- Why is this film such a classic? Why are audiences drawn to it again and again?
This film is considered by many a classic and draws audiences from every generation because it does not follow the plot or themes of a "traditional" love story. In an average romance novel or movie, the male protagonist and the female protagonist live in a relatively peaceful setting and share a, what some would call, "cheesy" love, exchanging banal phrases and being overly-dramatic. However with Casablanca, this is not the case. Not only were the actors and the director of the movie able to successfully unite the themes of a brutal war and a passionate love, but also make the story of Rick and Ilsa very unique.
The fact that the setting is during a war complements the underlying plot very well. The contrast between the turbulence of the quickly-paced events and the tender and passionate history of Rick and Ilsa makes this movie revolutionary. The war aided the character development of both Rick and Ilsa, because they both are doomed due to consequences of the war. Rick transforms from a deeply isolated person to someone who is capable of conveying a spectrum of emotions, while Ilsa is a deeply mysterious woman who hides her war-related secret until the very end.
This story is also considered a classic because it skillfully manages to create an ending very much contrary to what the audience anticipated. I feel that the director intentionally made the audience believe that Casablanca would end just like any other love story - Rick and Ilsa would remain together forever and they would live "happily ever after." However, almost in the last minutes of the film it is revealed that Rick makes the decision to depart with the love of his life - this time forever. It is not explicitly stated in the movie, but we see the crisis that the two lovers experience - the knowledge that they will never end up together and that their lives will never intersect.
The repeated use of the classic song As Time Goes By also gives the audience an emotional undertone to the plot, and instantly embeds an association in the audience's minds between Rick's and Ilsa's past and the presence of the song. Also, I noticed that in between transition of scenes, the song plays in a very minor, epic orchestra rendition. As I found from my research, the song was later covered numerous times by famous singers such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett after the immense success of the movie, further proving that it truly affected and was well-known by many.
My question at the end of this movie was what makes the song "As Time Goes By" so relevant to the movie?
The repeated use of the classic song As Time Goes By also gives the audience an emotional undertone to the plot, and instantly embeds an association in the audience's minds between Rick's and Ilsa's past and the presence of the song. Also, I noticed that in between transition of scenes, the song plays in a very minor, epic orchestra rendition. As I found from my research, the song was later covered numerous times by famous singers such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett after the immense success of the movie, further proving that it truly affected and was well-known by many.
My question at the end of this movie was what makes the song "As Time Goes By" so relevant to the movie?
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| A still from the last scene of Casablanca, which proved to be an extremely unexpected ending |
Your use of words together, and thoughts in this piece makes it truly great. To answer your two questions, this film is such a classic because I feel it is an original. As you said it is not a "cheesy love" yet a true love filled with reality, and passion. That is also why audiences are drawn to it again, and again. There has never been anything like it.
ReplyDeleteThe song "As Time Goes By" is never directly explained between Rick and Ilsa however it makes sense for it to have begun when they first met in Paris. The first time we hear it is when Ilsa asks Sam to play it and it takes her back to her memories with Rick as the camera is close up on her facial reaction (she looks almost sad). Rick comes in getting mad at Sam because Rick says "I thought I said to never play this". Implying that Rick wanted to forget about Ilsa and their song. While on the contrast Ilsa wanted to bring it back. This foreshadows the ending how Ilsa tries to be with Rick but Rick pushes her away because she had/ has a husband. The song symbolizes they're presence together.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you use the fact that there is war happening to explain the characters' motives and how they act towards each other. And I believe that "As Time Goes By" is consistently used in the film because it literally shows that as time goes by, Ilsa and Rick's love is undying, as if they never stopped loving each other even after all that has happened. It's as if the war and circumstances brought them back together and made their love stronger than ever.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the way that you have written your ideas, very interesting! I think that the reason why this movie is such a classic and will probably be considered to be a favorite for a very long time is because of all the important aspects. That sounds vague, but I mean everything from the plot-twist ending, themes within the movie, and character development through out the film. I think that "As Time Goes By" is relevant in this film because it kind of shows how at one point, the time that Ilsa and Rick spent together was wonderful. But as time went by, Rick and Ilsa's love never stopped for each other. Then again, as time went by, Rick realized that what is best for Ilsa is if she moved on from Rick and went to America with Laszlo.
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