From “Allied” to “Casablanca”

In the film “Allied” there are many references to the film “Casablanca” : World War II, spies, Vichy France, Nazis, “La Marseillaise,” a piano, romance, an airport scene. And Casablanca itself, celebrated at the intersection of love and war.

World War II was still far from its conclusion and Morocco was under the control of France, with the Vichy government aligned with Nazi Germany. Casablanca was an important strategic port and its colonial status at the time is well depicted in both films. It was the beating heart of North Africa and of French activities It was also a place where Allied and Axis forces tried to keep an uneasy balance, and a place to which, and from which, European refugees hoped to escape.

Its modern name is composed of ‘Casa‘ and ‘Blanca‘ or ‘white house’ in Spanish, coming   from the Portuguese ‘Casabranca‘,  which turned into Casablanca when the Portuguese kingdom was integrated into the Spanish one. But its real Berber name was Anfa

 

Anfa – 1572