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The HBS hosts return to the movies and this week we are discussing Casablanca.
Shot in 1942, a year after the U.S. entered The Second “World War,” Casablanca makes it onto many lists of the best movies of all time. It is part caper movie, part romance, part war flick, and part resistance movie. These are woven together in a fairly complex plot that is beautifully shot, has gorgeous characters, and has given us some memorable lines. On top of all of that, the entire movie takes place almost exclusively in a bar! The writers of the screen play, Julius and Phillip Epstein (Penn State Alums!) were swept up in the Red Scare, though they were never called to testify in front of the House Unamerican Activities Committee. When asked on a questionnaire whether they belonged to any subversive organizations, they answered “Yes. Warner Brothers”). The film is obviously anti-fascist, pro-resistance, has a complex depiction of its one protagonist who is a woman, Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman, and even portrays a fraught, from today’s perspective, relationship between Rick (Humphrey Bogart), who is white and Sam (Dooley Wilson), who is black. Complex history, complex politics, complex social relations taking place in bar? It’s just like Hotel Bar Sessions!
In this episode, we discuss the following texts, authors, works, and ideas:
- Spinoza, Ethics
- Ronald Reagan announced as playing Rick
- Han Solo
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