“Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” – Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)

The painful past catches up with a cynical saloon-owner forcing him to choose between love and patriotic duty.

MILESTONES OF THE JOURNEY

In Casablanca the Rival is both a person and a Higher Cause. Two “pasts” come back to haunt the Hero, Rick: a love relationship with Ilsa, and a life as a freedom fighter. It isn’t enough that Ilsa is married. The fact that her husband is a legendary Hero who serves the Resistance against the Nazi Shadow fuels the conflict and enriches the Romance Triangle. Ilsa’s arrival stirs Rick’s heart; Laszlo’s arrival rekindles Rick’s freedom-fighting blood and Inner Need for redemption. Rick’s Resurrection of heroism grants him the awareness that his former Rival-now-Mentor Laszlo cannot continue his work without Ilsa at his side. Unlike many Romance Triangles where Rivals duk-it out for a woman’s heart, Rick sacrifices his love to follow his Rival’s heroic path.

THE JOURNEY

1941. The Second World War. Casablanca has become a sanctuary for the influx of refugees fleeing the oppressive Nazi SHADOW overtaking Europe. The fortunate ones may use whatever means possible to obtain exit visas granting freedom to the New World. The remaining must wait out this unstable ORDINARY WORLD in Casablanca … and wait and wait….

A teletype report announces the murder of two German couriers and the theft of two letters of transit. This CALL disrupts the ORDINARY WORLD. Local police, led by Captain Louis Renault, ’round up the usual suspects.” The investigation proves fruitful and Renault plans to honor the arrival of German Gestapo leader Major Strasser (SHADOW) with the arrest of the murderer at Rick’s Cafe.

Run by world-weary Richard Blaine, Rick’s Cafe Americain is one of Casablanca’s favorite haunts, a physical THRESHOLD frequented by SHAPESHIFTERS and THRESHOLD GUARDIANS promising freedom. Rick’s tough, cynical shell protects a broken heart, his INNER PROBLEM. An ex-patriate, this disilussioned ANTIHERO adamantly keeps neutral ground. Rick will stick his neck out for nobody. Yet he allows Ugarte, the murderer and black market agent (THRESHOLD GUARDIAN), to slip him the stolen visas for safekeeping, a CALL TO ADVENTURE.

Later, Renault prepares Rick for Ugarte’s arrest and the arrival of Czechoslovakian Resistance leader Victor Laszlo. This MENTOR of the Law warns Rick no to get involved in either man’s plight (a REFUSAL)

Meanwhile Victor Laszlo enters the café with his beautiful wife, Ilsa Lund. On the run from the Nazis, Laszlo has slipped into Rick’s for sanctuary and to secure exit visa’s, his OUTER PROBLEM.

A SUCCESSION OF CALLS occurs, affecting the film’s two major journeys:

1. A Resistance operative tells Laszlo that Ugarte has been arrested and the visas have disappeared (The Journey of the Higher Cause)
2. Ilsa discovers that the saloon owner Rick is her former love from Paris (The Journey of the Heart)

Ilsa aks the piano player, Sam, about Rick and pressures him to play “As Time Goes By” This HERALD reluctantly plays this Romance’s most significant and memorable CALL TO ADVENTURE. The love song resurrets a wellspring of passion and memory in Ilsa and brings an angry Rick to the piano. THe former lovers meet in stunned silence. Renault interrupts them and, to his surprise, Rick joins Ilsa and Laszlo for a drink. The stoic Rick compliments the freedom fighting work of HERO/MENTOR Laszlo while silenty taking in the relationship of Laszlo and Ilsa. He REFUSES to show that he has been affected by Ilsa’s arrival; however, we see the impact of this CALL later that night.

Rick confronts his GREATEST FEAR, that his past has caught up with him, and drinks in his darkened cafe. Although Sam tries to get him to REFUSE this THRESHOLD. Rick believes in his wounded heart that Ilsa will show up to see him. He tries to comprehend why she has walked back into his life and, most important, why she walked out of his heart in Paris, his INNER PROBLEM.

In flashback, Rick relives the ORDEAL/RESURRECTION of his Paris romance with Ilsa. Both had found the loves of their lives, but the outer forces of war interfered. Rick and Ilsa had planned their escape from the Germans, but she abandoned him at the train station. Rick’s REWARD from this CRISIS OF THE HEART is his RESURRECTION into a cynical pacifist.

As Rick anticipated, Ilsa appears at the cafe. But painful memories and the alcohol unleash feelings of betrayal by this Shapeshifting Lover. Ilsa offers him an explanation for Paris. However, Rick turns caustic and REFUSES this ELIXIR that could heal his wounded heart.

Ilsa’s arrival and Ugarte’s stolen visas force Rick through a painful THRESHOLD, but he has not clearly committed to any Journey. He TESTS the SPECIAL WORLD to decide what Journey he will take. He wears a SHAPESHIFTER mask to veil his intentions, yet this mask will not protect him form the forces of a SPECIAL WORLD that gradually resurrect him from wounded ANTIHERO to redeemed PURE HERO.

Rick sees RIVAL saloon-owner Ferrari and discovers how valuable the visas are. Ltaer Rick apologizes to Ilsa, but she refuses to speak with the SHAPESHIFTER that showed such hatred the previous night. Rick invites her to his apartment, warning that one day she will lie to Laszlo as she did to Rick. But Ilsa REFUSES Rick’s CALL, finally confessing that Laszlo is her husband, and was so when they were in Paris. She leaves Rick stunned with this unexpected news (an ELIXIR).

