The music in the film Casablanca
serves an important purpose in contributing to what Victor Turner would call communitas. Casablanca possesses the
quality of liminality Turner writes of: the people are stuck in “an interval
between two distinct periods of intensive involvement in structured social
existence” (p. 199), though they are not on as specific a religious pilgrimage
as he outlines. The liminality of their experience leads to the development of communitas,
which culminates as the groups sing their national anthems in a powerful moment
in the movie.
Laszlo enters Rick’s Café to hear the German troops boldly
singing their national anthem, and he immediately strikes up the band and leads
the rest of the café in “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem. The emotional significance of this event for the French is
evident, as singers are shown with tears running down their face, reflecting a
growing sense of national pride and courage.
The French seem to experience “mankind as a homogenous,
unstructured, free community” (p. 193), but this is not without an imposition
of an outside ritual. The singing of the national anthem is a ritual for these
characters at home, part of “the Familiar Place” that the current inhabitants
of Casablanca have been removed from for some time. Laszlo recognizes “the need
to mobilize and organize resources to keep the members of a group alive and
thriving” (p.194), and through this normative communitas, “the characteristic
social bond” (p. 194) among the French – and other nationalities opposed to the
German forces – begins to solidify.
However, one cannot forget that there are two groups singing against each other,
and the unity of each is based strongly in opposition of the other. Turner
would suggest that because this sense of community is only built among one part
of a group rather than among the whole, this communitas “denies its own
distinctive quality” (p. 217). The singers overlapping and countering each
other emphasizes the lack of ultimate homogeneity among the people at
Casablanca. One may seek an explanation for the dissention, and Turner offers
one. He explains that as the pilgrim’s journey advances, it becomes
increasingly more sacralized and secularized (p. 204). As the French sing
together, they ascend to a level of collective hope, courage, and memory. At
the same time, they are caught up in the secular concerns of the war and their
national struggle for liberation. The presence of the Germans, also loudly
singing in the café, further emphasizes the increasing presence of the secular.
Music, in this instance at Rick’s café, serves as a moving force in the film,
as it begins to foster a form of communitas among the characters and serve as
an indication to the audience that this communitas is growing and significant.
by Hannah McLain
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that the singing of the French national anthem forms a sort of communitas among those present. Although the Germans interrupt the emotional moment with their own anthem, I feel like this doesn't dissolve the meaning behind the unity of these French citizens. You refer to this communitas as being "more sacralized and secularized" because of the German singing, but I believe that the opposition of the Germans only strengthens their bond. With prominent resistance figure Laszlo present, the sweet reminder that like-minded French are present, even in the harsh environment of Casablanca, serves as encouragement. Although each French individual in the room comes from a different walk of life, their shared nationality and passion to resist the Nazi regime only increases with the German singing.
Emily,
DeleteI definitely agree that the presence of the Germans brings greater unity to the French as they sing. It is difficult to deny that the French are affected deeply by the German's singing; it's evident in the characters' emotional reactions and in the increased fervor with which they sing. However, in his writing, Victor Turner suggests that a unity built on the foundation of opposition to another entity is not true communitas. While I believe that the deep connection among the French is true, I also wonder if/how this idea of "mechanical solidarity" Turner references to applies to the French and Germans' experience. I would argue that the French do experience a deeper unity because the Germans are present, but I also suggest, based on Turner's writing, that this feeling of community is contradictory to the very definition of communitas because it does not encompass the entire group at Casablanca, and instead only unifies one part against another.