The performance shown in the “Play it Sam” scene, displays the sheer beauty of the movement of how music connects with people’s lives. The scene displays Rick stopping Sam from playing the piano in front of his love interest Ilsa. The piano song is an interesting aspect of the entire film. The song provides the characters in the film, a movement of bliss, and their attention being drawn away from what’s happening to them for a meer thirty seconds. Rick has continued to stop Sam from playing in the first scene, but once he hits his emotional climax of his arc in the story, he sits in the bar and lets Sam play. It’s a significant process Rick goes through in the film, realizes that Ilsa just saw the good in Sam the whole time, while Rick’s stubbornness and ignorance did not let himself see why. Even making Sam stop playing the piano in front of her in the first scene, with hosting military officials, he sees that Ilsa just saw the good of someone and just embraced it. Tats what the ending scene to me displayed, especially when his grouchiness was no fight against Sam’s piano playing. Its significant towards the racial tensions in the film, as African Americans were discriminated and never taking seriously in that period. It’s an amazing movement from ignorance to acceptance for Rick’s character, as you can watch him even develop a best friend at the end of the film.
“Of all the Gin Joints”