The Story Lives On

        Richard Brown, the former executive director of the New York Center for Motion Picture Arts, hailed Casablanca as one of the most quoted and misquoted movies of all time (Koch 8). With phrases like “Here’s looking at you kid,” “We’ll always have Paris,” and “Play it [again], Sam, Casablanca entered the consciousness of American popular culture (Koch 8-9). As a seventy-two year old black and white film with a runtime of one hour and forty-two minutes, Casablanca has endured the test of time with its witty dialogue and a well-constructed plot. In addition, the performances of Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund amplified the dramatic, crime, and romantic elements of story. According to Howard Koch, one of the co-writers of the film, the making of Casablanca was saturated with conflicts between Koch and Mike Curtis, the film’s director, which added to the film’s complexity (17-9). Regardless, the story and plot of Casablanca has endured because of the film’s theme of nostalgia perpetuates love through memories encapsulated in its music and phrases.
               Casablanca premiered on November 26, 1942 in New York City with an approximate budget of $950,000 during the 1940s (IMDb). After Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th 1941, Warner Brothers was inspired to make an un-produced play they purchased, “Everyone Comes to Rick’s,” into a motion picture (Casablanca). Once the play was green lit, Julius and Philip Epstein started to adapt Murray Bennett’s and Joan Alison’s unproduced play into a screenplay (Koch 14). With no finished script and the shooting deadline approaching, Hal Wallis, a producer at Warner Brothers, instructed the Epstein brothers to sell the story to Ingrid Bergman, thus ensuring Bergman as one of the leads (Koch 14). Because Bergman was still under contract with another studio, Bergman would only work for another studio by “the lure of a good story that would advance her career” (14). Because of patriotic sentiments of the 1940s and the film’s $100.000 over budget price, Warner Brothers must have understood the power of Bennett’s and Alison’s play (Koch 9). As an temporal element of the plot, the opening credit senses demarks the films screen duration, which is “the passage of time for the spectator of the film” (Raj, Identifying 5) Overall, the play was inspired by their summer vacation to Europe in 1938, which captured the realities of occupation and displacement as Nazis Germany invaded country after country (Koch 9; IMDb).
               Casablanca premiered on November 26, 1942 in New York City with an approximate budget of $950,000 during the 1940s (IMDb). After Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th 1941, Warner Brothers was inspired to make an un-produced play they purchased, “Everyone Comes to Rick’s,” into a motion picture (Casablanca). Once the play was green lit, Julius and Philip Epstein started to adapt Murray Bennett’s and Joan Alison’s unproduced play into a screenplay (Koch 14). With no finished script and the shooting deadline approaching, Hal Wallis, a producer at Warner Brothers, instructed the Epstein brothers to sell the story to Ingrid Bergman, thus ensuring Bergman as one of the leads (Koch 14). Because Bergman was still under contract with another studio, Bergman would only work for another studio by “the lure of a good story that would advance her career” (14). Because of patriotic sentiments of the 1940s and the film’s $100.000 over budget price, Warner Brothers must have understood the power of Bennett’s and Alison’s play (Koch 9). As an temporal element of the plot, the opening credit senses demarks the films screen duration, which is “the passage of time for the spectator of the film” (Raj, Identifying 5) Overall, the play was inspired by their summer vacation to Europe in 1938, which captured the realities of occupation and displacement as Nazis Germany invaded country after country (Koch 9; IMDb).               Casablanca premiered on November 26, 1942 in New York City with an approximate budget of $950,000 during the 1940s (IMDb). After Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th 1941, Warner Brothers was inspired to make an un-produced play they purchased, “Everyone Comes to Rick’s,” into a motion picture (Casablanca). Once the play was green lit, Julius and Philip Epstein started to adapt Murray Bennett’s and Joan Alison’s unproduced play into a screenplay (Koch 14). With no finished script and the shooting deadline approaching, Hal Wallis, a producer at Warner Brothers, instructed the Epstein brothers to sell the story to Ingrid Bergman, thus ensuring Bergman as one of the leads (Koch 14). Because Bergman was still under contract with another studio, Bergman would only work for another studio by “the lure of a good story that would advance her career” (14). Because of patriotic sentiments of the 1940s and the film’s $100.000 over budget price, Warner Brothers must have understood the power of Bennett’s and Alison’s play (Koch 9). As an temporal element of the plot, the opening credit senses demarks the films screen duration, which is “the passage of time for the spectator of the film” (Raj, Identifying 5) Overall, the play was inspired by their summer vacation to Europe in 1938, which captured the realities of occupation and displacement as Nazis Germany invaded country after country (Koch 9; IMDb).               Casablanca premiered on November 26, 1942 in New York City with an approximate budget of $950,000 during the 1940s (IMDb). After Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th 1941, Warner Brothers was inspired to make an un-produced play they purchased, “Everyone Comes to Rick’s,” into a motion picture (Casablanca). Once the play was green lit, Julius and Philip Epstein started to adapt Murray Bennett’s and Joan Alison’s unproduced play into a screenplay (Koch 14). With no finished script and the shooting deadline approaching, Hal Wallis, a producer at Warner Brothers, instructed the Epstein brothers to sell the story to Ingrid Bergman, thus ensuring Bergman as one of the leads (Koch 14). Because Bergman was still under contract with another studio, Bergman would only work for another studio by “the lure of a good story that would advance her career” (14). Because of patriotic sentiments of the 1940s and the film’s $100.000 over budget price, Warner Brothers must have understood the power of Bennett’s and Alison’s play (Koch 9). As an temporal element of the plot, the opening credit senses demarks the films screen duration, which is “the passage of time for the spectator of the film” (Raj, Identifying 5) Overall, the play was inspired by their summer vacation to Europe in 1938, which captured the realities of occupation and displacement as Nazis Germany invaded country after country (Koch 9; IMDb).

