CASABLANCA

Director:

Michael Curtiz) was an American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. Curtiz introduced to Hollywood a unique visual style using artistic lighting, extensive and fluid camera movement, high crane shots, and unusual camera angles. He was nominated five times and won twice, once for Best Short Subject for Sons of Liberty and once as Best Director for Casablanca.

Log Line:

A cynical American expatriate struggles to decide whether or not he should help his former lover and her fugitive husband escapes French Morocco.

Conflicts:

Impossible goal:

Rick is a man who stays out of everyone’s matter and keeps his views to himself. As it is confirmed at the very start of the movie when ugarte is arrested by the police officials under the command of Captain Louis Renault for having letter of transit, while rick knows everything but stays quit on the matter.

Later we see Ilsa making and entrance into the movie by asking Sam to play ‘as time goes by’ which makes rick furious, only when he comes forward to insult Sam he notices Ilsa, his first and foremost love. From that point of the movie we notice the love spark between two risings than ever before. As it gives us hope for a romanticize future of Ilsa and rick completely ignoring Laszlo presence in the movie.

But Rick’s character was so much more than this as when the time comes for rick to escape Casablanca with Ilsa he chooses not to do that, instead he let Ilsa go as he is much more concern about ilea’s feeling than his own feelings.

Unlikely hero:

Rick’s nature to keep him out of every matter lands ugarte to death. Rick is not serious about his future and don’t hold any sustainable plans for his future. He only owns an upscale nightclub and a gambling den which is not sustainable enough to run for a life time. While everyone else is making plan to escape the city, rick is resting while he owns the transit paper. He seems not to care that a war is being waged around him or that desperate refugees have flocked to Casablanca. He makes a point of broadcasting his aloofness, stating on several occasions, “I stick my neck out for nobody.”

Invincible villain:

The conditions that land rick and Ilsa in awkward situation are invincible villain. The war. They got separated in Paris due to the war and the return of her husband. Ilsa and rick wouldn’t have fallen in love with each other if it wasn’t for war. And now they are separating again due to the political circumstances.

Character Analysis:

Back-story:

When Ilsa arrives in Casablanca, we start to understand some of Rick’s mysterious past. In a flashback to his time in Paris, we see a younger, happier, lighter Rick in love with Ilsa. As though to emphasize how different he is in Paris, he is called Richard, not Rick, in all the flashback scenes. Though Rick and Ilsa plan to leave Paris together after the Nazis’ arrival, Ilsa stands Rick up at the train station, and this painful separation helps explain how the optimistic Richard became the aloof, cynical Rick we see at the beginning of the film. Rick is not hardhearted, but he suffers from heartbreak.

Appearance:

Tall man in his early thirties with sleek side parted hair and shaven face. Rick blain is the crush of every woman.  He is well suited and booted and smells like rich perfumes. Rick can have every woman to himself but his doesn’t desire any.

Want:

Rick’s want is very clear throughout the movie. His love and affection for Ilsa cannot go unnoticed his desire to have Ilsa back in his life is very strong. Although he shows anger towards her for leaving him but despite all of this he couldn’t get her out of his mind. His heart still wants her.

Need:

His need is entirely opposite of his want he can be mean and selfish to keep Ilsa for himself as if she’s an object with no feelings, but as he loves Ilsa he know what Ilsa desires the most. She just cannot disobey her husband. No matter how many time she says that she loves rick but the truth is her loyalty lies with Laszlo

When the time comes for rick and Ilsa to leave the city for good, Rick makes Ilsa board the plane to Lisbon with Laszlo, telling her that she would regret it if she stayed

“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.”

Positive:

When Ilsa appears at the bar, Rick initially reacts angrily and refuses to give her and Laszlo the letters of transit. By the end of the film, he acts heroically, sacrificing both a possible future with Ilsa and his comfortable life in Casablanca so that Laszlo can escape with Ilsa and continue his important political work.

Negative:

He refuses to accept drinks from customers, treats his lover Yvonne without affection or respect, and seems not to care that a war is being waged around him

Act no 1:

Willingly or not Richard blain now owns the ‘letter of transit’ it is given to him by ugarte so that he could sell them. But befor he could do as he intended he is shot dead by police officials. Richard keeps himself out of the mess and do not confess to anyone that he owns the letter of transit, he could make use of it but decide not to do that for himself.

When Laszlo, his Ex-love husband come forward and ask Richard to hand him transit letter so that lazslo could continue with his political work. Richard clearly refuses to do that, and end the conversation by stating that Laszlo should seek Ilsa for its answer.

Act no 2 (Life of a wanderer and a warrior):

No matter how much Richard could deny his love for Ilsa he was still head over heels in love with that gorgeous lady. When Ilsa tells Richard her reason of their separation, Richard being a understandable man understands Ilsa situation. Ilsa again ask Richard for transit letter but he puts forward a deal. He ask her to stay with him and let Laszlo go. He ask Ilsa to choose him over everything, the same thing he did with Laszlo. Ilsa agrees to do as Richard desires only so that Laszlo could leave the town safely.