Casablanca, 1942
March. 5, 2022 | KATHERINE DEMITUS
The film setting takes place in Casablanca, Morocco during the second world. The movie follows the main character, Rick, as well as some background individuals relevant to the storyline. Rick was an American who is assumed to have committed a crime in the states which forced him to live in another country. The story begins with Rick in Paris where he falls in love with a married woman (of which he was unaware of at the time) named Ilsa and was torn apart because of the war. When the Nazis began invading Paris, Rick planned to leave with Ilsa, yet she never showed and he ended up creating a life for himself in Casablanca, Morocco. There he had built his own saloon and was known by everyone, which was both good and bad. Because he was known, people called upon him for help. In situations like this, he often helped others but pleaded that he only cared about himself. Helping others left him with less money in his pocket, loss of love, potential death from Nazis, and a large power with the transport letters he was asked to hide. Throughout the film, he seems like the guy to just help himself and leave the world to do what they want to do, but as the film progresses he has a sort-of epiphany to help the greater good.
Looking specifically at utilitarian ethics displayed within the film, there are many different demonstrations from Rick that illustrate actions of moral utility. For example, at the beginning of the film, Rick had been approached by a woman saying she had no money to pay Captain Renault in order to leave, so nudged some gambling money their way. During this scene, he could have easily said no and made more money, potentially promoting his own happiness, but he chose to help the young couple with no inclination. Yet this may be a minute example of Rick’s utilitarian tendencies, his overall sacrifice at the end of the movie is more apparent. At the end of the film, Rick has everything he needs to promote his own happiness and live a good life. He has a plan to get rid of Ilsa’s husband, get Ilsa, and leave the country to get to America, yet he throws it all away for Ilsa and the patriotic cause. These actions could have had him killed and beaten up, yet he did it for the lives of others. The selflessness of his actions with no inclinations or advantages other than to aid in the war efforts to help save lives is in itself a good action for the betterment of all society, not just his own happiness. In this film, we see Mill and other utilitarian perspectives come to life, as he chooses all others over himself.
Additional Resources
Papers:
Bivins, Thomas. “Loyalty, Utility, and Integrity in ‘Casablanca’: The Use of Film in Explicating Philosophical Disputes Concerning Utilitarianism.” Journal of Mass Media Ethics, vol. 22, no. 2/3, June 2007, pp. 132–50. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.libaccess.fdu.edu/10.1080/08900520701315558.
This source is an article written by author Thomas Bivins which can be found in the Journal of Mass Media Ethics. This article discusses the film “Casablanca” through the eyes of a philosopher. Just as we learn ethics and relate ideologies to film, Bivins does the same. For the most part, Bivin looks at the integrity of the characters and causes in the film and breaks down each with evidence from the film and evidence from Josiah Royce and Bernard Williams. Though this article does not directly link utilitarianism with Mill, the resource discusses other utilitarian perspectives as he dives deeply into the film’s themes and behaviors.
Online Articles:
Bennett Caplin, "In the eyes of the Beholder: Perspective in Casablanca" Posted on May 19, 2016