The way a story begins highlights the pattern in which the plot points of the story will unfold throughout the span of film (Raj 8). Otherwise known as the plot, most films begin with an exposition, which introduces the main conflict and the world (i.e.: setting) which the characters create and inhibit (Raj 9-10). In the script and final product of Casablanca, the opening credit scenes with special effects act as a pre-exposition that presents “a long shot of a revolving globe” to the viewer (Koch 25-8). In addition, the globe is superimposed by lines representing the path of refugees fleeing the gradual invasion of Nazi Germany over Europe (Koch 27). In additional to the visual graphics of a globe, La Marseillaise (1792), found music of the anthem of the French Revolution fades into scene (Casablanca). As a symbol of patriotism, La Marseillaise foreshadows an important plot development towards the climax of the film (Casablanca). With this visual and sonic effect of the opening credit scenes, commanding voice of the narrator fades in:

With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon [Portugal] became the great embarkation point. But not every-body could get to Lisbon directly; and so, a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang up (Koch 27).

After a brief pause, footage of refugees fades on screen, which highlights Narrator’s description of the mass migration of people that are fleeing an eminent war in Europe. While the narrator sets the “coming of the Second World War” as main conflict of the film, the narration delivers critical plot information with visuals and voice overs. After the narrator describes the refugee trail from Europe to Africa, footage of refuges fades in, and the narrator completes the final part of his narration:

…Paris to Marseilles, across the Mediterranean to Oran, then by train, or auto, or foot, across the rim of Africa to Casablanca in French Morocco. Here, the fortunate ones through money, or influence, or luck, might obtain exit visas and scurry to Lisbon, and from Lisbon to the New World. But the others wait in Casablanca, and wait, and wait, and wait (Koch 27).

With the end of the opening credit scenes, the plot shifts to the live action exposition of the beginning of the film (Koch 28). Overall, the narration during the credit scenes acts as an introductory exposition that establishes the main conflict of all the characters, setting, tone, and supporting characters of Casablanca. 
    

With a strong emphasis on the word “wait,” the introductory narration ends, the camera cuts to a long shot aerial shot of the rooftops and turrets of Casablanca’s Moorish architecture (Koch 28). The plot introduces and alludes to the film’s major characters, which increases the audience’s anticipation for Casablanca’s two lead protagonists. What makes the exposition of Casablanca so special is that it places more emphasis on the setting and antagonist of the Casablanca. In the script, the mugger that goes around chatting with foreigners and stealing their money is referred to in the script as the “Dark European” (Koch 30).  As a static character, the Dark European may reflect the acceptable corruption of Casablanca (Raj, Identifying 21). In addition to the Dark European, the story alludes to role Annina, the Bulgarian immigrant, whose first phrase alludes to the motivation of all the characters: “Perhaps tomorrow we’ll be on that plane” (Koch 32).

With the end of the exposition, the murder of two German couriers sets the action for the rest of the film. A Nazi Major, Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt) arrives in Casablanca. As a consequence, the appointed chief of police of Casablanca, Louis Renault (Claude Rains), greets Strasser in the airport (Koch 32-3). Even though Casablanca is neutral, Germany still imposes its will on Casablanca through its occupation of France, which becomes a pinnacle plot point for the two protagonists (Curtiz). After Renault and Strasser discuss the murder of two German couriers, who were carrying two letters of transient, which have fallen into criminal hands. (Casablanca). According to the co-writer (Alison) of the original play, the letters of transit act as an important plot device that was completely invented by the screenwriters. (Casablanca) In terms of the plot, the letters of transits help to move the plot forward while also adding tension and suspense to the story (Casablanca). With Renault reinforcing Strasser of their priority towards the case: Realizing the importance of the case, my men are rounding up twice the usual number of suspects” (Koch 34).  As a result, we learn that Renault has a suspect, who will be at Ricks Café with one of Renault’s most memorable lines: Everyone comes to Rick’s” (Koch 35).