Laszlo and Ilsa see Ferrari with the hopes of obtaining exit visas. Ferrari suggests that they see Rick, whom he suspects possesses Ugarte’s stolen visas.

Strasser as well suspects that Rick holds the visas, but Renault’s thorough search of Rick’s Caf’e yields nothing. WIth the SHADOWS pressure and a new understanding of his FORBIDDEN LOVE with Ilsa, Rick begins his RESURRECTION.

Rick helps a young couple buy visas from Renault, thwarting the Captain’s offer to the young bride of sex for freedom. Rick is moved by the bride’s willingness to accept her sexual sacrifice for the sake of pure love; her pleas for understanding awaken Rick’s Anima, his feminine side. Now Rick begins to understand Ilsa’s Journey and the NOBLE SACRIFICE she had made in Paris. Passing this TEST, Rick allos the bride’s husband to win at roulette, to the shock of Renault. Rick is making his tranformation, foreshadowing his decision at the film’s climax.

Laszlo makes the bold APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE and offers to buy the visas from Rick. When Rick REFUSES to sell them, this HERO/MENTOR uses Rick’s past record to win his understanding. Rick REFUSES to be swayed.

While the MENTOR’S words fail, his actions surprise this ANTIHERO who forbids the display of politics in his cafe. As German soldiers sing ‘Wacht am Rhine’ Rick allows Laszlo to rouse the cafe into an emotional singing fo the French anthem, drowning out the Germans. The HERO Laszlo has humiliated SHADOW Strasser, who orders the closing of the cafe. Laszlo’s actions have also awakened Ilsa’s pride in her husband’s patriotic work, the HIGHER CAUSE.

The Journey’s APPROACH continues later that night. Laszlo prepares to attend a secret meeting of the Reistance and tells Ilsa that Rick will not give up the visas. Sensing the Paris romance, Laszlo forgives her for her past transgressions. Ilsa prepares to take matters into her own hands and aks forgiveness for her future actions. Her husband cuts her off and confirms his faith in her.

Ilsa now dons the HERO’s mask. She begs Rick for the exit visas, imploring his sense of duty for the HIGHER CAUSE. Without Rick’s help, Laszlo will die in Casablanca. Rick will not be swayed and Ilsa threatens to shoot him, the Journey’s ORDEAL. Rick prefers deat and Ilsa can’t pull the trigger, melting into sobbing confessions of her love for him, the RESURRECTION. Ilsa’s CRISIS OF THE HEART destroys the defences that have prevented her from acknowledging the true love of her life. Her confession opens the THRESHOLD of their love, the REWARD. Rick can now finally listen to her reason for abandoning him in Paris, his Elixir.

Ilsa has sacrificied herself to Rick and REFUSES to abandon him again. In a final poignant moment of the REWARD Ilsa realizes that her heart guides her now, that she has lost her masculine power of reasoning, her Animus. She passes that responsibiliity and the HERO’S mask to Rick. Rick takes control, finally committing to complete his Journey. What his Journey will be keeps us in suspense until the end.

A disturbance in the cafe interrupts them. Rick’s headwaiter, Carl, arrives with Laszlo, wounded during a poice raid of the Resistance meeting. Rick detains Laszlo, allowing ALLY Carl to sneak Ilsa away. RIVALS for the same woman, Laszlo asks Rick to use the letters of transit to take Ilsa away. Rick is impressed by Laszlo’s NOBLE SACRIFICE. But before he can accept, French officers burst in and arrest Laszlo. The ROAD BACK begins.

Rick tries to convince Captain Renault to release Laszlo. Rick admit he possesses the letters of transit (the ELIXIR) and bargains to set up Laszlo in return for Rick and Ilsa’s freedom.

Rick meets Ilsa and Lazlo, who believes Rick has helped them escape. But as the letters of transit are passed into Laszlo’s hands, Captain Renault appears and arrests Laszlo. Rick sees Ilsa go to her husband’s side, a RESURRECTION. Now fully aware of her soul’s desire, Rick knows what he must do. He threatens Renault and demands that Ilsa and Laszlo receive safe passage to the airport (Rick grants RESURRECTION to his MENTOR)

With the airplane in the background, symbolizing the ELIXIR OF FREEDOM, Rick makes the NOBLE SACRIFICE and sends his love away with her husband. Rick assures Ilsa that because of this Journey ‘they will always have Paris”, the ELIXIR OF LOVE. But both must face their HIGHER CALLS. RIck has other work to do of which she can’t be a part. And Ilsa must stand by her husband and his CAUSE against the evil Nazis.

Major Strasser tries to stop the plane, forcing Rick to kill the SHADOW. Captain Renault eyes the body of Strasser and looks hard at Rick, whose life now depends on the Captain’s decision. “Round up the usual suspects” he pronounces, granting Rick’s freedom (completing the RESURRECTION SEQUENCE)

Rick has been redeemed. His sacrifice completes his RESURRECTION into a HERO with a HIGHER CALL, the ELIXIR OF PATRIOTISM. Following in the footsteps of MENTOR Laszlo, Rick joins the French Resistance. He walks off into the distance, passing through this THRESHOLD with an Additional ELIXIR, his new alliance with Renault.