Part of ongoing series: Hollywood and Higher Education: Teaching Worldview thru the Stories We Live By
By changing the foundational story of Rick’s life from that of a self-centered love-betrayed to the story of a other-centered love renewed, Ilsa transforms Rick’s values and rule of life as well.
by Gary David Stratton • Senior Editor
Since its initial release seventy-five years ago, Casablanca has grown to become one of the most beloved films in the history of American cinema. Winner of three 1942 Academy Awards in (best picture, best writing, and best director) Casablanca is now recognized by the Writers Guild of America as the greatest screenplay of all time, and by the American Film Institute as the second greatest American movie ever.[1] Even in the high-tech world of Blu-ray players and streaming video, this black-and-white masterpiece remains an enduring favorite with both contemporary audiences and critics alike.
Casablanca also provides a compelling example of the four levels of worldview, and how change at the story level can lead to dramatic change in every level of worldview. Character development (both cinematic and moral) “flows” from the hidden recesses of our life story, where our unexamined presuppositions about reality form a worldview that guides our life in ways we rarely think about in our day-to-day existence. In life and great films, we experience our worldview on four overlapping, but distinguishable levels. [2]
Four Levels of Worldview
Level 1) Actions and Behaviors: The countless personal decisions and moral judgments we make on a daily basis make up the visible tip of the iceberg of our largely hidden worldview. We glide through thousands of “preconditioned” responses each hour—what to wear, where to live, who to befriend, when to lie, how to speak—simply doing what we do, without ever examining why we do them. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred these decisions predictably emerge from the lower levels of our worldview, usually without any conscious awareness of why we make them.
Level 2) Rule of Life: The next level of our worldview is found in the rules and roles defined for us in the traditions and ‘scripts’ society develops to maintain equilibrium, or the personal strategies developed by us to cope with the difficulties of life. At this level our worldview provides a ‘rule of life” that defines our relationships, and the boundaries and maxims we use to guide our own personal behavior. The clothes we buy, the worship we express, and even the words we use, are dictated by cultural expectations and personal habits far beyond our normal self-awareness.
The countless decisions we make each day are but the visible tip of the iceberg of our largely hidden worldview.
3) Value and Belief System: The rules and roles we follow on a daily basis are normally based upon a presuppositional value and beliefs system that undergird these conventions, (once again, usually sub-consciously.) These principles, doctrines, aphorisms, and symbols are the often unspoken “commanding truths, which define the ‘shoulds’ and ‘should nots’ of our experience, and accordingly, the good and evil…” [3] They provide the language and categories by which we unconsciously interpret reality and make sense out of our experiences of our life.
Level 4) Stories and ‘Scriptures’: The deepest level of our worldview is normally found in the stories of our life-shaping personal experiences and our community’s authoritative ‘scriptures’ that form the basis of our principles and strategies for living. The three upper levels are “embedded within narratives that often have overlapping themes and various myths that often reinforce common ideals.” [4] The personal and corporate stories we live by are self-evidently true to us (even if they are, in fact, hopelessly false). To question them is to question reality itself. [5]
Constructing a False Worldview
At first glance Rick seems the model narcissist, longing only to catch the last plane out of Casablanca while sticking his neck out for nobody.
Casablanca provides a beautiful example of all four levels of this process. Originally entitled, “Everyone Meets at Rick’s,” this masterpiece traces the worldview transformation of American expatriate and nightclub owner, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart). Set against the backdrop of Nazi-controlled but unoccupied north African territories of Vichy France during WWII, the movie opens with a bitter and cynical Rick Blaine making his daily decisions (level 1) out of a fairly consistent rule of life (level 2). He never drinks with customers, never commits to a woman, never takes sides in a political debate, and never intervenes to help others. His narcissistic value and belief system (level 3) leaves little room for anyone but himself, his alcoholism, his business, and his business partner, Sam. His value system (level 3) is clearly expressed in his famous rule of life (level 2), “I stick my neck out for nobody.”
Captain Louis Renault is the first to recognize a deeper story rumbling beneath Rick’s cynical shell
However, as the movie progresses we learn that Rick’s worldview wasn’t always so jaded. In fact, both French prefect Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) and Nazi Gestapo Major, Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt) express concern that Rick’s current story might not be his true self. They note that there was once a time when Rick’s value and belief system led him to a rule of life marked by a heroic willingness to sacrificially fight against tyranny even in a losing cause. They don’t want Rick returning to this old rule of life by aiding Czech freedom fighter Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) in his attempt to escape Casablanca (and the Nazi) by means of a pair of stolen letters of transit granting the bearers free passage on a flight to neutral Portugal.
