Casablanca

1. In class we discussed the themes of the film Casablanca. The themes of this film are what make it such a classic. Lost love was a theme that was carried out throughout the film. Rick was in love with Ilsa from when they were together in France and when she came into his bar he couldn’t believe it. You thought that as the story moved along the two of them were going to get back together, but the fact that they don’t brings up the rest of the themes in the film. Rick’s self-sacrifice was a funny theme in Casablanca. All throughout the film he said that he doesn’t stick his neck out for anyone but in the end he gives up his chance to get out of Casablanca and his chance to once again be with Ilsa so that she can leave get away with Victor.

2. This article tells us how Casablanca has become an iconic film and a main part of America’s pop culture. According to the article the film did not have an overwhelming impact in this country until 20 years after its was originally released in theaters. “In the 1960s, a few years after Humphrey Bogart’s death in 1957, a movie theater called The Brattle in Cambridge, Massachusetts started reviving Casablanca for three weeks every years, drawing enthusiastic and increasingly larger crowds.” The article then goes on to state that many films over the years have paid homage to Casablanca using references from the film such as What’s Up, Doc?, Murder By Death and When Harry Met Sally. The film also cements the fact that this film is a standard in American pop culture by stating that “In 1999, The Oxford Dictionary of 20^th Century Quotations added four movie quotes,” and one of them was “Here’s looking at you, kid” from Casablanca.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/610/Casablanca/articles.html

 

3. This article made me realize how Casablanca is truly a piece of Americana. This was the first time that I had seen this film but I had heard about it since I was a child. Although the film was not as technically sound as some of the other films that we have watched in class, the story is something that people can relate to.

4. Personally I was not that big of a fan of Casablanca but that in no way takes away from its historical significance. I can see why people enjoy this film. I would say that this is one of the classic romantic stories of all time. The acting and story were great but I wouldn’t put this film on a level with other films like Citizen Kane and Stagecoach that we have watched this year.