides to abandon his post and join Rick on his quest to resist the Germans and help the Allied war effort. The sadness of Rick and Ilsa’s parting cannot dampen the positive and uplifting mood caused by Rick’s idealistic, admirably selfless actions.
Opening
The opening of Casablanca creates a tense and rather grim mood. At the beginning of the film, the credits roll as a map of Africa is shown on screen. Exotic, exciting music, which an audience would associate with Morocco, plays before being replaced by the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. From the map and the music, we gather that the story will be about conquest, occupation and oppression. Morocco was a French colony from 1912 to 1956, and the replacement of North African music with French music suggests the political shift from African to French rule in Casablanca.
As the credits fade, a revolving globe appears on screen. A narrator, similar to a newsreel announcer that would be familiar to cinema-going audiences at the time, gives an account of the thousands of people fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe in the hope of finding freedom in America. The tone at this stage of the film is deeply pessimistic and this is reflected in the narrator’s words. The soundtrack becomes melancholy and tense, with string instruments adding to the pathos. The narrator explains that Europe is ‘imprisoned’ and those there turn ‘hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas’. The refugee trail of men, women and children trying to travel from Paris to Casablanca is described as ‘tortuous’. We hear that the ‘fortunate ones’ who have ‘money, or influence, or luck, may find the means to get to Lisbon and from there to the ‘New World’. But as the narrator says, ‘the others wait in Casablanca – and wait – and wait – and wait’. The repetition of the word ‘wait’ implies not just desperation but also the reality of many people never managing to make their escape.
The music changes once again as the narration ends. Now , it reflects the next scene, a bazaar. Within seconds, the tension is built again by a series of striking chords leading to the policeman’s announcement to ‘all officers’ about the murder of two German couriers. Whistles and sirens follow as the police round up ‘suspicious characters’. The impression is that Casablanca is neither where people choose to be, nor is it a safe refuge. Instead, it is where refugees are forced to spend their time – and money – as they scramble to book passage to Lisbon from where they can leave for America.
A man whose papers are not in order runs from the police. He is shot down, and leaflets displaying the Cross of Lorraine are prised from his dead hand. The cross, which resembles an upper-case letter ‘F’, forms the first letter of ‘Free France’ on one of the pages, while the other shows the cross with the French words ‘France Libre’ and a picture of a gunboat. As the policemen look at the leaflets, La Marseillaise plays and the camera cuts to the words on the wall above the police headquarters: ‘Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite’. ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ is the national motto of France and the irony is clear as a man has just been killed for his adherence to that belief and others are being herded into the police station on flimsy pretexts. This irony is reinforced by the fact that the man carrying the ‘Free France’ literature was shot beside a poster of Marshal Petain, the puppet ruler of German-occupied France. Petain’s slogan, ‘Je tiens mes promesses, meme celles des autres’ (‘I keep my promises, even those of others’), is meant to imply that he and those like him, who swore allegiance to the Nazi regime in return for being allowed the semblance of power and control, are more honourable than those who resist occupation. Of course, a man being killed beneath the poster is intended to show how false these promises are. The deeply pessimistic message is that nobody is safe under German rule. There seems little hope of escape from this place in which human life is cheap and the police are obviously brutal and uncaring.
This negative viewpoint is reinforced when a bemused middle-aged English couple, who are observing the arrests, are approached by an unctuous pickpocket. He tells them that the police are carrying out ‘the customary round up of refugees, liberals, and uh, of course, a beautiful young girl for Monsieur Renault, the Prefect of Police’. None of those mentioned criminals or even those who may be seen to have criminal leanings. They are simply vulnerable and, as such, easy pickings. The word ‘customary’ here implies that these arrests are a regular occurrence in Casablanca, so it is obviously a place where those seeking refuge or holding liberal views are not safe. How we regard the arrest of the beautiful young girl for the captain of police depends on the time period. An audience in 1942 may well have viewed Renault’s predatory sexual activities in a more amused and tolerant way than would an audience nowadays. This is an example of a difference between the director’s intention and the audience’s perception. Renault is portrayed as a likable rogue but there is no doubt that his behaviour is unacceptable by current standards. Whatever the view of Renault, one thing is sure and that is that Casablanca is no place of refuge. We have little hope at this stage for those who are trapped there.