Movie Clip 1: Captain Louis Renault Accuses Rick of a Deeper Story
The beautiful and enchanting Ilsa Lund stole Rick’s heart in a whirlwind Paris romance Paris only to break it as the German tanks rolled into Paris.
What Louis doesn’t know, is that Rick’s current rule of life and value system are driven by a heart-wrenching story (level 4). Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), a beautiful and enchanting Norwegian once stole Rick’s heart in a whirlwind Paris romance at the outset of WWII.
Movie Clip 2: Paris
However, after swearing her undying love, Ilsa abandons Rick just as the German army descends upon Paris. By the time Rick gets to Casablanca Ilsa’s betrayal provides the seething caldron of molten anguish driving Rick’s cynical value system and narcissistic rule of life. Like the city where he dwells in exile, his life is a desert with but one goal: escape.
A Different Story?
A guy standing on a station platform in the rain with a comical look on his face, because his insides had been kicked out.
This is the story Rick is living when Ilsa turns up in Casablanca as the traveling companion for none other than Victor Lazlo. Confronted anew with heartache of Paris, Rick’s narcissistic behavior only intensifies. Despite his admiration for Lazlo, Rick refuses to help the desperate couple. He stubbornly retains his “I stick my neck for nobody” rule of life even as Ilsa desperately tries to convey a different story than the one driving his current behavior.
Movie Clip 3: Ilsa Tries to Explain Her Story
Just when Rick’s journey toward the dark side seems complete, something happens that radically changes the interpretation of his entire life story. With the Nazi’s closing in and their every effort to escape Casablanca thwarted, the stolen letters of transit in Rick’s possession are now Isla and Lazlo’s only hope. A desperate Ilsa turns up at Rick’s apartment intent to do anything to obtain them.
Movie Clip 4: Midnight at Rick’s apartment
Ilsa’s startling admission begins to change Rick’s worldview at every level.
Ilsa’s startling admission that she still loves Rick begins to change Rick’s worldview at every level. He now knows that Ilsa left him behind in Paris only because she learned that Lazlo, her husband, was still alive. She was not living a story of a self-centered love betrayed, but rather one of heroic sacrifice. While no one yet realizes it, this new story of a sacrificial love-renewed (level 4) begins to invisibly reenergize Rick’s heroic value system (level 3), displacing his values of narcissism and his “I stick my neck out for nobody” rule of life (level 2).
In the iconic airport scene, Rick’s new worldview based upon his new story suddenly erupts into full view with a startling decision (level 1).
Clip 5: Rick and Ilsa at the Airport
Change the Story, Change the World
At the airport, Rick’s new story empowers him to not only give up his ticket to freedom, but Ilsa as well.
It turns out that Captain Louis Renault was right about Rick all along. The real Rick Blaine is, in fact, a hero. The pain of losing Ilsa had created a false life narrative, but once he knew the real story, his value system and rule of life came back on line. Rick decides to give away his tickets to freedom to Ilsa and her husband (level 1), because he has (re)embraced his rule of life of to fight against tyranny even in a losing cause (level 2), rooted in his rediscovered value of self-sacrificing heroism (level 3), birthed by his true life story (Level 4). By changing the foundational story of Rick’s life from that of a self-centered love-betrayed to a story of an other-centered love renewed, Isla transforms Rick’s values and rule of life as well. He now sticks his neck for everybody, even the husband of the woman he loves.
In the end, the power of Rick’s true story is becomes so compelling it returns Louis to his own true story, values, and rule of life.
Movie clip 6: A beautiful friendship
Everyone Meets at Rick’s
“This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” In the end, even Louis is caught up in Rick’s heroic transformation.
One reason why Casablanca resonates so deeply with audiences is our strong identification with Rick. We have all been hurt deeply. We all develop belief systems and strategies to protect ourselves from further pain. We all know what it is like to have those rules of life sabotage our heroic journey. We all know what it is like to be trapped in a life story that hurts everyone around us and yet we are powerless to change. We all want to believe that we are the master of our own fate, freely making our own choices at any given moment, when in reality our unexplored stories, unexamined values, and unexamined rules of life dictate much of our daily decision-making. Sooner or later, everyone meets at Rick’s.
