Oscar Martin, March 2019
The ending of Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (1942) shows all the hallmarks of the “classical style” of cinema. There is closure for each and every narrative. One might point to the seemingly unsatisfactory conclusion of Ilsa and Rick’s romance as a break from convention, however their unusual love story fortifies the film’s (and America’s) ideology: Rick’s insistence that Ilsa leave with Lazlo reaffirms the importance of loyalty and the institution of marriage, while celebrating his character development from self-centred neutrality to idealistic patriotism. At the end of Casablanca, we feel as though each loose end has been tied up, and that the film is truly finished.
~