Character Analysis
Polly Wants a Nightclub
Ferrari, the owner of the Blue Parrot, has his heart set on buying Rick's Café Americain. And we get the impression he'd stop at just about nothing to get it. At one point in the film he says, "As leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca, I am an influential and respected man." That maybe says even more about the town than it does about the man, but at least we know now what he thinks of himself.
Ferrari is the calm, patient type. He sits on his throne, evilly petting his hairless cat (figuratively, of course), while he waits for the right pieces to fall into place, taking a break every so often to swat the occasional fly.
He's motivated and a tad conniving, but we never really get a chance to see the depths he'll go to, since Rick winds up offering the club to him without Ferrari needing to get his hands dirty. However, as the "leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca," we feel safe in assuming that he had a backup plan.