The Unsung Verses of “As Time Goes By”

The song “As Time Goes By” is a critical element of Casablanca, and is one of the most beloved songs in the history of cinema. I think the verses that were not sung in the movie provide an interesting view of the role of love (and ultimately marriage) in the film and how it relates to time. Quotes are from the original lyrics to the song by Herman Hupfield (unsung lyrics in brackets). (http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/Casablanca/astimegoesby-lyrics.htm)

While reading through the lyrics, consider that both love and marriage figure prominently in many religious lifestyles. Also, recall Eliade’s comments on religion and how it separates and “sacralizes” time itself. 

[This day and age we're living in

Gives cause for apprehension

With speed and new invention

And things like fourth dimension.

The fourth dimension, of course, is time. With the passage of time, Rick and Ilsa’s love went from the innocent love of a grieving widow to the somewhat scandalous love of another man’s wife.

Yet we get a trifle weary

With Mr. Einstein's theory.

So we must get down to earth at times

Relax relieve the tension

The reference here is to Einstein’s theory of relativity. Einstein himself often explained his theory by saying, “Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it will seem like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity!” In Rick and Ilsa's view, their time in Paris, though a few days in reality, must have contained an eternity of meaning and memory.

And no matter what the progress

Or what may yet be proved

The simple facts of life are such

They cannot be removed.]

You must remember this

A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.

The fundamental things apply

As time goes by.

The song brings to the forefront the primary sentiment of the movie. Although the passage of time has turned a lonely Ilsa who found new love in her grief into an unfaithful wife who cheated on her husband while he was in a concentration camp, what she and Rick had was still genuine love. It was, for them, a simple fact and a sacred time.

Additionally, in terms of Eliade, for Rick, Ilsa was something of a religious figure. She was his center. After being let down in Paris, he lost his moral clarity and became a man who “wouldn’t stick his neck out for anyone”. With the arrival of Ilsa, he regained his moral clarity, regained his center, and was able to make the difficult choice between love and virtue. Rick genuinely loves Ilsa, but he ultimately defers to an almost religious reverence for their marriage, Laszlo’s work, or some combination of both. He chooses to honor her commitment to her husband, while keeping for himself the honor that came with his sacrifice and not breaking up their marriage. In the end, the memory was enough for both of them to go on living, even though the outcome was difficult for them both. The whole film for me had the flavor of an old tale of “star crossed”, that is destined by fate, lovers, with the Western twist of the characters having a choice. The recurrence of the song “As Time Goes By” helps to focus the narrative and brings out the main themes in the film.

- Corey Landry