Casablanca story
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid. Filmed and set during World War II, it focuses on an American expatriate (Bogart) who must choose between his love for a woman (Bergman) and helping her husband (Henreid), a Czechoslovak resistance leader, escape from the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis. The screenplay is based on Everybody Comes to Rick's, an unproduced stage play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. The supporting cast features Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Dooley Wilson.
22 total · 5 choice · 7 major · 10 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| compassion vs. self-preservation | choice | At the center of the story is the cynical Rick who prided himself of sticking his neck out for nobody. Time and again he proved this by turning a deaf ear as people pleaded to him to intervene on their behalf. His composure was fast shattered when a former lover, Ilsa, turned up with her new partner, Victor, on the run from the Third Reich. The story culminated with Rick seriously jeopardizing his own life and liberty to save both Ilsa and Victor. |
| love triangle | choice | At the center of the plot is a love triangle between Rick, his old flame Ilsa, and her husband Victor. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine," is a famous quote that illustrates Rick's feelings. |
| old flames | choice | At the center of the plot is a love triangle between Rick, his old flame Ilsa, and her husband Victor. |
| romantic love | choice | The old flames Rick and Ilsa found themselves unexpectedly reunited in wartime Casablanca. They were still in love, but their relationship was much complicated by the presence of Ilsa's husband, Victor, whom she loved and Rick came to respect. |
| sacrifice for a loved one | choice | The story culminated with Rick seriously jeopardizing his own life and liberty to save both Ilsa and Victor. This was despite the fact that he had reasons to resent them. |
| corruption in society | major | Corruption was ripe in wartime Casablanca. Notably, Louis, the police chief, took bribes at the roulette wheel, and used his power to coerce young women into his arms. |
| facing organized pursuit | major | Various people, but Victor in particular, were on the run from the Nazis and tried desperately to reach the safety of America. |
| friendship | major | Rick and Louis had a complicated relationship, but often fraternized at Rick's nightclub. At the end, Rick famously said, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship". |
| husband and wife | major | Ilsa Lund showed unwavering loyalty to her husband, Victor Laszlo. |
| law enforcement | major | The prefect of police Louis Renault was constantly poking around Rick's nightclub making trouble for Rick and his patrons. |