Great scene analysis: Casablanca

Last Friday, we inaugurated posting a weekly Great Scene with the final sequence from Casablanca here. Now some thoughts I have about this famous finale:

First, it's a great example of having a plot with a strong "end point." As soon as the romantic triangle is established -- when Ilsa and Victor Laszlo show up at Rick's cafe -- it is inevitable this core question / conflict will have to be resolved: who gets the girl? So all throughout Act II and into Act III, no matter what is happening in any given scene, that dramatic tension is present, either close to the surface of the dialogue and action or suppressed due to events, but always present. That's one of the values of a story having a strong end point.

Next, my theory is that in most every movie, there are five principle character archetypes at work: Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor (Romance), Mentor (Wisdom), and Trickster. And so I'm struck by how 'neat' Casablanca's ending sequence is because each of the five characters is present at the finale:

P -- Rick
N -- Major Strasser
A -- Ilsa
M -- Victor
T -- Renault

I say 'neat' because the ending allows each character's story arc to resolve:

P -- Rick overcomes his cynicism by letting go of Ilsa and thereby re-enters 'life'
N -- He ends up dead, his plot to keep Victor in Casablanca fails
A -- Ilsa ends up with the 'right' guy
M -- Victor escapes to continue to lead the resistance movement
T -- In true Trickster fashion, Renault ends up not only watching Rick's back -- "Round up the usual suspects" -- but also heading off with Rick to join the resistance, too

The next thing I noticed this reading about the scene are all the plot twists in it:

* Rick orders Renault to give Ilsa and Victor the letters of transit

* Rick explains to Ilsa why he changed his mind

* Rick tells the truth to Laszlo about what happened with he and Ilsa the night before

* Rick shoots Major Strasser

* Renault doesn't turn in Rick for the shooting of Majro Strasser

* Renault joins Rick in leaving Casablanca

It's a long sequence and all those twists provide nice pivot points for the viewer to keep them on their toes.

Finally, I've used the term "scene sequence" and what I mean by that is a sequence of scenes that has its own Beginning, Middle, and End arc. This finale sequence in Casablancais a great example:

Beginning: Arrival at the airport with the big plot point -- Rick insisting to Renault that Ilsa and Victor use the letters of transit.

Middle: Rick dealing with the couple -- convincing Ilsa she has to go with Victor and his 'confession' to Victor.

Ending: Rick's confrontation with Strasser and the plane takes off.

There's even a nice denouement: Rick and Renault concocting a plan to head off together to the French Free garrison.

That's the sequence arc. And you can break it down even further as each of the component parts has their own beginning, middle and ending structure.

Now a few bits of trivia about Casablanca

* Did you know that there was no such thing as "letters of transit?" Completely made up by the screenwriters, the Epstein brothers. But you totally buy it, don't you, because the letters are introduced into the plot in a convincing and plausible way. It's a perfect example of the old adage: a writer doesn't have to write what's true, only what appears to be true. That's verisimilitude

* During production, nobody knew how the movie was going to end, who would end up with whom in the romantic triangle. So the Epsteins were out driving one day, mulling it over and, as legend has it, as they approached the intersection of Sunset Blvd and Beverly Glen, they both blurted out, "Round up the usual suspects." And they knew they had the ending.

* Casablanca was voted the #1 script by members of the WGA. You can see that list here.

I invite you to post any other trivia about the movie and any points of analysis you have about this scene sequence.