Casablanca

To keep with TheLordJames' tradition we are going to talk about movies on every last Thursday. Today we are talking about a classic romance movie called Casablanca. 

Casablanca was a film from 1942 set in French Morocco in December 1941. The opening scene shares with the audience what life was like around that time due to the War. It says that people from occupied countries in Europe fled to Casablanca in hopes of traveling to the United States (which had remained neutral at that time).

After the intro, we get a small preview of what life is like in Casablanca. Everyone desperate to survive and make their way to safety, while others trying to take advantage off of the suffering. We also get to see Rick's Cafe Americain. It is quite clear that Rick (Humphrey Bogart) is not the traditional nightclub owner. As we meet other interesting characters like Ugarte we learn that Rick may not be as neutral as he seems. 

Almost all at once, Rick's life gets turned upside down. Rick seems to be a friend to all and willing to help anyone, so when Ugarte asks him to hold on to letters of transit obtained by murdering two German couriers. Rick hesitantly agrees. Though when the prefect of police come to take him away, Rick does little to help his friend. Later, we learn that Ugarte "died" in prison. The same night Ugarte is taken away Victor Laszlo and his wife come to Rick's. Victor Laszlo is a renowned fugitive and known for being a Czech Resistance leader. He is determined to leave Casablanca and make his way to America to spread the word of what has been happening in Europe. Casablanca is his last stop, but the German Major Strasser is in Casablanca to make sure Laszlo Fails.

It is the exact worse time for Rick's old love Ilsa to come back into his life. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) is the last person Rick thought would ever walk into his cafe, and on the arm of Victor Laszlo no less. The story of Casablanca is a classic and really shows the true meaning of love. 

Casablanca went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Now it is known as one of the greatest films in history.