For those who are willing to listen, the deepest longings of our heroic life story may be churning just beneath the surface and well worth the journey of further exploration. Over the course of this ongoing series I hope to help you do exactly that. I’m hoping this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Next posts in series:
Fiddler on the Roof: Worldview Change and the Journey to Life-Interpreting Story
The Volcano in Your Backyard: Micro-Worldviews and the Honeymoon from Hell
See also:
Hollywood and Higher Education: Teaching Worldview Through Academy Award-winning Films
Crash goes the Worldview: Why Worldview Transformation Requires Changing Scripts
It’s a Wonderful Worldview: Frank Capra’s Theistic Masterpiece
Bungee-Jumping to Eternity: The Existential Angst of Dead Poets Society
Deep Culture: Is Winning an Oscar a Reliable Indicator of a Truly Great Film?
If you Live it, They Will Come: The Blind Side and Better Faith-Based Filmmaking
Related Posts:
Using Zombie Movies to Teach Politics, by Daniel W. Drezner
The Joker Is Satan, and So Are We: René Girard and The Dark Knight, by Charles Bellinger
Notes
[1] Casablanca is currently #25 rating on the IMDB all-time best film list. Michael Curtiz, Julius J. Epstein, Howard Koch, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, et al. Casablanca (Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 1999). [2] Followers of Arthur F. Holmes’ will notice that I am using his categories for evaluating ethical decisions. See, Ethics: approaching moral decisions. Contours of Christian philosophy (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007), 52-80. See also, Lawrence Kohlberg, The Development of Children’s Orientations Toward a Moral Order (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press); Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press); and, James W. Fowler, Stages of Faith: the Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981). [3] James Davidson Hunter, To Change the World (Oxford University Press, 2010), 32. To be fair, Hunter considers all four levels to be overlapping elements of “culture,” not worldview. However, this is at least somewhat a matter of semantic disagreement between philosophers (who study worldviews),and sociologists, like Hunter (who study cultures.) [4] Hunter, Change, 33. [5] What I am calling the ‘Story’ level of worldview is what philosopher James K. A. Smith refers to as the ‘pre-worldview’ level of ‘social Imaginary.’ “The social imaginary’ is an affective, noncognitive understanding of the world. It is described as an imaginary (rather than a theory) because it is fueled by the stuff of the imagination rather than the intellect: it is made up of, and embedded in, stories, narratives, myths, and icons. These visions capture our hearts and imaginations by “lining” our imagination, as it were— providing us with frameworks of “meaning” by which we make sense of our world and our calling in it. An irreducible understanding of the world resides in our intuitive, precognitive grasp of these stories. Desiring the Kingdom (Cultural Liturgies): Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Publishing Group, 2009), p. 68.
How interesting it was to watch one of my favorite movies, Casablanca, from a more analytical perspective. I've seen it probably 20 times, but had always enjoyed it as a love story and historical drama, never really examining Rick's worldview or the impact of the events of the story on it. I think one of my favorite things in the story has always been the way you could sense this former strength in Rick, but he is so defeated. It is so satisfying to see that once he is forced to confront the reasons for his cynicism, he is able to access that strength and ultimately return to the fight for righteousness and justice (both for the woman he loves and the greater effort against the Nazis) with self-sacrifice. It's so lovely to see him rediscover his true self, and that wraps up the movie so nicely. Examining the story from a worldview perspective, it suggests to me that when we are willing to confront the myths with which we operate in our lives, and the way our experiences have shaped us, we have an opportunity to reach further potential and really live to our full potential rather than just be defined by those myths and experiences. If we can recognize that easily, it could really make a difference in our lives.
Tremendous summary and insight. I love "when we are willing to confront the myths with which we operate in our live… we have an opportunity to …really live to our full potential…" Yes! That's what it's all about!
I to agree it was interesting to see the change in Rick. I had not seen the movie before and I have to admit i really enjoyed it. I found it amazing how quickly Rick gravitated toward helping others and working to even make Casablanca a better place after he experienced some closure with a former girlfriend. It is strange how people can have such an impact on changing our world views.
Your point about having an "opportunity to reach further potential" really points out what is refreshing about Casablanca. There is opportunity in our lives and Rick was a character that showed how it could be achieved.
