Casablanca and the Score

Casablanca was a very interesting romance that had me in a bit of a rollercoaster. However, one thing that stood out to me was the incredible use of score to drive home the heart-wrenching story. The music is essential to what makes the movie a masterpiece and plays a big part in how the movie has endured. The use of the score was one of my favorite aspects of the movie. Casablanca gives us the story of Richard and Ilsa, two lovers who met and paris and fled separately after the invasion by the Germans and are soon brought together again in Casablanca, Morocco. During this dramatic first meeting, a single song is played on the piano at the request of Ilsa, and it is here where we are introduced to the importance of the song As time goes by. From here on, the song is played during pivotal interactions of the two, reminding them and the audience of the passion they once shared. The song is a key component to their relationship as it is something they shared together in the past and is what has brought them back together in Casablanca. If the movie was a silent one, not only would we miss out on the drama and life the score adds to the movie, but we would miss this aspect of Richard and Ilsa’s relationship. In addition, the silence sometimes shared between the two in key conversations that go to develop their relationship is utilized to put emphasis on the serious words and conversations shared by the two and other characters that progress the plot. We wouldn’t have this same value were the movie to be silent. The silence would not be valued or noted by the audience and therefore wouldn’t draw them deeper into the scenes transpiring. Furthermore, the score is pivotal in how the audience views the movie as a whole.