For me, cinema has the power to inspire and influence us in our everyday lives. So let’s start with Casablanca, an old film noir set in World War II about a nightclub owner, played by Humphrey Bogart, who reconnects with an old love and rebels against the German authorities who are occupying the country he lives in. I saw this film when I was rather young and as I’ve re-watched it all these years later, I’ve learned how many of the references I’ve heard in my college classrooms have originated from this one movie.
For example, during my first year at Whittier College, I remember my Whittier Scholars professor jokingly saying after a presentation, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” since I was presenting on films that have influenced public perception. My professor was using a quote from Casablanca in a respectful sense, in a way that communicated to me that I was doing a good job. (It’s also fascinating to me how the phrase, “let’s round up the usual suspects,” came from Casablanca and my film professors have used this phrase sporadically throughout their lessons.)
The movie can show up outside the classroom, too. In our film club on campus, Whittier College Video Productions Studios, phrases from Casablanca such as “this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” are written on the club’s whiteboard along with, “We’ll always have Paris,” meaning that our community of filmmakers will always have these important moments together. While this language may sound a bit old school, I think that it’s important to know where these quotes come from so that you can understand them in the context of college conversations.
The Godfather
