Rick Blaine, Nations Front Figure
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Rick Blaine , front figure of a nation.
In the summer of 1934 Adolf Hitler took the hot-seat as the German leader and Fuhrer.
Four years later he had invaded Austria.
1939 the invasion of Poland and Czechoslovakia was a fact.
At the same time polls taken in America showed that approximately 94% of the American citizens didnt want their government to interfere with the European business.
12 months later , in the late 1940, Germany had a great success occupying Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
Suddenly it happened.
On the 7:th of December, 1941, in Pearl Harbor.
America is attacked by Japan, one of the German affiliates.
Great Britain finally gets a powerful ally :
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S officially enters the second World War.
The production of Casablanca started in May of 1942 while the film itself is set in December 1941.
With this paper I would like to go deeper on how the main character of the film, Rick Blaine (Humprey Bogart), embodies America and its role in the second World War.
Heres the first significant sign of my point with this paper:
The primary setting of the film is “Ricks Cafe Americain” which represents a miniature model of America.
People from every corner of the world get together in their fancy, usually white, tuxedos, drinking martinis, smoking big cigars and enjoying funky jazz-music.
We see Germans, Algerians, Dutch, Austrians, Italians and French all gathered up in the cafe.
Also, from the films title to the type of music played in the cafe, the audience is reminded that Ricks Cafe is like the American embassy, a microcosm of America.
Most American of all is Rick Blaine.
Hes the United States embodied.
Before he even shows up on the screen, hes portrayed as someone with great influence.
For example, when a attractive young lady and her friend asks if Rick wants to have drink with with her and her friends, Ricks right-hand man is quick to say that Rick doesnt drink with the customers, giving the impression of Rick being a man with high principles.
Our first glimpse of Rick is a close-up on his hand signing a check, defining hes the one in charge. A couple of shots later, we see him playing chess with himself, suggesting he enjoys intellectual challenges and most of all he likes strategy, very much as Americans do.
All these signs are parallels to the U.S being a strong, independent, strategical and sophisticated country.
But every country and certainly every person has their flaws.
Rick is modest about his. Although he has a great deal of influence, he doesnt help anyone out.
When Ugarte, one of Ricks acquaintance is about to get arrested by the Nazis, Rick clearly states:
Rick : ” – I dont stick my neck out for nobody”.
This line reflects the U.S politics between 1935 and 1941 when the Nazis were invading one country after another while America was standing by, basically doing nothing.
Upon hearing Ricks comment about being passive/neutral, the Nazi-controlled