I think one of the most important factors that lead to Casablanca being considered a classic are the characters. Unlike many other run of the mill romance movies, the characters have depth. They feel real, and hold secrets from each other and the audience. Characters in other movies can be shallow or underdeveloped.
For example, near the end of the film, Rick is deciding what to do with the visas. The audience does not know until the end when his plan unfolds. Many other films would take the simple route of having Rick escape with Ilsa in a happy and expected ending. Instead, he says that he and Ilsa are no longer in love, and sends her off with Lazslo. He tells her "We'll always have Paris", suggesting they just keep the fond memories. Honestly, we cannot even be sure how true that is. Rick and Ilsa could still be in love, but Rick could have had a change of heart from his old attitude of "sticking his neck out for nobody". He may be leaving Ilsa so that Lazslo can continue his work against the war, a cause Rick now supports instead of remaining neutral. This also supports that Rick is the model for what an American man should be. In the end, he makes the noble decision, the selfless one, to help stop the global war instead of support his own interests. Like any good character, Rick also has an arc, and is a changed man by the end of the movie. In the flashback, we can see Rick smile and laugh, drinking with others, and generally acting very different from how he does in Casablanca. Obviously, he changes after Ilsa leaves, shutting himself out from the rest of the world or any relationships, and maintains the facade of the cold, calculating cafe owner. Once she returns, he seems to be returning to his old self, with personality and hopes, and he is no longer only out for himself. Characters that are this real and have this much depth are hard to come by, and I think Casablanca owes a large amount of its success to it. Things like the love triangle or the Paris backstory would be much less intriguing if everyone were two dimensional and made obvious and simple choices.
I really like your analysis of the characters depth. I agree that the characters in this film have a strong impact on the impression that the film creates on the viewers. After reading this it makes perfect sense that the secrets they keep are what truly keeps the audience so connected. They make us feel like these are real people who have done the good, bad and the ugly like those of us in real life. This is such a contrast from the normal characters of that time, so the viewers are forced to think ahead of their time, making it stay relevant to modern times. That's a really cool way to look at it.
ReplyDeleteThe depth and realism of Casablanca's characters is definitely a shining aspect of this film. The growth of other supporting characters can be seen in the film as well, considering that Renault went from a somewhat sleazy police chief who had to listen to the Nazis to going along with Rick to a French fort to join the war effort against the Germans. The growth, and the depth of Casablanca's characters is something not only makes the audience feel connected, but it just makes for a good movie.
ReplyDeleteI really like the examples you used to describe Rick's complex character. I completely agree that there were many moments when Rick kept secrets from everyone, including the audience (ex: the future of the visas). The ending, where he let Ilsa go to America with Laszlo was a huge emotional change for him. Instead of doing what he wanted, he thought about Ilsa, and knew that she still loved Laszlo, and there was nothing he could do to change that. Rick then went on to shoot Strasser, putting his future in danger, to ensure Ilsa's and Laszlo's escape went to plan.
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