Visual Analysis Of Casablanca

Casablanca, a Romantic Propaganda Introduction Casablanca is one the classic Hollywood movie which is one of the most critically acclaimed Hollywood movies of all time and also very famous. Casablanca is a romance story that happens during World War II but the question is does it end there? Is Casablanca just a Romance movie? In this essay, I will be discussing how the movie Casablanca which is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed films of all time is a propaganda movie and what message is sending and the effects that propaganda movies make and why it’s important for governments.

Film noir is a cinematic style that began in the early 1940s that focused on the crime and corruption that occurs in everyday life. Film noir was influenced by two major film movements, German Expressionism and French poetic realism (Schrader 8). While German Expressionism influenced lighting techniques, realism affected narrative and cinematography. The Great Depression and World War II shaped film noir’s cynical tone that fate is uncontrollable. A classic example of film noir is the 1945 film Detour, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer.

While some points were exaggerated, other situations were completely different from the way life was. Themes of chivalry, education and learning, feudalism, and religion were satirized through the many jokes in the film. Even though a majority of the scenes in the movie were fictional, there were true circumstances present

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.

This essay will discuss how the film uses these two techniques, in reference to the film, and to what ideological and political ends are the techniques used in the films with specific references from the film to support the argument. A Man with a Movie Camera is based around one man who travels around the city to capture various moments and everyday

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

Those that believe Casablanca is not film noir usually perceive Film Noir as a genre. Noir is not a genre; Noir transcends genres and behaves more accurately as a style of cinema. As styles go, there can be variations of them as we see now with Post-Noir and Neo Noir, noir elements in a different time period of film technology which makes these films slightly different than the style of classic film noir. Themes of cynicism, impending doom, loss, jeopardy of life accompanied by visuals dominated by shadows, strong lines, and overall darkness to the image make up film noir’s style. Noir is not absolute, the beauty of this style is its vulnerability to variation, which is why Michael Curtiz’s Classic Casablanca is film noir.

At the beginning of the film there is a narrative voice over which explains the political context of what is happening to the audience. The viewer never has to figure anything out for themselves therefor the film is conforming to a typical narrative structure. The storyline concerns the coming of World War II and a love triangle between Baine, Ilsa and Laszlo. The viewer’s main focus is on the love triangle rather than the political context making the overall storyline easy to understand. This also is an aspect as to why this movie conforms to a classical narrative approach.

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.

The mood of the movie at this point shifts from dark and solemn to alive and talkative. The active dialogue and intonation used by the actors made the storyline interesting. For example, the news reporters exemplified the very image of a news reporter back in the day: curious, chatty, and amusing. Their somewhat boisterous nature is countered by unconventional lighting, as the audience hears their conversation but sees mostly shadows or just glimpses of their faces.

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.

The costumes were quite normal street clothes for that time-period except for Blanche 's extravagant wardrobe. For this time-period, the makeup and hair was quite common. Since Blanche was dressed to impress and find a husband she wore a full face of makeup. Since was not yet born in 1947, I am unsure what the sound and lighting designs were like.

Depictions of Extravagance The “Roaring Twenties” was a time of great prosperity in America. F. Scott Fitzgerald captures the booming spirit of America in his book The Great Gatsby through his grandiose description of Gatsby’s parties. Baz Luhrmann draws from both The Great Gatsby and Hieronymus Busch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights” to portray his own cinematic interpretation of this time period. Philippa Hawker analyzes Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby parties and depicts their lavishness in her article “The subtle art of staging Gatsby's lavish parties.”

Throughout the film, Welles uses unusual arrangements of music that creates suspense for the audience. The main thesis of this scene is the myth