Yes, I too like the love story, but it's about more than Rick and Ilsa… and it's very nice to see how Rick realizes that and how he explains that to her.
When I first started this class I had no idea what "world view" was and the huge impact it had on my life. As I read Gary’s article it occurred to me that not only do we all have a world view inside of us, it comes out in the things we do and how we act. I also didn’t understand the four levels, but now that I do it makes the movie more interesting to me, and I get that “AHAH” moment even as I’m typing this.
I love those moments!
When people behave the way Rick does at the beginning of Casablanca, it's because something has happen in their life that causes them to be closed off. Rick had put up his guard so no one would hurt him again the way Ilsa did. However, when you truly love someone you are willing to tisk it all for that person's happiness just like Rick did by helping Victor and Ilsa get out of Casablanca. The Rick's worldview was altered by love and war.
Yes, that is it exactly, "something has happen in their life." Our worldview isn't just some vague philosophical idea, it is the real and often painful stories that shape our life.
Generally when you meet someone exhibiting that type of behavior, it isn't instinctual to wonder about the things that have shaped that kind of worldview. It would be a good thing to consider that in our interactions with others and to be able to evaluate these types of things in our own lives as well.
Casablanca was an interesting movie as it deals with a great deal of ethical issues and clearly illustrates how are worldviews can be fixed like Rick's is at the beginning of the movie. He is only thinking about himself and a narrow view of the world (level1). The arrival of Ilsa causes Rick to relive past pain but also to examine himself. Rick's worldview was blown wide open with the return of Ilsa and her husband Victor. Victor being a sympathitic figure to Rick cause him to go against his previous values and become the hero in the end. He sacrifices his love for Ilsa for a cause much greater than himself (level3).
Good point on the forced pain causing Rick's worldview to be reevaluated. We avoid pain at all costs, but when I think about the shifts in my worldview that have occurred in my life, they often came after a period of discomfort or pain. I think the changes could be to your advantage or detriment…in this case it was for Rick's good.
I find amazing how fast Rick was willing to change his word view after IIsa his former girl friend entered the scene. Makes me wonder if this is how world leader change our world views by introducing Myth to our reality. We grew up believing that people of the Soviet Union want to harms us when most Soviet's had no idea where the United States even even was. Or maybe in this case it had more to do with the power of love.
In watching Casablanca I learned how myth can play a role in shaping our lives. Just as Rick allowed myth to shape his life we do the same at times. Rick believed that by moving to a new land he may find healing for the loss of a loved one. He continued to allow myth to further shape his life by believing he could protect his heart by not getting close anyone. We have myths that drive our lives as well. The rural community that I grew up in found it easier to not deal with though cultural issues by using myths to explain their misunderstanding of cultural differences. This caused people to draw lines in the sand based on myth not facts. Rick found the myth of a clean start in a new community to be full of myths about him as the towns people began to share stories of how they believed Rick had decided to reside in Casablanca.
Kevin,
You are correct about myths. They are around us everywhere and many are our own creations. Like Rick, as time has past my world views have changed and grown. Hidding from the world as Rick did is not a good choice but it happens to us all at times in our lives.
Kevin, I think you hit it right on the nose, "He continued to allow myth to further shape his life by believing he could protect his heart.." It was a myth, both because it deeply shaped his life and because IT WASN'T EVEN TRUE! Well said!
That's a good comparison of cultural myths in your own past to the ones in the story. Neither were accurate, or even fair, and yet are easily perpetuated. The rural ignorance continues to be passed on until it it is confronted; if not confronted with his past, Rick may have continued to live half-asleep like he was in Casablanca.
You are right, Rick did allowed the 'Myth" to direct his life, he was hurting from the broken heart that his best way to protect himself from that was to keep himself detached from people and to only care about himself. Rick had to overcome his "Myth" to regain his life back.
Casablanca was a typical, early Hollywood love story. I didn't find it life changing or morally challenging. Rick did what any good person in his position would do, he sent his love off with the person she should have been with in the first place, her husband. Personally, I think it was wrong of Ilsa to lead Rick on again, especially considering this was the 1940s. At that time, more than now, marriage was considered much more sacred of a union and something that should not be taken lightly. I understand why she fell in love with him in the first place, she was vulnerable and thought her husband had been killed but I would think when she found out he was alive, she would be over the moon elated and still deeply in love with him. But then again, this is Hollywood and that would not have made for a very good movie.
