Casablanca Michael Curtiz's 1943 Film Term Paper

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" Emphasizing the phrase "the Third Reich" underscores the sinister tone of the scene. Strasser himself notices Renault's repetition and states, "You repeat Third Reich as if you expected there to be others." Renault replies, "I will take what comes," and his words echo his intention to choose his alliances for selfish reasons. Renault does "blow with the wind," and has loyalty to no one but himself. In many ways, Rick is the same except his love for Ilsa does affect his moral decisions in the movie.

While Strasser grills Rick, he scoops out caviar in the foreground but Rick is in focus. The camera cuts back and forth between the two men and occasionally to Herr Heinz, who asks about the Third Reich, "Can you imagine us in London?" The two Nazis are evidently trying to intimidate Rick. Rick, however, remains as cool as the music playing in his bar. He uses humor to charm his interrogators and also as a weapon to bolster his confidence. For instance, Rick states, "There are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade." Likewise, after Rick takes his dossier from Strasser he acts completely nonplussed. His only response is, "Are my eyes really brown?"

Rick also indicates his lack of political allegiances. Like Renault, Rick does not make decisions based on political ideology but on personal feelings alone. He diplomatically states I "haven't the slightest idea" who will win the war. The camera shifts to a scene incorporating the entire table as Renault cheerfully replies "Rick is completely neutral about everything, and that takes in the field of women." When the camera centers a shot of Rick on screen, the audience can see his mind moving towards Ilsa as his eyes shift away from the table.

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A close-up of Strasser has him state, "An enemy of the Reich has come to Casablanca and we are checking up on anybody who can be of any help to us." Interestingly, nothing in the scene directly foreshadows Rick's eventually killing Strasser. However, Renault's observation about Rick's neutrality about women does foreshadow Rick's decision to let go of Ilse at the end.

Unlike Renault, Strasser is not a strong character. Like Herr Heinz, he is a caricature of a Nazi whose actions are based solely based on his commitment to the Third Reich. In this way, Strasser is more similar to Laszlo than he is to Rick because the latter bears allegiance to no political cause. This scene exemplifies the sharp differences between men like Strasser and men like Renault and Rick. The scene is also one of the first that illustrates the ways in which Renault and Rick are similar and why they end up developing a "beautiful friendship" at the end of the movie.

Casablanca has endured because of the complexities of both its plot and its characters. Not expressly a war movie nor a romance, Casablanca is a moody movie that can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. The film asks the audience to examine the movies behind decisions such as the ones made by Rick, Ilse, and Renault. The film is multifaceted and complex, even if some of its characters like the Nazis are one-dimensional. Yet individuals who become rabidly committed to political causes often do become one-dimensional and less complex. The filmmaker therefore focuses on broad themes like the true meaning of loyalty, friendship, integrity, and strength….....

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