"Play it again": Casablanca, Revisited
Subtextual Healing Film Club #3
“The greatness of Casablanca was largely the result of happy chance.” - Roger Ebert
(Spoilers below: if you haven’t watched Casablanca yet, please correct this mistake and then come back to read this review!)
We all love those moments when we can inform friends or coworkers about a hidden gem. It could be the newly opened restaurant that many haven’t tried yet, a streaming show that hasn’t caught traction, or a non-touristy recommendation for when one visits Chicago. We get so much joy out of these little tips we can offer one another, as if we discovered some treasure through expert sleuthing and our own gumption. But it can conversely feel dull to reiterate the brilliance of something that a majority of folks have already heard of or believe to be excellent already. Casablanca is a great film and you’ve no doubt heard it said before, you’ve most likely read its entry on top film listings, or perhaps you’re already a believer. The reality is that sometimes the best things are known entities, like Tom Brady or fresh McDonald’s fries, so while the novelty of the film may have worn off over time and repeated exaltation, we should continue to stand in awe of this great work.
However, it’s greatness was not expected. As Ebert mentioned in his review of the film and has often been reported after its production, Casablanca was not a planned success.1 The three main actors (Bogart, Bergman, Henreid) all complained about dialogue that felt hoaky and overly romantic. While working on the film, Bogart supposedly shared with Orson Welles that he was most likely in the worst picture he would ever make. The screenwriters were scrambling for plot points, the rare movie that was filmed in sequence because the following scenes were often being written day to day. Ilsa says to Rick at one point in the film, “I don’t know the finish yet”, and one has to believe that line’s inclusion was an inside joke amongst the writers. Even the play that Casablanca was based upon, Everybody Comes to Rick’s, never saw the light of day. You get the feeling that everyone involved was trying to get through this project rather than basking in the glory of what it would become.
But why and how has Casablanca stood the test of time? What makes this a legacy film that will continue to carry on past our own generation?
I imagine that part of the answer has to include the way in which these characters were written and acted. Most, if not all of them, are incredibly smart and witty. Everyone is at the ready with a quick comeback or play on words. They’re world-weary, all stuck in a sort of purgatory, and yet they seem to enjoy each other even when they’re turning on one another. Captain Renault (played by Claude Rains) plays the murkiest of all the cast as a corrupt official with a more noble heart underneath, and he absolutely gets the best lines in the film (and that’s saying something, because this is perhaps the most quotable movie of all time). It’s more than insinuated that he trades passage out of the country for sexual favors and yet he’s perhaps the most likable amongst this motley crew. Even the most seemingly monotonous character, Victor Laszlo, on repeated viewings becomes even more admirable in his role as a freedom fighter. He courageously leads the house band as they play "La Marseillaise" in defiance of the Nazis in the club, in what remains one of the most moving scenes in all of cinema. But he’s also more complex than what his surface presents, he doesn’t interrogate Ilsa about her relationship to Rick even though he obviously must be aware there is a history. He’s a noble character that won’t tolerate control on any level, even when it could jeopardize his relationship. Bogart and Bergman are excellent in their own rights, of course, figures amongst shadow and light that shroud their intentions while gradually showcasing their resolve. Birgman is a femme fatale but her intentions are honorable. Bogart is cool and collected, yet rattled and disoriented when his past and present collide. Everyone in Casablanca is hiding, not just from the authorities but from each other.
Another answer to this question might reside in the fact that there will always be something timeless about this story, for good and for ill. Casablanca came out in 1942 and we must be aware of how close its release follows the attack at Pearl Harbor. Rick, as a walking and talking metaphor for the United States, asserts that he will “stick his neck out for nobody”. This isolationist stance is noted as a “wise foreign policy” by Renault. But as the events of Casablanca unfold and we peel back the layers of Rick Blaine, we find that he can’t remain on the sidelines and be the best version of himself. He has to confront the evil of his day, even at personal cost. How is this film not relevant to our current situation? We have citizens extolling the virtues of an isolationist policy known as “America First”. We have wannabe fascists trolls rampant on social media, anti-democratic legislators in our own government dismantling our election processes, and in American cities we have witnessed marchers raise up Nazi flags once again. Casablanca is a reminder that the ideals of democracy and liberty will always need defending, that there will always be a fight. And a fight means building a coalition of surprising bedfellows. Casablanca offers the added insight that not all the fighters for liberty will be pure of heart or intention, that there will be partnerships with unsavory characters as we pursue a free society. The most sanctimonious of progressives will have to wrestle with this truth as well, that we all need allies that have also stood as our opposition. That’s what it is like to live in a community. It’s messy, it’s complicated, and yet it’s also oddly beautiful.
Rick: “Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Another enduring theme of Casablanca is simply that of love. And not merely romantic love, either, even though Rick and Ilsa are the emotional center of this film. We see friendship and loyalty exemplified when Sam refuses to leave a heartbroken and drunk Rick at the cafe. We see the way in which Ilsa cares, adores, and supports Victor even when she truly pines for Rick. We see it in the finale when Rick sacrifices his love of Ilsa for the greater cause, and finally when Renault refuses to turn Rick in for the murder of Major Strasser. “Round up the usual suspects!”, he says, and with that utterance a deeper bond is struck. Casablanca makes the case that love can push us to become better people, if we make the choice. You either become bitter or you become better, as the adage goes, but one must first opt to let go of resentments and wounds from the past.
Casablanca isn’t a perfect film by any means. Some plot points are clunky and from a technical standpoint, it didn’t reinvent the wheel. In many ways it’s a straight up action and drama flick with bits of noir added in for flavoring. But even if on the fly, the writing of this movie and the ways in which these characters are portrayed is impeccable. We know this to be true because we can repeat so much of the dialogue ourselves, not simply for their crispness but also for how they’re delivered:
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”
“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.”
“Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
“What is your nationality? I'm a drunkard. That makes Rick a citizen of the world.”
“And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart. That is my least vulnerable spot.”
“Play it, Sam.” (and not “Play it again, Sam”, which is often misquoted)
Perhaps it is a cliché to state the greatness of Casablanca, but some clichés exist for a reason (which is also a cliché thing to say. So meta, I know). Regardless, it is a gem worth repeated viewings and continuous praise, even if it happened by mistake.
Roger Ebert, “Casablanca”, Roger Ebert [website], https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-casablanca-1942 (accessed August 2022).