Film Analysis: Casablanca

Released September 29, 1950, Sunset Boulevard is a film noir of a forgotten silent film star, Norma Desmond, that dreams of a comeback and an unsuccessful screenwriter, Joe Gillis, working together. Ultimately an uncomfortable relationship evolves between Norma and Joe that Joe does not want a part of. Sunset Boulevard starts off with an establishing shot from a high angle shot with a narrative leading to a crime scene shot in long shot (a dead body is found floating in a pool). The narrative throughout the film established a formalist film. Cinematography John F. Seitz used lighting and camera angles in such a way to create a loneliness and hopefulness atmosphere.

Mise-en-scéne is crucial to classical Hollywood as it defined an era ‘that in its primary sense and effect, shows us something; it is a means of display. ' (Martin 2014, p.XV). Billy Wilder 's Sunset Boulevard (Wilder 1950) will be analysed and explored with its techniques and styles of mise-en-scéne and how this aspect of filmmaking establishes together as a cohesive whole with the narrative themes as classical Hollywood storytelling. Features of the film 's sense of space and time, setting, motifs, characters, and character goals will be explored and how they affect the characterisation, structure, and three-act organisation.

The intriguing world of Casablanca, displays a wondrous mise-en-scene in fashion that accentuates emotions and feeling through aspects of cinematography. From the movement of the camera, to the intricacy of the shot distances chosen to be included within the frame, the film reveals important elements of the diegesis without uttering a sound. The cinematography of Casablanca gives the audience an insight into the intimacy of Rick and Ilsa's relationship, and seeks to situate the viewer’s attention to the space and time of the film. Throughout the film, Rick’s romantic relationship, or rather previous relationship, with Ilsa appears to be a focal point of the film.

Casablanca, an American romantic comedy made in 1942, chronicles the decision of a man exercising his love for a woman by helping her and her husband escape Casablanca. The film features Rick, claiming to be neutral in every situation, and his encounter with one whom he once loved, Ilsa. Given the nature of Casablanca, Rick has to be careful with the “letters of transit” which hold the power to accommodate the refugees who yearn to reach the still-neutral United States. Through the course of the film, Rick, as well as other characters, must reluctantly succumb to sacrifice while attempting to evade the lies and deceit that are present in Casablanca.

The movie Casablanca has similarities to World War II. The movie begins by the viewer meeting Rick Blaine. He is the owner of a club that helps people from other countries receive their letters of transit. This club was a safe haven for many of the refugees. This club would allow for the refuges to obtain their letters of transit as well as earning some quick cash for traveling from gambling in the secret room.

In the end, in the brightness of the hanger, Rick and the French official are forced to abandon the shadows and their neutrality to pick a side. They let Isla and Lazlo leave, kill Major Strasser, and walk into the foggy darkness, neutrality abandoned, committed to freedom. The cinematography in Casablanca is critical in directing the audience’s attention, shaping the audiences feelings, and revealing the theme of the movie. Ultimately, the movie helped America abandon its neutrality, join the Allies and defeat

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.” These are the words spoken by Rick Blaine as he drinks himself into a slight stupor to cope with the grand entrance of the beautiful, yet mysterious Ilsa Lund. These two mentioned above are former lovers and the two main characters of the 1942 film Casablanca. Why Rick speaks these words with despair is because of Ilsa Lund, whose archetype is common in most if not all noir movies. This archetype is known as the femme fatale which literally translates to, fatal woman.

Although most noir films include a few unusual angled shots, Casablanca maintains a style of composition that is most closely recognized as

Narrative is generally accepted as possessing two components: the story presented and the process of its telling. A story can be presented in two basic ways, as a linear narrative and as a non-linear narrative. Linear narratives follow a straight line and non-linear narratives usually start at in the middle or in the height of conflict. Casablanca and Memento are two films which contrast in narrative approaches.

The documentary, Merchants of cool, describes an evolving relationship between the vast teenage population and corporate America. The film provides an in-depth look at the marketing strategies and communication between these groups. Adolescents are shown as learners and adapters of the fast-paced world; they’re constantly exposed to fashions and trends. These young adults have a lot of disposable income and are willing to spend it, in order to gain social popularity. In other words, they are chasing ‘cool’.

Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (1942) is a film based in WWII around different nations involvement in the war. Casablanca is a stylistic piece of propaganda based in Casablanca, Morocco, a hotspot for Europeans escaping the war and Nazi government. Within the movie each character represents a nations stand in the war. Because of this each character is compromised in certain ways and has clear flaws. Ilsa Lund, the main female character in the film is renowned for being extremely manipulative and overly emotional because of the way women were seen in this era.

Camera Movement in Casablanca (ESSAY #3) (A-) It’s important to watch Casablanca while thinking about the context in which it was released. After the United States entered World War II, it was a little over a year before audiences saw Casablanca. It doesn’t take much investigation to see how the war plays a part in the storytelling, but certain film techniques helped emphasize messages the film wanted to tell its audience. Through the use of camera movement, the finale of Casablanca puts the spotlight on Strasser and Rick’s newfound relationship, which can convey a message about the United States and its allies.

O Brother Where Art Thou? is a film that will take you on a perilous journey with Ulysses Everett McGill and his simpleminded cohorts. This film may be set amidst the early 1930’s Great Depression era, but it still has a Homer’s Odyssey feel to it. Down in the dusty and highly racial south, Everett recruits a couple of dimwitted convicts, Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O’Donnell, to help him retrieve his lost treasure and make it back home before his wife marries another suitor.

The use of contrast and the play with light and darkness is fascinating. It has a great psychological effect on the audience. The Don Corleone’s office is submerged in darkness and the characters in the scene come in and out of the light, thereby directing the focus onto them. A very large part of the film is shot in low key lighting, to emphasize on the theme of the film which is essentially, the life story of the Mob in

Overall, minus a few hiccups, I greatly enjoyed this movie. The three aspects that most grabbed my attention becoming the sources of my enjoyment were character portrayal, the symbolism used in almost every scene, and connections to my own life experiences. I have always been a great supporter of the idea that characters are what makes a film great, for they are the basis of any narrative and prove to be one of the most