Casablanca Questions

Casablanca Questions

1. How does the film measure up to your criteria for a good story? What features of successful storytelling does it have or need? How can you account for its enduring popularity?
The story is a classic love triangle, with many conflicts making for an intriguing film. It has character development and plot twists. It’s a very quotable movie. Conflict keeps interest of the viewer.

2. What do you already know about World War II and the political climate of the 1940s? What historical references can you find in the film? What political messages come through?
During WWII, the political climate was explosive. There are references to the Vichy government, concentration camps, and Nazis. The film was trying to get the U.S. to join the war effort.

3. How are different nationalities and ethnic groups represented in the film? Are any groups notably absent? If so, how might their absence be explained?
French and Germans are represented as enemies, African American are represented as minorities. Jews weren’t really present in the film, because they were in concentration camps at the time.

4. When Rick says, “I stick my neck out for nobody,” Captain Renault calls this “a wise foreign policy.” Later Renault tells Rick, “I suspect that, under that cynical shell, youʼre at heart a sentimentalist.” Ilsa accuses Rick of being self-absorbed.” With so much at stake,” she tells him, “all you think of is your own feeling.” Strasser expresses yet another view: “My impression was that he was just another blundering American.” How do you see Rick Blaine? If your judgment changed during the film, explain when it changed and why.
At first, Rick appears to be a self centered jerk, but as the movie progresses, we see that under his hard exterior, he is actually full of compassion for people, and wants to help.

5. When Ilsa arrives at Rickʼs Cafe Americain, she brings the past with her. How much of the past can you reconstruct from references in the film? What do you learn about Rick and Ilsa in Paris and about Rickʼs earlier life? How does this knowledge help to explain what happens in the film?
We find that Rick and Ilsa meet in Paris and fall in love. We find that Ilsa was married when she met Rick, but her husband was in a concentration camp, and she thought he was dead. This intensifies the love triangle.

6. Explore some of the other relationships in Casablanca. What kind of marriage do Ilsa and Laszlo have? How well do Renault and Strasser share the power? What is the basis for Rickʼs association with Renault? Describe the bond between Rick and Sam.
Ilsa and Laszlo have a healthy marriage, which makes Ilsa’s decision even harder.

7. Contemporary viewers often notice the quantities of alcohol and tobacco consumed in the movie. Compare the use of these products on film in the forties to todayʼs films. What accounts for the differences you find?
Today, people are much more aware of the health problems smoking causes, so it’s not as common in movies, and if it is, it’s viewed as a negative thing. Back then, it was just a normal thing for people to do, and not viewed as a problem.

8. At the end of the movie, Rick turns to Renault, saying, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” What do you think he means? What would you expect to see in a sequel to the movie?
It means that Rick lost his love, but he gained a new friend, a sequel would probably follow the progression of their friendship.