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CASABLANCA  

Screenplay  by:    Julius  J.  Epstein  and  Philip  G.  Epstein  and  Howard  Koch.        Play  by:    Murray  Burnett  and  Joan  Alison  

1.    What  is  Your  Profound  Truth?   - You have to choose a side in life and fight for it. - Love is about doing the right thing.

2.    What  is  the  Transformational  Journey?   Old Ways: Closed. Neutral. Sticks his neck out for no one. Brokenhearted. Angry. Cynical. Stiffening his sentimentalist tendencies. Journey: Ilsa comes into his life and forces him to deal with his heartbreak and separation from "the fight." Holding onto the "letters of transit," he must decide who gets to leave Casablanca in that plane. New Ways: Regains his confidence, gets over the breakup, joins the fight again, and does a real act of love and patriotism. Transformational Logline: A brokenhearted Rick hides out in his bar in Casablanca until Ilsa returns to his life, forcing him to deal with their breakup and get back in the fight for the right reasons.

3.    Who  are  Your  Lead  Characters?  

• Change Agent: Ilsa / Laszlo • Transformable Character: Rick • Oppression: The war. The Nazi's

   

 

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4.    How  Do  You  Connect  With  Your  Audience  in  the  Beginning  of  the  Movie?  

A. Relatability: Ordinary guy doing a job. Dealing with people problems. Having to go along with the difficulty of having to follow the police orders.

B. Intrigue: Casablanca is a place where diamonds are worthless and

"Letters of Transit" are the most valuable thing you can possess. Rick claims to be neutral, but puts himself in the middle of this underground world. What is he going to do with the "Letters of Transit" that he just came to possess?

C. Empathy: Rick is sitting in a bar full of people playing chess

ALONE. Later, finding out he is brokenhearted.

D. Likability: Treats Sam well. Negotiates a raise for him. Employees like and respect him. Ugarte trusts Rick even though he knows the American despises him.

5.      What  is  the  Gradient  of  the  Change?   EMOTIONAL GRADIENT: Forced Change. Rick is forced to shift from neutrality to recommiting to the fight -- both in love and war. We watch him go through these stages: Denial: I stick my neck out for no one. Denies caring about the fight. Anger: That Ilsa comes into his life. Bargaining: At the market, trying to get info. Later, the deal with Ilsa in the

office. Depression: Drinking heavily. Back with Ilsa, but feeling guilty. Acceptance: Giving the transit visas to Ilsa and Victor Lazslo.

 

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ACTION GRADIENT

SETUP    

• Rick owns a "neutral" bar in Casablanca where a lot of underground activity happens.

• Ugarte gives the "Letters of Transit" to Rick for safe keeping, and then is shot. • Ilsa shows up with Laszlo, wanting the "Letters of Transit."

JOURNEY  

• Ilsa tries to explain about Paris, but Rick won't listen. • Rick has a drunken breakdown over Ilsa. • Flashback to Paris and the cause of Rick's broken heart. Ilsa stood him

up at the train after he proposed. • Rick argues with Ilsa over their past, then proposes that she come up to

his office for a night of passion in exchange for the Letters -- implying that she is a prostitute.

• Rick watches the "battle of the anthems" where Laszlo defeats the Nazi's in a heroic fashion.

• Ilsa comes to Rick's office. She pleads, demands, and finally pulls a gun. But love wins out and they agree to leave Casablanca together.

PAYOFF  

• Rick forces Renault to go to the airport. It looks as though he and Ilsa will escape.

• Instead of leaving with Ilsa, he gives Lazlo and Ilsa the letters of transit for free and puts them on the plane.

• He kills the Major to ensure the plane takes off safely. • Renault covers for Rick. • Rick is back in the fight!

CHALLENGE/WEAKNESS  GRADIENT:       Challenge: Ugarte begs for help. Weakness: Fear of risks. Challenge: Ilsa shows up and has Sam play their song. Weakness: Broken hearted.

 

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Challenge: He meets Lazslo, a man he admires. Weakness: Rick still cares about the resistance. Challenge: Ilsa tries to talk privately to Rick. Weakness: Deeply hurt and angry about it. Challenge: Rick tries to get Ilsa to talk to him in the market. She refuses. Weakness: Desperately needs to know. Challenge: Ilsa gives in and agrees to stay with him. Weakness: He still cares about the resistance.

6.    What  is  the  Transformational  Structure  of  Your  Story?   (See MM Analysis by Chris Soth)

7.    How  are  the  "Old  Ways"  Challenged?  

A.    Challenge  through  Questioning:   Bulgarian lady begs Rick for help with exit visas, but her lines are designed to challenge Rick's deep seated belief that Ilsa broke his heart without reason. ANNINA Oh, Monsieur, you are a man. If someone loved you very much, so that your happiness was the only thing that she wanted in the whole world, but she did a bad thing to make certain of it, could you forgive her? RICK Nobody ever loved me that much. ANNINA And he never knew, and the girl kept this bad thing locked in her heart? That would be alright, wouldn't it?

