Casablanca, a romantic drama directed by Michael Curtiz, is an extraordinary
example of classic Hollywood cinema. The perfection of its continuity editing allows
shots to flow seamlessly into one another with no call for attention. They are filled
with small details that at first seem irrelevant in the situation, but later on reveal
their narrative significance. One of those elements is the song "As time goes by", that
becomes a main theme of Rick, a man who sticks his neck out for nobody, and Ilsa,
who let go of her true love to be by the side of a man who fights for freedom. "As
time goes by” accompanies all the significant scenes that capture Rick’s and Ilsa’s
relationship, as well as show how Rick’s behavior changes after …show more content…
Play it, Sam, Memories of Paris, and We’ll
Always Have Paris are three key scenes in Casablanca that reveal Rick’s and Ilsa’s
secret and grasps the change in their relationship.
For the very first time we hear “As time goes by” when Sam’s plays it in Rick’s
bar upon Ilsa’s request. As soon as the song starts we get a close up shot of Ilsa’s
face. This makes the viewer to concentrate on her and what she is feeling. Ilsa’s eyes
are full of regret and sorrow. The song was a reminder of what happened in
between her and Rick. Once Rick hears the song, he marches strait up to the table:
“Sam, I thought I told you never to play”. He was clearly trying to avoid the past by
closing himself of from any reminders. The moment he sees Ilsa he is full of shock,
anger, love and wonder, which we can see through another close up shot. The
moment of their reunion gets interrupting, but there are still unanswered questions.
What happened in between them and why? For the first time we see Rick’s
emotions. Before he was ignorant and careless about everything. The way he treated
his lover Yvonne and his political apathy are clear examples of that. The main
question remains, what happened in between Rick and …show more content…
The last time we hear “As time goes by” in the scene We’ll Always Have Paris,
where Rick sais goodbye to Ilsa. Ironically he was leaving her this time in order to
renter the world of politics and attempt to give a meaning to his life again. Maybe
when the third time they meet they will be able to be together, but for now, she can’t
go where he is going. After meeting Ilsa, Rick was able to get a closure and finally
understand what happened in Paris and why she left. This gave him the strength to
move on with his life and try and to go back to the man he was before.
Throughout the movie we see change in Rick, which was cause by Ilsa coming
into his life again. The scene that the most capture their relationship and emotional
complexity of the situation were Play it, Sam, Memories of Paris, and We’ll Always
Have Paris, all of which were accompanied by Rick’s and Ilsa’s theme song “As time
goes by”. This song also served as an emotional trigger of their time in Paris. Among
all of the other major issuers in the world their love was not that important, as Rick
said: “…it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't
amount to a hill of beans in this crazy
example of classic Hollywood cinema. The perfection of its continuity editing allows
shots to flow seamlessly into one another with no call for attention. They are filled
with small details that at first seem irrelevant in the situation, but later on reveal
their narrative significance. One of those elements is the song "As time goes by", that
becomes a main theme of Rick, a man who sticks his neck out for nobody, and Ilsa,
who let go of her true love to be by the side of a man who fights for freedom. "As
time goes by” accompanies all the significant scenes that capture Rick’s and Ilsa’s
relationship, as well as show how Rick’s behavior changes after …show more content…
Play it, Sam, Memories of Paris, and We’ll
Always Have Paris are three key scenes in Casablanca that reveal Rick’s and Ilsa’s
secret and grasps the change in their relationship.
For the very first time we hear “As time goes by” when Sam’s plays it in Rick’s
bar upon Ilsa’s request. As soon as the song starts we get a close up shot of Ilsa’s
face. This makes the viewer to concentrate on her and what she is feeling. Ilsa’s eyes
are full of regret and sorrow. The song was a reminder of what happened in
between her and Rick. Once Rick hears the song, he marches strait up to the table:
“Sam, I thought I told you never to play”. He was clearly trying to avoid the past by
closing himself of from any reminders. The moment he sees Ilsa he is full of shock,
anger, love and wonder, which we can see through another close up shot. The
moment of their reunion gets interrupting, but there are still unanswered questions.
What happened in between them and why? For the first time we see Rick’s
emotions. Before he was ignorant and careless about everything. The way he treated
his lover Yvonne and his political apathy are clear examples of that. The main
question remains, what happened in between Rick and …show more content…
The last time we hear “As time goes by” in the scene We’ll Always Have Paris,
where Rick sais goodbye to Ilsa. Ironically he was leaving her this time in order to
renter the world of politics and attempt to give a meaning to his life again. Maybe
when the third time they meet they will be able to be together, but for now, she can’t
go where he is going. After meeting Ilsa, Rick was able to get a closure and finally
understand what happened in Paris and why she left. This gave him the strength to
move on with his life and try and to go back to the man he was before.
Throughout the movie we see change in Rick, which was cause by Ilsa coming
into his life again. The scene that the most capture their relationship and emotional
complexity of the situation were Play it, Sam, Memories of Paris, and We’ll Always
Have Paris, all of which were accompanied by Rick’s and Ilsa’s theme song “As time
goes by”. This song also served as an emotional trigger of their time in Paris. Among
all of the other major issuers in the world their love was not that important, as Rick
said: “…it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't
amount to a hill of beans in this crazy