Why This Clip from Casablanca Is Being Shared in the Wake of the Paris Attacks
Along with real-life tributes honoring the victims, social media has become a place where those all across the globe can show their support for everyone affected by the horrific Paris Attacks. By now we’ve all seen Jean Jullien’s already iconic “Peace for Paris” illustration shared on Facebook and Instagram as well a slew of photos of friends’ past trips to the “City of Light” alongside thoughtful messages. But there is yet another way people are rising up against the cruel events of last Friday night, and it has to do with the classic film Casablanca.
The clip, which was initially shared on Reddit and has since gone viral, highlights a scene from the movie in which a group of Nazis begin singing “Watch on the Rhine,” a patriotic German song. The nightclub in which the scene is set is called Rick’s Café Américain, where many of the patrons are French citizens trying to find their way to America to escape Nazi oppression. When the club’s owner and a renowned fugitive Czech Resistance leader hear what’s happening, they immediately respond by instructing the house band to play “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem.
Soon the entire audience joins them in singing, eventually silencing the Nazi officers. The moving scene shines a bright light on the importance and beauty of a group’s undying spirit in the face of adversity. And while the villainous force is now different, the unbreakable patriotic strength demonstrated in the scene remains as relevant as ever.
What’s the most moving display of support you’ve seen shared on social media? Share it with us in the comments below.
(Feature photo via Warner Bros.)
