Love Triangle In Casablanca

I. Introduction

Casablanca is often referred to by many sources as one of the greatest films in history, and it’s well deserving of the title. Taking place in 1942 in the city in which it was named, the film captures the lives of those living during the conflicts of World War II. At the time, the city of Casablanca was largely populated with refugees desperate to travel to the neutral territory of the Americas. While Casablanca contains a wartime backdrop, romance seems to be another prominent genre of this film. The movie illustrates a love triangle between main characters Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). The love triangle causes conflict to arise when Blaine sees former lover Lund with her husband Victor Laszlo walk into his saloon, “Rick’s Café Américain.” Lund and Laszlo, much like many other people in Casablanca, are desperate for letters of transit so they can flee to America. Laszlo, knowing that Blaine has the letters in his possession, attempts to buy them off of Blaine. Blaine initially refuses, though he changes his mind towards the end of the film after resolving former relationship conflicts with Lund. Although Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund

Not only does the film center around the theme of love, but it embodies it as well. The part I find most intriguing is that love and romance is presented in multiple forms. Whether it be friendship, a budding romance, unrequited love, or something else entirely, this film most likely has it. Love is shown to make all the difference in not only life itself, but in desperate times such as that of war. While some might think Blaine’s act of putting Lund on a plane with Laszlo is an act of ending his feelings for her, I believe it’s the strongest expression of love shown in the film. Therefore, the importance placed on love in times of war is a critical aspect of this