The Narrative Structure of Casablanca

Casablanca is a 1942 American film that conveys the turbulence of lost love in the context of the political instability during World War II. The film stars Humphrey Bogard as Rick Blaine, a man who has still not gotten over this heartbreak, and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund, the woman who left him. The film has a restricted narrative structure that tells the story of Rick and Ilsa’s romance through a classical beginning-middle-and-end sequence with a few flashback scenes. The film chronicles the story of a misunderstanding between the titular characters at the pace that Rick, the main character, is made aware of it, with the beginning being the encounter between Ilsa and Rick at Rick’s Cafe in the present day accompanied by a flashback to their romance and separation in Paris, the middle being Ilsa and Rick’s reconciliation after Ilsa explains the misunderstanding, and the end being Rick’s noble decision to let Ilsa go. The restricted narrative structure in no way lessens the impact of the story, which points to the fact that love is fleeting and it can be lost due to factors outside of the lovers’ control.

The story begins with an introduction to the setting, Rick’s Cafe, a club in Casablanca owned by Rick. Rick is jaded and surveys the people trying to leave Casablanca with disinterest as thieves and drunks prey on them. Ilsa steps into the bar with her husband Laszlo and is greeted with Rick’s extreme animosity. At this point, the viewers are aware of no history between Rick and Ilsa other than that they knew each other, and whatever transpired in the past seems to have been incredibly important to both of them.

The film then flashes back to years ago when Rick and a recently-widowed Ilsa encounter each other in Paris. They fall in love immediately and before a German invasion, they plan to flee from Paris together. However, the day they are supposed to leave, Ilsa disappears, the only trace of her left being a note telling Rick to never contact her again.

Through this flashback, the viewers are now able to tell why Rick is such a cold person and the significance of Ilsa to him.

Then, during the middle of the story, Rick is approached with the possibility of saving Ilsa and her husband and sending them away from Casablanca. He refuses, and it is clear to the audience that Ilsa’s disappearance in the past has deeply wounded him. As the story continues, Ilsa and her husband Laszlo spend more time in Rick’s Place, Rick observes how selfless and courageous Laszlo is after he rallies the French people of the bar in a song of rebellion against Nazis.

Ilsa visits Rick again and explains that the reason she stayed in Paris without him is “because, on the day Rick left Paris she had learned that Lazlo, her husband, whom she had married in secret and thought dead, was alive.” (Turner Classic Movies). With this having been revealed to Rick the moment it is revealed to the audience, the audience is put through the same emotional turbulence that Rick is feeling. Ilsa concedes to Rick out of desperate love and offers to stay in Casablanca with him and force Laszlo to leave the country on his own.

Now, at the climax of the film, as Lewis of The Novel Smithy puts it, Rick must make a decision of “self-interest versus self-sacrifice.” He could make up for the heartbreak that he considers to have ruined his life, but to do so he would be hurting the woman he loves and a man who does not deserve it. At this point, the viewers are fully caught up to all sides of the story and are left on the edge of their seats as Rick’s intent remains unclear.

Rick ultimately makes the noble choice to lie to Ilsa; he sacrifices his own happiness to save Ilsa and Laszlo. This decision is so impactful in the film because of the film’s restricted narrative structure. With the audience only knowing what the main character Rick knows, the audience becomes emotionally connected to him and his choices become so much more poignant.

Casablanca is a restricted narrative, where the story of Rick Blaine’s lost love and redemption is told solely through what Rick is aware of at any given moment. The flashback at the beginning of the story is utilized to show the viewers a deeper insight into Rick’s character. The story moves, all through Rick’s perspective, from the beginning — Rick and Ilsa meeting again with a flashback explaining their history (pic)

— to the middle — Ilsa explaining herself to Rick and the couple reuniting (pic)

— to end — Rick letting go of their romance for the greater good, showing the audience, and more importantly himself that love is fleeting, and the sweetness of its memory can be better than having what one thinks he wants in the present.

Without this tight narrative structure, the story would not be nearly as captivating. The perfect balance of conflict, love, betrayal, and redemption has led to Casablanca being regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. While the actors did amazing work portraying the pervasive emotional chaos of the time, the true stars are screenwriters Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch. The film won many awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Open to countless interpretations, this enthralling story is both a time capsule of the conflict-ridden era of the 1940s and a timeless depiction of romance and tragedy.