1. Casablanca is one of America’s beloved films of all time. It came out at a time where no one knew who would be winning the second World War. It’s also a romance that takes place in a chaotic world where not everything is certain and you need to make the best of what you have with the person you love. Not everyone is guaranteed freedom to go to America, but people see certain qualities in others that don’t want the Nazi’s to take away from them and do everything they can to make sure that they share their gifts with others.
2. This site has some pretty interesting facts about Casablanca that many people may not know. For instance, the letters of transit were never a real thing, they were only a plot device to make the story more compelling. This was discussed in class after the movie, but Ingrid Bergman did not know which character she was going to end up with at the end of the movie, which took a toll on her as she was very bitter about the whole thing. Another funny thing is that Sam, the piano player that is played by Dooley Wilson, cannot play the piano, which fooled me pretty good. http://www.destinationhollywood.com/movies/casablanca/funfeatures_content.shtml
3. Many of the facts that are represented from this site show just how movies are mostly fictional, even when they could be portraying a real life event. Even though this specific event didn’t happen in real life, it’s almost believable enough that it could almost have been something from real life. It’s a true testament to the characters and the whole plot that fleshes out all of the events so well and wraps it up nicely without bringing anyone’s character to shame. Every character in the movie ends on a high note, even the officer who was corrupt and that is hard to do for most characters in movies.
4. When I first heard that we were going to watch Casablanca, I wasn’t excited at all because I knew it was going to be a love story and those don’t really interest me. But I had to keep an open mind for the class and about not even a half hour into the movie, I knew I was going to enjoy it. Humphrey Bogart’s character is one that represents the way that every American should act and that is to help out the underdogs and be a reasonable, logical and brave man, or woman. He doesn’t let anyone push him around and always takes charge when he knows its right, even when the war generals try to push their authority on others. What an inspiring man to be in this day and age where our government isn’t being viewed very well and many of the people protesting around the world are demanding change.
The love story of Casablanca almost seems generic today, but for its time, I can see how it was a big thing to have a healthy love torn apart by war. It grabs the audience by the hand and leads them to believe that they will ultimately get back together at the end, but when war is at its high, it makes people believe in crazy things. One of the messages taken from the ending of the movie is that if you love someone as much as Bogart and Bergman’s characters did and are not able to stay together for all that time, then maybe it really wasn’t love in the first place. It’s better to let the person go and be with the one that they stay with, even when they feel you might be the one from before, but it’s best to not dwell on the past and look towards a bright future.