 

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B.    Challenge  by  Counterexample:   Lazslo is a big counterexample for Rick. Lazslo has remained a war hero, cares deeply about the resistance, and is willing to risk his life for it. The wife from Bulgaria who is contemplating doing "a bad thing" to save herself and her husband, and wants Rick's opinion on it.

C.    Challenge  by  "Should  Work,  But  Doesn't":     Drinking to forget, but all he can think about is Ilsa. Rick asks for an explanation, but because of how he behaved the night before, Ilsa refuses to give it to her. The reunion of Rick and Ilsa at the end that totally fits the Old Ways, but Rick has changed by then.

D.    Challenge  through  Living  Metaphor   The war of the anthems = Patriotism. The Letters of Transit = freedom, but become an instrument of heroism. Bulgarian woman is a metaphor for Rick and Ilsa. The song "As Time Goes By" was their song.

8.    How  are  You  Presenting  Insights  through  Profound  Moments?  

A.    Action  delivers  insight  

Action: After the Bulgarian wife's request, Rick helps the husband at the Roulette table to win enough money to buy their way out of Casablanca. Insight: Ilsa might have done something bad for a good reason. Action: After Ilsa pulls a gun on Rick and they decide to be together, Rick to go into action to set up their escape. But at the airport, he puts her on the

 

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plane with Laszlo. Insight: Rick loves her, but does the right thing.

B.    Conflict  delivers  insight   Conflict: Rick drunk and pounding his fist on the table. Insight: He is truly heartbroken...and it is over Ilsa. Conflict: Rick shooting the Major in order to protect the escape of Ilsa and

Lazslo. Insight: He now sticks his neck out for those he loves.

C.    Irony  delivers  insight   Irony: Rick gets the woman he wants, but only at the cost of the greater

good. Insight: It doesn't feel right...and it never will Irony: Renault choosing to tell his men to "Round up the usual suspects." Insight: Renault knows Rick did the right thing.

9.    What  are  the  Most  Profound  Lines  of  the  Movie?   AFI Line #67. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." - Done at the height of the emotion. Cool line. AFI Line #5. "Here's looking at you, kid." - Meaning built over multiple scenes. Goes from being approval for a

superficial fling ("We said no questions") to meaning "I love you for real." AFI Line #28. "Play it again, Sam. 'As Time Goes By.''" - Meaning built over multiple scenes. Goes from Rick being angry that Sam

 

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played the song to Rick getting drunk to Rick finally being comfortable with it. Shows a part of his transformation.

AFI Line #32. "Round up the usual suspects." - This is Renault's response to this tense situation where the Major has

been murdered. It is the moment where his job would dictate that he have his men arrest Rick. But his choice of words not only means he is not going to arrest Rick, but that he just shifted the entire investigation away from Rick.

AFI Line #43. "We'll always have Paris." - Another deep expression of love. They had Paris, lost Paris, then got it

back.

10.    How  Do  You  Leave  Us  With  A  Profound  Ending?   Casablanca has a truly great ending. It is ironic, emotional, surprising, and satisfying.

A. Express the Profound Truth: By the end of this scene, Rick has rejoined the fight and done the right thing.

B. The Change: Rick has regained his purpose in this war, gotten over the

heartbreak, and helps a major war hero escape. He never would have done this at the beginning of the movie, so the change is dramatic -- and delivered through action.

C. Payoffs: Answers to: Will Rick and Ilsa will end up together? Who gets

the Letters of Transit? Can Laszlo escape Casablanca to continue the fight? Will Rick get over Ilsa? Can Rick's neutrality last or will he join the fight again? Will Rick stick his neck out for anyone?

D. Surprising: We think that Rick and Ilsa are going away together. He has

set everything up to do what he does best -- take care of himself. But Rick makes the heroic decision and sends Ilsa and Laszlo off on the plane. Then Rick shoots Major Strasser to protect the getaway...and Captain Renault covers it up! An ending full of surprises.

E. Parting Image/Line: Captain Renault and Rick watch the plane take off.

That image has profound meaning. We didn't know it, but putting Laszlo and Ilsa on that plane was Rick's mission in the 3rd Act; a mission that he was willing to give up everything for.

 

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Renault says he'll get Rick a Letter of Transit and that the $10,000 he owes Rick should pay for "our expenses." The movie ends with Rick saying another famous line, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." With this final image, we know that Rick's heroics are going to be rewarded. He did the right thing!

--------------------- Copyright 2014, Hal Croasmun. All Rights Reserved. http://www.ScreenwritingU.com