A long shot of the exterior Rick’s Café fades on screen with neon lights above the door: “Rick’s Café Américain” (Koch 3). With “It Had to be You” played inside the café, the camera cuts to the interior of Rick’s Café, which is foreshadowed the inevitable encounter with another person. At the center of the club, the camera focused on Sam and his legendary piano (Dooley Wilson). Subsequently, the camera tracked into a high angle medium shot of Rick sitting alone at a table with cigarette smoke above him (Raj, Cinematography 28). The script introduces the atmosphere of the café with the following words:

Rick’s is an expensive and chic nightclub which definitely possesses an air of sophistication and intrigue. An orchestra is playing. The piano is a small, salmon-colored instrument on wheels. There is a Negro on the stool, playing and singing. About him there are hums of voices, chatter and laughter. The occupants of the room are varied. (Koch 35)

The Script’s description of the café adds significant emphasis on the tone and atmosphere of Rick’s Café Américain, which became a prominent character or stars the film (Koch 9). According to Koch, Bennett’s and Alison’s placed Rick’s Café Américain as the center character of the film, which the screenwriters attempted to portray in the script (9). As a prop, Sam’s movable piano embodies the mobility and resonance of music to set the theme and tone of film. In addition, Sam piano also serves as the hiding place for transit papers, the cinematography establishes the tone of the film through the lighting of Rick’s café. Once Rick hides the transit papers in Sam’s piano, the camera transitions from a close-up of Rick’s hands to a long-shot of the interior of the café, see image#1 (Curtiz). In the long-shot of the interior of Rick’s Café, a spot light moves on Sam’s performance on the piano, while the rest of the room darkens in its shadow, see image#1 (Curtiz).  

After the plot introduces the supporting characters, the importance of Sam’s piano shines through when Ilsa and Victor Laszlo arrive at Rick’s Café (Curtiz). Once Ilsa enters Rick’s Café, Ilsa and Sam lock eyes and she immediately recognized him from her past, which presents the final crisis of the plot (Curtiz). As a result, a song written eleven years before Casablanca’s release epitomizes the crisis which leads directly to the film’s high point or climax: “As Time Goes By” (Koch 8). The climax of the film is conveyed with a long flashback of the love affair between Rick and Ilsa in unoccupied France (Curtiz). This shift in the temporal order of the film allows you, the spectator, to see a more emotional and stable side Rick, which provides the necessary background for Rick’s misery in Casablanca (Raj, Identifying 5). While black and white, the tone of the film changes through the facial expressions of the actors and the subtle costume changes (Raj, How to Analyze).

“As Time Goes By” was written by Herman Hupfeld for another play called Everybody’s Welcome in 1931 (Koch 8). According to Brown, Max Steiner, the music editor of the film, considered the song to be intrusive to the film’s pacing and almost succeeded in cutting it out of the film (Koch 8). However, “As Time Goes By” was not cut out of the film because Bergman had already changed her appearance for another role, but the song went on to make movie history. Another circumstance that guaranteed the survival of Hupfeld’s song was the fact that   Dooley Wilson (a professional drummer), who portrayed Sam, had to synchronize his performance with a music recording behind a curtain on set (Casablanca).

In addition to the script, Hupfeld’s song is why Casablanca has lived on in the minds of subsequent generation after its 1942 release. With the passage of time, Casablanca’s central song, “As Time Goes By,” exemplifies how music can trigger nostalgia for an impossible love affair. Once Sam starts to play “As Time Goes By,” Rick and Ilsa must both confront their fractured past and negotiate a new future. Rick’s growth as a character is directly connected to the well being of Ilsa and her husband, Laszlo. If Rick succumbs to jealousy, selfishness, or revenge, he would inhibit his growth and become a prisoner of his own past. 

Works Cited

Curtiz, Michael, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, and Murray Burnett. Casablanca. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 1999.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). IMDb.com, Inc, 2009, Web. 13 March 2014 http://www.imdb.com/

Koch, Howard, and Julius J. Epstein. Casablanca: Script and Legend. Woodstock, N.Y: Overlook, 1992. Print.

Raj, Sony. “Cinematography.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 20 January 2014. Lecture, 1-66 slides.

Raj, Sony. “Identifying the Elements of a Story : A Plot Diagram.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 27 March 2014. Lecture pgs 1-25.

Raj, Sony. “How to Analyze a Film.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 16 January 2014. Lecture.

Raj, Sony. “Music & Sound in Film.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 30 January 2014. Lecture. 

Raj, Sony. “Telling Stories for the Screen-Scriptwriting.” St. Thomas University. Miami Gardens, Flordia. 06 March 2014. Lecture.

“Casablanca”. The Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, Inc, nd, Web. 29 March 2014. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/