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Casablanca

The 1942 film "Casablanca" is a love story like no other. Set in a place of neutral refuge for citizens during World War II, this film incorporates the ideals of sacrifice, struggle and compassion.

Casablanca in Morocco in 1942 has become a place where refugees wait for passage away from the war. Most spend their whole lives waiting for an exit Visa. At the beginning of the film, we find out that a German soldier carrying two of these exit Visas had been murdered, and we are left to guess as to where these Visas could possibly be. The owner of the main café in Casablanca, Rick (Humphrey Bogart) appears on the surface to be a man without scruples, one who fights for his own cause and who thinks only of his own interests. He is given the Visas without explanation or cause and agrees to hide them in his café. He remains this cynical, untrusting figure until Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and her revolutionary husband Victor (Paul Henreid) come into Casablanca hoping to find a way to America.

Humphrey, being the only person who can help them, must decide what cause he is fighting for and what interests are at stake. However, there remains a twist in this plot, and Casablanca would not be the love story it is without it. We soon learn that Ilsa is no ordinary woman and that she had met Rick prior to Casablanca and fell in love with him in France before the war. When the time came to leave German-occupied France, Rick was given a letter from Ilsa telling him that she could not board the train with him or ever see him again. Through a series of past memories and emotional images between the characters, we learn of their wonderful love story and the reason for its abrupt end. One question remains: how will it end now that fate has thrown Ilsa back into Rick’s life?

It is no wonder that Warner Bros. uses the song from Casablanca, “As Time Goes By”, along with its logo at the beginning of its films. This tune stands for all that the film itself represents. As time passes, there will always be love, there will always be sentiment, but the chance to sacrifice for a greater cause is an honor that one rarely bestows. And without sacrifice, there can be no love.

Written by: Amy Hillard

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