Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942)
Discussion Questions
North Seattle College, HUM 110: Introduction to American Film
Use these questions as a viewing guide, so that as you watch the film you have a sense of what you might
look for.
1. What does the setting of Casablanca provide to this film—in terms of its atmosphere, as well as in
terms of its effect on the plot and the characters? The story takes place in two worlds, Paris and
Casablanca. How are these worlds compared and contrasted in the film?
2. The way Casablanca’s narrative develops, as is true of most Hollywood films, is through a
tight sequence, or chain, of cause and effect. What are some of the important links in that chain?
Although the narrative is constructed on a change of heart on Rick’s part, are we ever in any
real doubt as to what Rick’s final choice will be? What are some of the clues, from the very
beginning of the film, that tell us what Rick’s future behavior will be?
3. If the major motivating force in classical Hollywood cinema is desire, what are the desires of
the major characters in this film? To what extent are these desires satisfied?
4. Rick and Lazlo can be said to represent two different types of heroism. How would you
categorize each one as a hero? What qualities, if any, do they share? How do they most differ
from each other?
5. How is Ilsa characterized in this film? Would it be fair to say that the main female character in
Casablanca is merely an object of exchange between men? Does Ilsa ever do anything in the film?
6. Diegetic sound is the sound that you might logically expect to hear in a film scene, for
example, footsteps when someone is walking, dialogue or a gunshot when a gun is fired. Nondiegetic sound is clearly artificially added to a film – the characters can’t hear it. This could
include the musical score. Consider the role of music within the film (diegetic and nondiegetic).
What effect does this have on our understanding of key scenes?
7. Why would a film in which two main characters sacrifice their romantic desire for one another still be
regarded as such a popular film for fans of movie romance? Shouldn't a romantic film provide a final
"payoff" by fulfilling the audience's wishes for their union? Have you seen any other films that withhold
such fulfillment, yet in such a way that they still manage to have an appeal?
8. The original play was also written in order to advocate America's entry into World War II; at the time,
the United States was still maintaining an "isolationist" policy, and Germany had recently invaded and
occupied France. The final screenwriter (Howard Koch) wanted to highlight the political themes of the
story, whereas director Michael Curtiz chose to give a bit more emphasis to the love story. (This creative
conflict was in addition to the earlier contributions of screenwriters Julius and Philip Epstein, who had
incorporated comic dialogue in the film, and Casey Robinson, who had helped write some of the dialogue
between Rick and Ilsa.) In other words, this film results from a high degree of collaboration and a certain
degree of creative conflict as well…one of the reasons it has been used as an example of the "genius of
the system" theory. To what extent do you believe that the result was successful? To what extent does this
film still have a political theme? Does the love story work in harmony with the political theme?