Daily Dialogue — February 15, 2014

Ugarte: You despise me, don’t you? 
Rick: If I gave you any thought I probably would.

— —

Major Strasser: What is your nationality? 
Rick: I’m a drunkard.

— —

Captain Renault: What brought you to Casablanca? 
Rick: My health. I came for the water. 
Captain Renault: We’re in a desert. 
Rick: I was misinformed.

— Casablanca (1942), screenplay by Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is sarcasm, recommended by blueneumann. Today’s suggestion by @dottiehudson and @sergiobarrejon.

Trivia: It is never revealed why Rick cannot return to America. Julius J. Epstein later said that “My brother (Philip G. Epstein) and I tried very hard to come up with a reason why Rick couldn’t return to America. But nothing seemed right. We finally decided not to give a reason at all.”

Dialogue On Dialogue: Rick uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism, best defense being a good offense. That’s where he starts. But as he goes through Deconstruction, notice how uses sarcasm less and less. Psychologically speaking, that is a sign of him allowing his more idealistic self to emerge, eventually leading to the choices he makes at the end and in effect join the fight.

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