Here is looking at you kid !

By SS Lau

This is written for the fans of "Casablanca", which is what I called an all time "Grand escape" movie. To qualify for this title, the movie has to satisfy three requirements: (1) good guys always win, (2) justice is always served, (3) boy gets girl.
Well, "Casablanca"has all these qualities and then some. The good guys won, at least a small battle in the seedy city in north Africa, and justice appeared to have been served and " one of the boys got the girl". The question is: which boy got the girl ? Is it Rick of " The Rick Cafe" or is it Victor Laszlo the Czech Nazi fighter, who won Elsa Lund ?

As you may remember Elsa and Victor Laszlo walked shoulder-to-shoulder together to board the plane for Lisbon; they would be free at last, leaving poor Rick behind to face the consequences of shooting the Nazi colonel. On the surface, Victor Laszlo, the husband got the girl. Well, the director of the movie then told the audience---not so fast, don't jump to any conclusions yet--- it is actually Rick who won over Else by making this grand gesture of self-sacrifice, thus providing the opportunity for Laszlo to continue with his work and to have Elsa by his side. The director wants us to believe that Rick got the girl.

Now a true fan would say ---hey, not so fast--- maybe Rick did not get the girl after all. Why ? You see, a true fan sees more than just the romance that is being high-lighted by the director, the true fan analyzes the movie as any thoughtful and thinking fan would do. If you remember the scene in the hotel room where Elsa and Laszlo stayed, Laszlo was getting ready to go an underground meeting, and Elsa asked Laszlo if Rick sold the letters of transit to them.

Laszlo said" No, Rick would not sell at any price".
Elsa asked why, Laszlo answered " Rick said to ask you!".

Now, Elas was in trouble here, she couldn't explain any of this sort of complications between her and Rick to Laszlo.

Laszlo " Were you lonely when I was in the concentration camp ?".
Elsa " yes".
Laszlo " Yes, I was lonely too when I was in the camp, and I understand ".
Elsa " Victor, whatever I did, believe me..." .
Laszlo , interrupting " I BELIEVE".

Now, that is love. That is why Victor Laszlo is the world leader in fighting the Nazis, and a loving husband, and Elsa worships him.

If you remember the scene where Laszlo led the singing of "Marseille, Marseille" in Rick's Cafe, the way Elsa looked at Laszlo when he was waving his arm emphatically , singing his heart out. It was pure worship in her eyes. It was a look that few men ever had the pleasure of enjoying. So, it is possible that Laszlo left with Elsa in body and soul to Lisbon, and Laszlo got the girl in every sense of the word. Poor Rick is just poor Rick, forever bearing a grudge against women.

The director was a very clear guy, just as you thought you have everything figured out, and poor Rick sacrificed himself for nothing, not even a lingering kiss at the airport. Wrong again, fans ! You see, Laszlo has never kissed Elsa on the lips ever in the movie. He kissed her on her hair, the cheeks and the forehead, but never on the lips. Something was not quite right between Laszlo and Elsa, there was no romance between the two of them. There was worship and understanding, but no romance, and since "Casablanca" is one of the, if not the most, romantic movies ever made, something must be wrong when the boy who got the girl had no romantic relationship with her.
So where is the romance ?
It was there, of course, and it was between Rick and Elsa, of course. You see, Rick was a pretty smart guy, he knew he could not compete with Laszlo in term of Elsa's devotion to Laszlo's work to fight the Nazis, and that Laszlo needed her by his side. Rick set out to capture her heart, and heart is a lonely hunter after all. Rick figured that there was just no way Elsa would stay with him for good. Whenever Laszlo needed her, she had to go to Laszlo, as a worshipping follower was compelled to do.
Rick knew she left him once in Paris, and she would do it again in Casablanca or anywhere in the world. Rick used the same strategy (self sacrifice to conquer) as that in " The tale of two cities" without actually having to face the guillotine. In this way, Rick captured her heart and lived in her heart forever.
There you have it, dear Lighters. In my view, Rick won her heart, and winning the heart is winning it all. So next time when you say " Here is looking at you , kid!", say it wisely and with feeling, you may win it all.

Even if you do not get to go to Lisbon with the person, in your heart you know---
" we'll always have Paris ".