Casablanca (1942) is best described as a typical Hollywood film but with an atypical ending; by this, I mean that the film exhibits all the hallmarks of a Hollywood classic (filmed in black and white, a strong male lead and glamorous female, and entirely filmed on Hollywood sets) but does not climax with the customary happy ending. In this film, the typical happy ending would see the main protagonist Rick reunited with Ilsa after they had been separated a year earlier by the German invasion of Paris. This does not come about though, as Rick instead uses the letters of transit to give Laszlo (a Czech renowned leader of the resistance to the Nazis and Ilsa’s husband) a passage to the United States, recognising that this was more important than him and Ilsa, whom he instructs to go with Laszlo (who was not bitter about Rick and Ilsa’s love whatsoever) knowing that Casablanca would not be safe for her with Laszlo gone. This was conveyed through one of the most heartfelt and iconic lines of the movie, said by Rick to Ilsa – ‘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’. After killing the Gestapo enforcer Major Strasser to ensure Ilsa and Laszlo’s escape, Rick himself goes with Renault (the French captain of the police in Casablanca) to continue fighting in the war, intending to join the Free French in Brazzaville. This ‘noble’ act serves the principal ‘message of personal sacrifice for the greater good’ (Dillon, 2017) – this was particularly important and powerful given the context of the film, with its production in 1942 being in the middle of the Second World War. This makes the idea of a ‘greater good’ particularly pertinent in a time where national unity was extremely important. This, along with the role of gender and difficulty of neutrality, will be one of the focal points of my politico-cultural evaluation of the film.
One key theme that runs throughout and certainly can be linked to the political interpretations of the movie is that of the difficulty of neutrality. Throughout the film, Rick constantly is concerned with keeping a ‘neutral’ position which becomes increasingly evident after the arrival of Strasser and Laszlo in Casablanca, initially endearing himself to both. There are several examples of this refusal to get involved in the political microcosm that is Casablanca at this time: when one of the more minor characters, Carl, an employee of Rick, begins to discuss meetings of the underground (those who resist Nazi rule – Laszlo later attends one such meeting), he immediately ignores him; another time, near the beginning of the film, he refuses to aid Ugarte (the petty crook who gave the letters of transit to Rick) in avoiding arrest from the authorities; and also he is regularly quoted as saying ‘your business is politics, my business is running a bar’ as an excuse for not drinking with his customers, so much so that Captain Renault proclaims that a ‘precedent has been set’ when Rick sits down to drink with Ilsa (at this point Renault is unaware of the lovers’ history). One could even argue that Rick’s poker-face interactions with Ilsa for the most part of the film are an example of his neutrality. Rick keeps an extremely cold tone with Ilsa until her attempt to steal the letters of transit from him leads to her confessing that she still loves Rick. Nonetheless, in the end he is forced to pick a side, and his story arc can very much be viewed as symbolic for the American involvement in the war. All along, he has the power to help Laszlo and Ilsa but his keenness for remaining neutral prevents him from doing so until he is forced to choose a side after Renault has Laszlo arrested under Strasser’s orders, after which he elects to help the couple. This is similar to the way that America had insisted on staying out of foreign affairs in the 1930s and early 1940s despite being a major economic power but eventually the threat of Nazism and America losing its influence in Europe forces them to enter the war.
Indeed, the role of gender is also somewhat of a theme that runs through the film. As one would expect considering the historical context of the film, women are largely viewed in interactions with male characters as being ‘subordinate’ to them. One way in which this is conveyed is sexual objectification, which ‘the film views, initially at least, as a harmless game’ (Barber, 2017). This is perhaps most obvious with Captain Renault who, as the man in charge of approving exit visas from the city, abuses his position by exchanging these visas for sexual favours. The fact that the other characters are fully aware of Renault’s corruption but are seemingly unperturbed by it causes the Captain to be very crude; on one occasion he is informed that another visa problem has come up by one of his assistants, to which he snarkingly responds ‘send her in’. The film’s frankly blatant display of exploitation (and the general forgiving attitude towards it) is certainly not an aspect of the film which has aged well (Barber, 2017); however as I did mention when considering the context of the film it does come across as an accurate interpretation of 1940s Western society (although Casablanca is not in the geographic west, the French and American influence gives the city a very Western ‘feel’). A more subtle expression of the role of gender portrayed in the film is perhaps through the characterisation of Ilsa; a ‘damsel in distress’ who Rick can not resist and Laszlo is desperate to protect even after he becomes aware of Rick and Ilsa’s love for each other (he begs Rick to use the letters of transit to take Ilsa to safety even though he knows he is not safe in Casablanca). The narrative of women being more emotional than men is also fed when Ilsa’s attempt to force Rick to handover the papers (by holding him at gunpoint) results in her bursting into tears and ultimately asking Rick to think for the both of them, which fits the gender stereotype of men being the gender who generally take the lead in decision-making.
The final theme I wish to explore is the idea of patriotism and personal sacrifice for the greater good which runs throughout the piece.