Scene Deconstruction #1 -- Casablanca
Not much introduction is needed here, of course. This is not only the most famous scene in Casablanca, it's also one of the most iconic moments in film.
The Marseillaise, of course, is the French national anthem, but I'll spare the reader any further explanation and assume they know the basic story. What I want to focus on is what aspects of the scene make it so enduring. In short, what makes it work. Let's start at the beginning.
The German customers have, of course, annoyed the French regulars and staff by singing a traditional German song (if you're curious, it's Die Wacht am Rhein, which means "The Watch on the Rhine", and you can read more about it here). Just to expand a bit more on the historical context of the scene, it's important to remember that when this movie was first seen by audiences, World War 2 was just getting underway and the United States wasn't even involved yet. Not only that, but many filmgoers would have known that this particular scene was (intentionally) reminiscent of a scene in the 1937 French film Le Grand Illusion, in which the same two pieces of music were juxtaposed in exactly the same way! (Alas, I've not seen this scene posted on YouTube.) So not only was the fate of France very much in doubt amongst this film's earliest viewers, they were also being reminded just what a tragedy that was. (It's also notable that one of the actors from that scene will be appearing in a future Scene Deconstruction.)
But let's get back to the scene. A few seconds into the song, the camera pans left across the audience. Some are clearly in favor of the song, others opposed. But a few have a different reaction. Captain Renault suspects that this will become a problem and looks over to Rick. The camera follows his glance and shows us Rick, tolerantly waiting for the song to end. And here we have what I believe is one of the cleverest shots in all of early cinema. The camera is actually showing us two people -- Rick and Victor. When the camera stops we're supposed to look at Rick. Therefore it comes as a surprise when Victor actually steps into motion. It is only after we see him move that we realize Victor wasn't just standing there -- he was trying to decide how to handle the situation, quite unlike Rick. This brief shot is symbolic of the characters of both men.
But Pat, you say, how do we know this was what director Michael Curtiz actually intended? Weren't we just coincidentally looking at Rick? After all, it's Humphrey Bogart. He's the star, right? Well sure, he's the star, and you might've been looking at him for that reason. But as I mentioned, there's another reason why we're looking at Rick: Because Captain Renault steered us towards him. He looked at Rick to see what he will do, so logically when the camera arrives we look at him too, wondering the same thing.
Next we see Victor cross the floor and come over to the band. The glances continue as Ilsa looks at Victor (puzzled), Victor looks at the band leader (determined), the band leader looks at Rick (conflicted), and Rick looks back and nods (resigned). These unspoken glances tell the story of the scene, explaining everyone's emotional interest, but they also help to create tension and anticipation, lending weight to the scene. You can't just drop something like this into a movie -- you have to set it up. This is sometimes called "framing the moment", and it's a big part of why this scene works so well.
Interestingly, as the song continues, so do the glances. Victor glances at Ilsa (resolute). Ilsa looks back (Bergman manages to look both lovingly supportive and worried sick in a single magnificent moment). As the song ends, the German leader looks around, determined to turn a defeat into a victory. And the viewer quickly learns what Ilsa clearly already knows, which is that there is going to be a heavy price to pay for Victor's little victory. As we hear The Marseillaise one last time, this time in a minor key, we learn that the bar is to be closed immediately.
The underlying setting of Casablanca is that of individuals caught up in great events. In the end what this scene is about is that even if one person can't change the world, they can make things a little better for each other. Roger Ebert wrote of Casablanca that "as we leave the theater, we are absolutely convinced that the only thing keeping the world from going crazy is that the problems of three little people do after all amount to more than a hill of beans."