Cigarettes, Liquor, Letter

Cigarettes, Liquor, Letter

Can icons really have impact on a film's plot? In Casablanca there are many symbols that depict certain significances. An icon is a recurring visual image in a film, which can suggest meaning and feeling. Three of these icons are cigarettes, liquor, and letter of transit.

To start, Casablanca portrays the icon of cigarettes throughout the film. Everyone in Casablanca smokes, except the women. While the film is considered a love story, what it really comes down to is the politics of war, and of men. Casablanca is a perfect example of the nature of men and their relationships with each other, and to represent this, the cigarette is perfect. This particular scene is part of the screenplay that takes place about five minutes into the film, when Rick is introduced to the audience: "The overseer walks up to a table with a paper in his hand. In the foreground at the table we see a drink and a man's hand. The overseer places a check on the table. The man's hand picks up the check and writes on it, in pencil: "Okay -- Rick." The overseer takes the check. The camera pulls back to reveal Rick, sitting alone at a table alone playing solitary chess. There is no expression on his face. Rick is an American of indeterminate age. As people come into the gambling room, he nods approval to Abdul. Several people have just entered. The next man appears in the doorway. Abdul looks to Rick who is glancing toward the open door and indicating that the person seeking admittance is not to be let in. Abdul starts to close the door on the man" (Casablanca). This introduces the hero of the film, and gives great detail about his character. Rick is lonely. He is playing chess alone in his cafe. This also shows that he is always in control. He makes every move in the game of life; he decides who comes in and who stays out. Rick is also a man of a hard exterior. The way Rick smokes is key to understanding the nature of who he is. It represents power and strength, and also shows how the men may have something hidden or something in which they are protecting.

Another icon in Casablanca is liquor. There is so much liquor and drinking throughout this movie. Bacall and Bogart's chemistry is compelling. In this case, a bottle of whiskey is used to underline the growing tension in their relationship, and the exchange of the bottle between them, after she's swindled it from an unsuspecting French Naval officer, underlines how they are struggling for both information about each other as well as control over the dynamic between them. Alcohol is a big thing in Rick's Café; with everything going on in the world, liquor helps them cope with it all. Major Strasser asks Rick, "What's your nationality?" Rick answers, "I'm a drunkard." Captain Renault says, "That makes Rick a citizen of the world" (Casablanca).