sams piano (casablanca)

Question 1

is the symbolic heart and soul of ricks cafe

Answer 1

all guests want to sit beside it, in part as they want to be close to Sam, one of the most untainted characters in the film

Question 2

what does the piano itself suggest

Answer 2

•purity, which may be why Louis didn’t think to check there for the letters of transit
•music from piano functions as an opiate, a drug that allowed visitors to forget their worries. all is well at ricks, at least on the surface, when sams playing

Question 3

what does sams resumed playing after ugartes arrest signal

Answer 3

•signals that everything has returned to normal
•while his closing down of the piano when Rick and Ilsa see each other signals that the clubs peaceful innocence has been interrupted by painful memories

Question 4

when the german soldiers take over the piano, what happens

Answer 4

•when they take it over to play their national anthem, the bars patrons rise in revolt and defiantly sign “La Marseillaise”
•more than Ugartes arrest, this proves the biggest disturbance and louis is forced to shut the place down

Question 5

the piano is also a symbol of ricks heart

Answer 5

•rick forbids the posting of ’As Time Goes By’ so he doesn’t have to wallow in the painful memory of Ilsa and Paris
•like many guests, he likes to forget his pain

Question 6

what does Ilsa requesting the song do

Answer 6

•sam claims not to remember it, but at her insistence, he goes and pays it, initiating reacquaintance of the former lovers

Question 7

sam awakens the song on piano, and ricks heart wakes painfully as well

Answer 7

•for a while, he suffered tremendously, but eventually comes to grips with his aching heart & painful past and to re-emerge a better man
•Rick will leave Casablanca, but sam and his piano will stay behind. Having regained his real heat,Rick is free to abandon the piano