Melissa, Very true, but then RIck didn't "get the girl" in the end. That makes it a very rare Hollywood film in any era. I've even had students who've been pre-conditioned to always have "love win" (even outside of marriage) get angry at the movie for breaking the mold. A mold that really needed to crack.
“What I learned about the Four Levels of Worldview in Casablanca and their impact in my life.”
Hmmm – the four levels described above make sense to me and make me wonder about my daily decisions. Do I rely too heavily on one vs the other? Do I not incorporate all options before moving forward with the best choice? As mentioned in the posting and readings, oftentimes we make gut reactions without ever realizing where that impulse came from. Eons of cultural, theological and moral ideals may be guiding our every move without any realization.
On different note, I really do enjoy stories that incorporate all levels of worldview… but most specifically I love a story in which a character is readjusting their foundational worldview (hopefully for the better). This drastic change is really edifying when experiencing a story and one of my favorite to enjoy.
Brianna, That's great! I want this article to "make me wonder about my daily decisions." It may be scary to see what we find, but our life will be richer, and truer!
At first I had trouble following the movie at first, it had a lot of history that you had to know about to understand the details. But like I had said before, i don't understand why Rick would do anything different. Granted he would "have the girl" but i cant imagine living with myself knowing what he had done to Victor – someone who shares similar values, is fighting the same fight, loves the same one…is actually very similar to himself. It kinda reminds me of that stupid cliche …or is it a Sting song…'if you love something let it go'. Whatever the case, he "love" Ilsa so much that he understood what was best for her in the long run. He also what was best for him long term as well. Long term thinking though is not always prevalent in the world now a days, especially in a dangerous city like Casablanca. I have a feeling though that he was just fine..
I agree with you Ash, I had trouble with the details at first, but you quickly realize that the details of the history in the movie have a ton to do with the moral issues. Also as you replyed to my post it was so nice to know where the cultural icons of the movie came from. I think it was best for him long term and that he was, indeed fine.
By doing the right thing Rick was freed from the hurt the Ilsa caused him in Paris. He chose to be understanding and embrase what is right. Like you say he was probaly fine in the end. I tend to agree with that. Rick could move on a live rather then hide in the shadows of Casblance.
Ashley, Well said, but your "i don't understand why Rick would do anything different" is a perfect example of a worldview statement. You simply can't imagine someone acting in any other way, when in fact, people act VERY differently nearly everyday.
In Casablanca Rick starts out as a cold and impassionate person, who we latter find out is on the run from the Nazi’s and lost his love. When they both reappear in he is forced to confront his past. He could have continued with his “I don’t stick my neck out for nobody” act, but he lets the past go and ends up doing the right thing. Rick’s behavior at the end of the movie was more like that of what he was like during the flashback scene in Paris. Indicating that this may have been a very long emotional rollercoaster for Rick, who in the end is much more like himself of the past. In which he cared dearly for others in his life. I can draw a similar correlation in my life when my wife and I adopted her three siblings. While I wouldn’t call my behavior impassionate in regards to wanting to bring them into my newly formed family, I would say that I had to think more about others than I ever had in my only child life. Now 10+ years later, I can’t imagine what life would be like without them so close to us.
I am not sure why I have never seen Casablanca. However I am in love with this movie. I reallize how selfish Rick was in the beginning of the movie and how easy it would have been for him to continue on with Isla, but he chose to be selfless and choose the right decision for the one person in the world that he loved the most. He chose to do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy and this was the ultimate sacrifice.
I had never seen the movie either Elise! Black and white movies arnt usually something that excites me. This however was a classic that I was glad I saw. The librarian told me that I would watch a lot of parts of the movie that have become cultural icons .. ie 'Heres lookin at you kid'.
It was a great love story! way better than the stuff they make now a days
Elise,
What Rick did in the end could only be described as heroic. He did what we all hoped he would in the end. As people in society we are all expected to do the right thing even if we stumble and fall at times. Rick was is a very dark place at the begining of the movie. His worldview changed quickly when Ilsa came back in the picture.
I agree, "this was the ultimate sacrifice." He had everything within his power to do something different, but he didn't. I think Dave is right that this "can only be described as heroic."