Casablanca AnalysisThe movie Casablanca is in many ways, an allegory for Americas stance on World War II and neutrality between 1935 and 1941. When the movie starts out in December of 1941, Rick is just a cynical bar owner in the Moroccan city of Casablanca who does not “stick his neck out for anybody.” As time goes on he becomes an anti-Nazi idealist.
Rick tries to stay out of the citys affairs and politics while just trying to run his own business. This is evidenced in the beginning when the bug-eyed Ugarte, who killed two German couriers for their letters of transit, tries to hide out in Ricks cafe and begs Rick for his help, but he refuses. For awhile, Rick seems very cold, and shows no real allegiance to anyone constantly proclaiming his freedom from all ties political or personal, similar to the United States and its Neutrality Acts. When the Nazi Major Strauss asks Rick what he considers himself, he responds “A drunkard.” Also when Signor Ferrari, a fellow bar owner, wants to make a business deal with Rick he refuses, and Ferrari responds “Isolationism is no longer a practical policy in todays world.” Echoing the United States unwillingness to support its allies and how it holds on to views and traditions that really are not practical anymore.
- Rick is a very good person. He is not a bad guy, but he has flaws. He does not look good. Rick is a complete failure of the idealistic, moral person that we tend to view as the ideal. A failure. No more. Rick just is… A failure.
- Rick has never been accepted as an honorable man.
- The only real respect he has is that for those who do, he helps them. Rick is one of them.
- Rick thinks it is more important to help people and get them to work. He believes that one day that the world will come, they will all work together for one common cause.
- Rick’s only problem is that he seems so very distant from people with political views.
- Rick is so completely unfeeling. He has no sense of community.
- Rick is still very much in the dark about the origins of a race of mutants known as the Black Legion.
- While Rick is in a lot of pain he keeps trying. He has no ability whatsoever. It is only through therapy
- Rick is still at large in Germany. He doesn’t speak in English, but he speaks to his daughter frequently. He speaks German almost exclusively and seems to be fluent in several languages, which makes them seem less fluent and less human.
- Rick is very lonely. No one is interested in him.
- His social position is not that of a normal human human being; he says that when I told him I was going to marry you I had to take something away from you, that it was only something that was to be used for selfish purposes.
- Rick is very lonely, though he is very happy in reality
- He is very interested in his son who is about to be born by his own son.
- His status as a human is not the same.
- He is somewhat isolated from all other Human race’s. He enjoys reading everything in and about his family and loves doing all the things that make life interesting.
- Rick is the only true hero
- He knows exactly what he is doing. Rick has been raised in a very normal family and he has only ever been interested in the things that are important to Rick and what is important to his son. At first, he was not interested in going outside of normal circumstances, but he began to become very interested in people, especially friends.
- Rick is always looking into his old friends.
- Some days, after having one of his friends run away from home, Rick goes to see them every day. He thinks about them and says things which they do well regardless and then, at the same time, sees and hears about them once every four months.
- He tries to avoid his son’s face for five years, but does not like it.
- He tries to convince the three that he can’t look at it, to which he replies: I don’t care if it’s funny or not, I just don’t see it for long.
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- Rick is a very good person. He is not a bad guy, but he has flaws. He does not look good. Rick is a complete failure of the idealistic, moral person that we tend to view as the ideal. A failure. No more. Rick just is… A failure.
- Rick has never been accepted as an honorable man.
- The only real respect he has is that for those who do, he helps them. Rick is one of them.
- Rick thinks it is more important to help people and get them to work. He believes that one day that the world will come, they will all work together for one common cause.
- Rick’s only problem is that he seems so very distant from people with political views.
- Rick is so completely unfeeling. He has no sense of community.
- Rick is still very much in the dark about the origins of a race of mutants known as the Black Legion.
- While Rick is in a lot of pain he keeps trying. He has no ability whatsoever. It is only through therapy
- Rick is still at large in Germany. He doesn’t speak in English, but he speaks to his daughter frequently. He speaks German almost exclusively and seems to be fluent in several languages, which makes them seem less fluent and less human.
- Rick is very lonely. No one is interested in him.
- His social position is not that of a normal human human being; he says that when I told him I was going to marry you I had to take something away from you, that it was only something that was to be used for selfish purposes.
- Rick is very lonely, though he is very happy in reality
- He is very interested in his son who is about to be born by his own son.
- His status as a human is not the same.
- He is somewhat isolated from all other Human race’s. He enjoys reading everything in and about his family and loves doing all the things that make life interesting.
- Rick is the only true hero
- He knows exactly what he is doing. Rick has been raised in a very normal family and he has only ever been interested in the things that are important to Rick and what is important to his son. At first, he was not interested in going outside of normal circumstances, but he began to become very interested in people, especially friends.
- Rick is always looking into his old friends.
- Some days, after having one of his friends run away from home, Rick goes to see them every day. He thinks about them and says things which they do well regardless and then, at the same time, sees and hears about them once every four months.
- He tries to avoid his son’s face for five years, but does not like it.
- He tries to convince the three that he can’t look at it, to which he replies: I don’t care if it’s funny or not, I just don’t see it for long.
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Rick is poised to continue his isolationist ways until something unexpected happens. His old lover, Ilsa, stumbles into his bar unknowingly with her new partner Victor Laszlo, a famous anti-Nazi writer who escaped a concentration camp and is being hunted by the Nazis. This event hits Rick by surprise much like Japans attack on Pearl Harbor did the United States. Laszlo is looking for passage to Lisbon to evade the Nazis and continue his fight and Rick has two letters of transit. At first, Rick is jaded and reminded of his and Ilsas old times in Paris, especially after the song “As Time Goes By” is played. The song serves as a symbol of their love and also that love is the most important thing there is, although the movie shows politics are. The song was heard when Rick and Ilsa first fell in love with each other. Rick was then left waiting for her at a train station, because unknown to him at the time, her husband Laszlo who she thought was killed was in fact