The ending of Casablanca can be simply summed up into one word: refreshing. It probably would have been a regular, and stereotypic Disney ending for Rick to defeat the police, kill Laszlo, and run away with Ilsa to America where they would have lived happily ever after. What a bore. What we have here is an old film, but a new ending. Throughout cinematic history we have constantly seen a yuppy, and sappy ending. The boy gets the girl, the sun emerges from the rain, and everything is perfect. In Casablanca we see a twist, true love. By sending Ilsa and Laszlo on the plane and by staying behind, Rick shows his true, everlasting, and passionate love for Ilsa. As seen in the picture below there is an honest sense of sadness in both Ilsa and Rick's face, which is what makes the ending of Casablanca a truly beautiful story.The fact is that Rick saved Ilsa's own safety, and jeopardized his even though he knows that the two will not get to share in affection, and devotion to each other is what makes the ending of this movie beautiful, and most of all, believable. Why wasn't Rick ever mad that Ilsa was in a relationship with him while she was married to Laszlo? Why is Ugarte difficult at the beginning of the scene, and than completely changes his demeanor to helping Rick by the end of the scene?
To start off, I completely agree with every comment you made in your post. One of the first things that I noticed throughout the movie was that it wasn't a typical "love story," as I had commented in my own post about Casablanca. Also, I would like to comment on your writing style. I liked the fact that you used a more colloquial approach in your feedback, rather than one resembling a school essay or an official document. It gives me the illusion that I'm actually speaking with you on the matter, and helps me understand your feelings better. Good job on this piece! To answer your questions at the end, I feel that Rick was actually mad about Ilsa's and Victor's relationship, even though he didn't explicitly say so. One of the things I noticed while watching the scene in which Ilsa tells him the reason of her leaving him was that his face turned into a very cold, hurt expression. He was holding back the urge to tell Ilsa his reaction and just kept it to himself. Unfortunately, I can't answer the second question because I was actually wondering the same thing! I don't have an answer but and I'd love to see what others think (if they actually have thoughts as to why Ugarte changed his attitude.) Great job on the post!!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this post. Considering Casablanca was made in 1942, it was only at the beginning of film development. Many of the classics we see in films today originated from these 'old-fashion' films. Such as the typical love story, mysterious man, beautiful woman and comedic character. Although Casablanca has all of these predictable factors it still ended with a surprise finish the story by leaving it at the unexpected. Instead of having the typical Disney fairy tale as the man pursues the girl and lives on happily with no issues they changed it to a more realistic ending. However, this ending wasn't any less effective, in fact, it brought more significance and impact to the audience as they have to take it in longer; rather than accept the prognosis.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on the ending of Casablanca were wonderfully put. The ending is the best part of this film because it is everything that the audience was not expecting. I remember as I was watching the ending in class, I was so sure that Rick and Ilsa were going to end up together and live "happily ever after." But obviously that wouldn't make any sense because Ilsa was married to Viktor and Rick crossed the line, so Viktor wouldn't let her go anyway. What also caught me off guard is how selfless Rick was by the end of the movie, just sending the only love of his life away so she could be save and live a happy life, even without him. He also owed it to Viktor to be somewhat of a gentleman after what he did to him, so the ending was actually very logical. The ending is so classic because it doesn't seem like a typical movie ending, like it almost could have happened in real life.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your point. I think "refreshing" is a great description of the movie. The depth of the characters is so much greater than in most other movies, where they often have one track minds, and a personality that can be summed up in a word or two. In Casablanca, everyone has their own motives and backstories, and up until the end, I was not sure what was really going to happen. Whether Rick still loves Ilsa, or if Ilsa loves Laszlo or Rick are never just outright said, and it is up to interpretation by the viewer why they made the decisions they did. I had originally thought that Rick really did not love Ilsa, but a comment on my blog made me see a very different point of view, and I think both are valid. It was a very unique movie.
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