Romance: Propaganda Symbolism in Casablanca consistently ranks at or near the top in critical ratings. of the best Hollywood films of all time. The truth is that Casablanca actually deserves far more respect than it already receives, precisely because the love triangle at its center holds so closely to the central political metaphor at work in the plot than any melodramatic intrusion cannot make it happen. If we can't appreciate Casablanca on the level of a great cinematic romance, perhaps we should learn to view the film through the prism of historical allegory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay First, a brief history lesson. The time: late 1930s. The place: Europe. The problem: the rampant spread of fascist ideology by force. The Nazi party that has taken power in Germany is making Europeans very nervous. They don't yet know exactly what Hitler wants, but it seems likely that most of the continent's population won't like it if he gets it. The invasion of Poland triggered the most catastrophic period of the 20th century. Hitler and his jackbooted thugs gobble up less militarily powerful countries one by one with shocking ease. Like a stack of dominoes standing on end, the other powers of Europe are falling under the brutal assaults of fascism. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, America's confidence that what is happening on the other side of the globe is an internal conflict that has nothing to do with it, begins to collapse like a house of cards in the face of a tornado. The situation is becoming increasingly clear to a growing number of Americans. This whole Hitler thing is no longer just the problem of Europeans, which has nothing to do with a country desperately struggling to put the Great Depression behind it. There is one word to describe the collective perspective that invaded the American consciousness in the years before Casablanca began filming, just over six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Isolationist. America did not want to get dragged into the conflagration that Europe was experiencing for the second time in less than three decades. What we now call World War I was still called the War to End All Wars when Americans, official and unofficial, took on Hitler's blitzkrieg across Europe to not get drawn into another bloody brawl between the old world powers. Or, to put it another way: America has not stuck its neck out to anyone. It's worth mentioning that Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) says the exact same thing to Captain Renault (Claude Rains). It is also mentioned that Rick's Café is actually called Rick's Café Americain. Everyone comes to Rick's. That's the sentiment Captain Renault expresses, but what he really means is that everyone comes to Rick's Café Americain. This cafe is supposed to represent America; a place where everyone is free to enjoy capitalist free enterprise and the most positive expressions of democracy. (Unless, of course, the American finds himself in the midst of one of those periods in American history that arise every thirty or forty years in which racist immigration laws bar some "all world" to come to America.) Rick's Café Americain is a microcosmic expression of the concept.

Essay / Romance: Propaganda Symbolism in Casablanca consistently ranks at or near the top in critical ratings. of the best Hollywood films of all time. The truth is that Casablanca actually deserves far more respect than it already receives, precisely because the love triangle at its center holds so closely to the central political metaphor at work in the plot than any melodramatic intrusion cannot make it happen. If we can't appreciate Casablanca on the level of a great cinematic romance, perhaps we should learn to view the film through the prism of historical allegory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay First, a brief history lesson. The time: late 1930s. The place: Europe. The problem: the rampant spread of fascist ideology by force. The Nazi party that has taken power in Germany is making Europeans very nervous. They don't yet know exactly what Hitler wants, but it seems likely that most of the continent's population won't like it if he gets it. The invasion of Poland triggered the most catastrophic period of the 20th century. Hitler and his jackbooted thugs gobble up less militarily powerful countries one by one with shocking ease. Like a stack of dominoes standing on end, the other powers of Europe are falling under the brutal assaults of fascism. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, America's confidence that what is happening on the other side of the globe is an internal conflict that has nothing to do with it, begins to collapse like a house of cards in the face of a tornado. The situation is becoming increasingly clear to a growing number of Americans. This whole Hitler thing is no longer just the problem of Europeans, which has nothing to do with a country desperately struggling to put the Great Depression behind it. There is one word to describe the collective perspective that invaded the American consciousness in the years before Casablanca began filming, just over six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Isolationist. America did not want to get dragged into the conflagration that Europe was experiencing for the second time in less than three decades. What we now call World War I was still called the War to End All Wars when Americans, official and unofficial, took on Hitler's blitzkrieg across Europe to not get drawn into another bloody brawl between the old world powers. Or, to put it another way: America has not stuck its neck out to anyone. It's worth mentioning that Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) says the exact same thing to Captain Renault (Claude Rains). It is also mentioned that Rick's Café is actually called Rick's Café Americain. Everyone comes to Rick's. That's the sentiment Captain Renault expresses, but what he really means is that everyone comes to Rick's Café Americain. This cafe is supposed to represent America; a place where everyone is free to enjoy capitalist free enterprise and the most positive expressions of democracy. (Unless, of course, the American finds himself in the midst of one of those periods in American history that arise every thirty or forty years in which racist immigration laws bar some "all world" to come to America.) Rick's Café Americain is a microcosmic expression of the concept.

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