Analyzing the Narrative Film Structure and Motifs in Casablanca Research Paper

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Casablanca

Considered to be one of the best films of all time, Casablanca centers on Rick Blaine, an American expatriate living in Casablanca and his role in helping people escape the clutches of the ambitiously overreaching Third Reich. Rick is the owner of nightclub and casino that caters to a variety of people from Nazis to the French to refugees attempting to flee Casablanca and the Third Reich. During the course of the narrative, it is revealed that Rick is emotionally hung up on Ilsa Lund with whom he had an affair with while he was still living and working in Paris. One of the film's central motifs is the song "As Time Goes By," which is used to highlight the relationship between Rick and Ilsa and is used exclusively to connect them.

Casablanca's narrative follows Rick as he attempts to exclude himself from any involvement between those attempting to leave Casablanca and the government officials, both French and German, that try and prevent them from leaving. A major theme that arises within the narrative is the relationships between people. Rick is a first hand witness to the lengths that people will go to in order to ensure that their loved ones are given safe passage out of the country. This of course leads Rick to become more bitter about life and love because he had his heart broken by Ilsa right before he moved to Casablanca. Although Rick is sure that he will never see Ilsa again, she coincidentally arrives at Rick's Cafe Americain with her husband, Victor Laszlo, the man for whom she abandoned Rick for. At the cafe Ilsa runs into Sam, a piano player and a mutual acquaintance, and she requests that he play "As Time Goes By" for old times sake. The song evidentially holds special significance for both Ilsa and Rick. Not only does she request that he play it especially for her, but the tune also draws Rick's attention who proceeds to walk up to Sam and castigate him for playing the song after Rick had previously specified to not play the song.

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Seeing Ilsa at the cafe stirs up painful memories of his relationship with her. If the song had not held special significance to Rick, then he would not have marched up to Sam and demanded that he stop playing the song. Moreover, after Rick's Cafe Americain has closed for the night, Rick proceeds to drown his sorrows and demands that Sam play the song for him. It is clear that hearing the song and seeing Ilsa has stirred up painful memories as Rick says, "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine" (Casablanca).

When Rick requests Sam to play "As Time Goes By" as he drowns his sorrows in solitude, the audience is given insight into what caused him to become so cynical and bitter. A flashback to Rick and Ilsa's failed relationship is provided early on in the film's narrative. It is revealed that Rick and Ilsa have an extremely passionate love affair in Paris and that they had planned to leave the country together, however, at the last moment Ilsa writes to Rick explaining that she cannot go with him. It is later revealed that the reason that she suddenly changed her mind is because she received word that her husband, Victor, was still alive despite the fact that he had been assumed dead. During the….....

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"Analyzing The Narrative Film Structure And Motifs In Casablanca", 08 June 2012, Accessed.7 May. 2024,
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