http://tags.library.upenn.edu/tag/culture,+casablanca, PennTags Feed http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/voyager/4630 http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/voyager/4630 <div>Political philosophy comes to Rick's : Casablanca and American civic culture / edited by James F. Pontuso. [0739108328 (hardcover : alk. paper) ] Lanham : Lexington Books, c2005. <br />Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1997.C352 P65 2005</div><br /><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Essay Number Ten:&nbsp; On the Argument of Casablanca and the Meaning of the Third Rick by Kenneth De Luca</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">&nbsp;</font></p> <p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The appeal of <em>Casablanca</em> is unmistakable.&nbsp; Popular amongst men and women of all ages, Casablanca is frequently listed as the second greatest film of all time.&nbsp; What makes this film so universally popular that it can still garners passionate fans amongst generations that can not even remember World War II,&nbsp; the studio system, or even Bogart and Bergman?&nbsp; It is this question that <u>Political Philosophy Comes To Rick&rsquo;s: Casablanca and American Civic Culture</u> tries to answer with a series of relevant scholarly essays.&nbsp; The tenth essay (written by Kenneth De Luca) is of particular interest to the analysis of the legendary film.&nbsp; This essay reflects on the relationship between Rick&rsquo;s character and the ideals of America.&nbsp; According to this essay, Rick&rsquo;s character maintains modern American appeal because he represents the personification of Jeffersonian individualism.&nbsp; Rick is a man who needs to be free to the point where he can actually be moral and even beautiful.&nbsp; By making the ultimate sacrifice of love, Rick achieves personal autonomy and also freedom from the overwhelming guilt of having done the morally wrong thing.&nbsp; De Luca states that Americans find this sacrifice seductive because it represents a combination of seemingly irreconcilable freedoms &ndash; freedom to satisfy self interest and freedom to be directed by some higher purpose.&nbsp; This essay is important to the study of <em>Casablanca</em> because it shows the noncommercial / non-studio system aspects of <em>Casablanca</em> overwhelming popularity.&nbsp; </font></font></p><br />