Ending
The ending of Casablanca is one of the most famous moments in film history. There can be a few who do not know about the airport scene and the heartbreaking conclusion to Rick and Ilsa’s love affair. Although Casablanca is a typical Hollywood film in many respects, the ending defies convention. The standard happy-ever-after ending would require Ilsa to openly declare her love for one of the men in her life, and for the other to accept her choice, but that does not happen. Instead, we are left with ambiguities and uncertainties. Our opinion of these aspects of the ending colours the general vision and viewpoint.
The main reason that the ending of the film Casablanca is unclear in terms of the general vision and viewpoint is that there is no clean merging of the personal and political. On the one hand, Rick’s ultimate act of self-sacrifice at the end of the film leaves us in no doubt that he is a true wartime hero. Yet, at the same time, his courage and nobility mean an end to his and Ilsa’s love. He insists that she and Laszlo escape to America together and, in some of the most often-quoted lines from the film, tells her ‘I’ve got a job to do, too. Where I’m going you can’t follow. What I’ve got to do you can’t be any part of, 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 allows the woman he loves to go away with another man because the war effort is more important than any individual. This is a stirringly patriotic message and impresses even Captain Renault, prompting him to abandon his post and join Rick on his next mission, whatever that may be. However, Rick has lost Ilsa once more. For the second time, they must part ways. The ending of the film reminds us of the railway station scene shown in Rick’s flashback. He was heartbroken then, and we can only assume that he is equally so now. Ilsa’s feelings are less clear-cut. Does she truly love Rick? It could be that she simply pretends to in the hope of obtaining the letters of transit, as Rick tells Laszlo. Rick does this to spare Laszlo’s feelings and ensure his and Ilsa’s marriage survives. If, however, Ilsa truly loves Rick, then being forced to leave him is extremely painful for her and it seems unlikely that she has or ever will ever achieve fulfilment in her life. She admires Laszlo greatly and realises her importance in his life and his work, but that is not the same as love. As Ilsa tells Rick, she met Laszlo when she was very young and was swept away by his idealism, his courage and the passion of his conviction, Laszlo helped her to grow and to develop a political conscience, but is that enough to sustain a loving relationship in the long term? We are left to speculate on Ilsa’s motives and feelings, and this makes the ending of the film a little unsatisfactory and far from as optimistic as we may like.
There is, however, a note of optimism in Rick’s alliance with Captain Renault at the end of Casablanca. While Rick may not manage to leave with the woman of his dreams, he does at least walk away from the airport hangar in the company of Renault, who has become more than a casual acquaintance and is prepared to throw in his lot with Rick and, by extension, the Allied cause. On a political level, Renault’s decision to turn his back on Vichy France, represented by his throwing the bottle of Vichy water in the bin and then kicking it over, is hopeful. An audience at the time would certainly have seen it as a sign of a turning point in the war. If a viewer believes that the political trumps the personal, then this is a happy ending. There can be no easy answers and no carefree conclusions. Sacrifices must be made, and those who fight and those who are left behind both suffer for the greater good. On a personal level, Rick may have lost the love of his life, but he is not alone in the final moments of the film. He does not have Ilsa, but he has a loyal companion of sorts. The final line in Casablanca is, therefore, somewhat uplifting and cheering as Rick says to Renault, ‘Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship’, and the walk off together into the night.
Relationships
The arrival of Ilsa Lund and Victor Laszlo in Casablanca shatters Rick’s composure and his carefully crafted identity as a hardened cynic who has little interest in the affairs of others. Sam, the piano player, sees Ilsa enter the café, and his apprehension – almost amounting to fear – leads us to believe that whatever her relationship with Rick was, it should not be rekindled. Sam tries to persuade Ilsa that Rick has a girl in the Blue Parrot, but she does not believe this obvious lie. Desperately, Sam begs, ‘Leave him alone, Miss Ilsa. You’re bad luck to him’.
Despite Sam’s efforts, Rick meets Ilsa. She has asked Sam to play and sing ‘As Time Goes By’. Rick strides over to the piano, clearly angry. He starts to tell Sam that he told him never to play that song again, and in reply, Sam merely looks towards Ilsa. Rick follows his gaze, and two close-ups reveal Ilsa and Rick looking intently at one another. Ilsa’s eyes brim with unshed tears. Rick is speechless and can only gulp in astonishment. Rick joins Laszlo and Ilsa at their table, to Renault’s surprise. After all, Rick is famously aloof but now he is not only willing to drink with customers, but to foot the bill, Renault’s reaction shows that Ilsa must mean a great deal to Rick, for him to break with precedent this way. The conversation between Rick and Ilsa is loaded with tension and hints of a difficult past. They recall their last meeting in Paris, on the day the Germans entered the city. Rick says it was ‘Not an easy day to forget’, but it is obvious he does not simply mean because of the invasion. The tension and undercurrents of anger on Rick’s part and sadness on Ilsa’s create a negative general vision and viewpoint at this stage in the film.
The pessimistic mood created by Ilsa’s return deepens when she and Laszlo leave the café and Rick sits alone, miserably attempting to drink himself into oblivion. He resists Sam’s attempts to get him to leave the café and Casablanca, insisting that he is waiting for Ilsa and that she will return. His cool, cynical façade has crumbled, and he sinks his hands, wondering why ‘Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world’, Ilsa had to walk into his. He forces the reluctant Sam to play ‘As Time Goes By’ once more. The picture dissolves to a flashback of Rick and Ilsa’s time together in Paris.
In the montage of romantic outings at the beginning of the flashback, Rick seems far more carefree and much happier as the couple drive through the Parisian countryside and take a boat trip down the Seine. They are in every way the typical young lovers so familiar to a cinema-going audience. Flowers and champagne abound, and all is romantic perfection. Before long, however, the mood changes. Rick and Ilsa are in a café, ‘La Belle Aurore’. The name of the café (which translates as ‘The Beautiful Dawn’) is ironic, as it is far from a beautiful dawn for Rick or Ilsa: their relationship is about to end. The Germans will shortly invade Paris and Rick is leaving for Marseille. He believes Ilsa will go with him but, of course, she does not. We see Rick stands in a downpour at the station, reading her letter. The raindrops blur the words, just as falling tears would do. Now at last we know why Rick is so jaded and cynical. His heart has been broken and his bitterness may jeopardise Laszlo and Ilsa’s chance of escaping Casablanca. Thus, the relationship takes on a new significance. Rick is so deeply hurt that he finds it difficult to separate the personal and political, and his feelings for Ilsa may place both her and Laszlo’s lives in danger, as well as jeopardising the war effort by failing to help an important figure in the resistance to the Nazi regime. At this stage, Rick and Ilsa’s relationship contributes to an overwhelmingly negative general vision and viewpoint.
Rick refuses to give Laszlo the letters of transit until Ilsa visits him in his apartment. When she does, however, Rick undergoes a transformation. He realises that Ilsa really loved him all along and he understands her reason for leaving him. From this point on, Rick abandons his earlier vow to ‘stick (his) neck out for nobody’. He risks all to help Laszlo and Ilsa in their bid for freedom. Rick and Ilsa’s relationship has, at last, become a positive force in their lives and hope dawns once more. Rick’s love for Ilsa has rekindled his moral code and the general vision and viewpoint becomes far more positive as a result.