1.What is the setting for Casablanca? How does the film establish this setting? If you were creating a theatrical production of the play upon which the film is based, how would you establish the setting on stage?
The film is set in Casablanca, Morocco and the time is during the World War II. This film establishes this setting through signs, words and descriptions. If I was creating a theatrical production, I would use a backdrop of some bits of morocco, as well as some props for a farmer’s market.
2.Describe three different camera shots the director uses in Casablanca. What effect does each of these shots have on the plot, mood, etc. of the film? One shot is the shot when the audience first sees Rick’s café. It is a big, clear shot to show what his café looks like as well as the different details. Another shot is the shot when the officers exit the plane. It shows not only the officers have left the plane, but all the people that surrounded them. One more shot is the close up of Ilsa when she is listening to her favorite song. This helps the audience see her emotions to the song.
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3.How does the filmmaker use light in Casablanca?
Describe at least two scenes in which light is used for a particular effect. How does the lighting contribute to this effect? The filmmaker uses light in Casablanca to direct attention and to set mood. When Sam is performing, the spotlight is on him to show that he is the one to focus on. When Ilsa is listening to a song, the lighting creates a soft glow around her face, making it peaceful.
4.What are three different diegetic and non-diegetic sounds that the filmmaker includes? What effects do these sounds have on the
film? Two examples of non-diegetic sounds are the narrator in a few clips and the background music. The narration helps explain things that weren’t clear in the tape, and the background music sets mood. Some diegetic sounds are the siren that warned the people that something is happening, and the gunshots. These sounds helped add realness to the film. 5.What social, cultural, or political events are used in Casablanca? Why do you think the filmmaker/playwright used these events? Casablanca is set during World War II. The film was released in 1943, in the middle of the World War. The filmmaker used these events because it was relevant for the time. 6.If you were to stage the play on which Casablanca is based, how would you use lighting in your production? Describe one scene from the film and the lighting it uses. Would you change the lighting in any way for a stage production of the scene? Why or why not? If I was to create a stage play on Casablanca, I would use minimal lighting, and try to draw attention to the most important characters. In the scene where Ilsa is in Rick’s bedroom looking for the letters, the lighting is a bit bright, not very mysterious. I would dim the lights to on her face and Rick’s, to create a since of drama.
The film Sunset Boulevard, presented in 1950 is a black and white film. The film is about Norma Desmond an old actress, who has issues accepting that she is becoming old. The main actor in the film is Gloria Swanson, who plays Norma Desmond, an older woman who believes she is still young. Desmond is not content with the fact that Hollywood has replaced her with younger actresses. The next actor Nancy Olson, plays Betty Schaffer who falls in love with Gillis despite being engaged to his friend. The third actor is William Holden who plays as Joe Gillis, who has financial problems and decides to turn himself into a gigolo to earn money. The dilemma with Joe is he does not want Betty to know about his job because he knows he might lose Betty as
It is 1957 and the Algerian war is at its prime as the FLN fight against an elite troop of ruthless French paratroopers. The Battle of Algiers is a portion of the Algerian war which was fought in order for Algeria to gain independence from France. The film starts off with the torturing of an old man to gain information on where the last of the freedom fighters, Ali Pointe is hiding. A large segment of the film is shot in flashbacks focusing on the past of Ali Pointe. Pointe was a ruffian with theft and drugs on his record; he joined the militants to assist in getting rid of the problems in Algeria associated with the French. With the flashbacks the film tells the struggles of the insurgents and the persistence of the French to end the war. It shows the transformation of the insurgency into a full out revolution. When the flashbacks ends and it is now present time Ali Pointe, along with the rest of the FLN leaders captured are beheaded. Through this, the FLN reciprocate and the insurgency becomes a full on national revolution with growth in numbers and support. The film ends with Algeria gaining the independence it strived for in 1962. The film is important in understanding asymmetric conflicts because despite being the weaker side, Algeria had proved itself to be much stronger than the French and had its newfound independence to show for it.
The way that a movie is pieced together by the director/producers has a huge impact on the viewer’s experience. Stylistic elements are used to help engage the viewer; however, without these techniques the viewer will most likely loose interest. In this essay I will be taking a look at a scene within the movie Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz in 1942. Casablanca is a classic film that is reviewed to be one of the greatest movies of all time. This could be due to the notable quotes used throughout the movie, or its ability to follow a historic, comical, and romantic storyline throughout the course of the film. It caters to several different viewers, making this movie favorable to many. This scene in Casablanca uses specific editing techniques
In the essay “Beautiful Friendship: Masculinity & Nationalism in Casablanca”, Peter Kunze lavishly explains the magnificence of Michael Curtiz’s 1942 film Casablanca. Kunze focuses on how the movie not only highlights an exchange of relationships, but how the film has an underlying meaning between these relationships. He also implies that there is a more complex meaning behind every character in regards to their gender, economic, and social roles. The overall thesis of his reading is “the patriarchal ideology underlying the narrative commodifies Ilsa, leading Rick to exchange her with other men in an act of friendship and solidarity as well as to dissuade any perception of queerness between the strong male friendships in the narrative” (Kunze
“There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn't good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!” (Sunset Boulevard). The film Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder focuses on a struggling screen writer who is hired to rewrite a silent film star’s script leading to a dysfunctional and fatal relationship. Sunset Boulevard is heavily influenced by the history of cinema starting from the 1930s to 1950 when the film was released.
Robert B. Ray categorizes Casablanca as "the most typical" American film. Ray uses Casablanca as a tutor text for what he calls the formal paradigm of Classical Hollywood as well as the thematic paradigm that addresses the conflict between isolationism and communitarian participation. The film is typical in its appropriation of an official hero Laszlo, who stands for the civilizing values of home and community, and an outlaw hero Rick, who stands for individu...
The film Casablanca gave great examples on World War II and how it portrayed Americans. During this time films were created to encourage and promote individuals to join the war along with other forms of entertainment and advertisement. They gave positive outlooks on Americans and gave them the image of being hero's for the purpose to get American individuals to help out in the war in some ways and if many actors did not go they had the chance to play in movies to promote World War II. During this time the war was portrayed as a big deal and as it was towards the beginning when they needed American soldiers to help fight. This was to be done in a positive outlook through films as Casablanca to be an example to show people what is was like without creating fear. Within the film Casablanca, it gave us an outlook on American involvement, propaganda, how the film depic...
...t it is clearly obvious what is about to happen using an establishing shot. Casablanca also uses camera angle specifically portraying Captain Renault and Strasser as less powerful people in the office scene. Editing allows for smooth transitions between shots and allows for us as viewers to experience the scene like we are seeing through the characters eyes. Lighting provides us a mood of the scene, specifically when Rick first sees Ilsa for the first time since Paris. The Music plays a role in how we as audiences should feel while watching the movie. And without production design movies would not flow correctly. Every setting is specifically chosen to depict the location where the scene takes place. Casablanca is a quintessential film because it ties up all the formal elements of classical Hollywood. Without this movie Hollywood may be a completely different place.
Casablanca is a visually sound film in its use of Hollywood craftsmanship during the 1940’s. The director, Michael Curtiz, and the writers, Howard Koch, Julius Epstein, and Philip Epstein, all won Oscars for their contributions including best director and best writing. The film has numerous successes, however, with its use of mise-en-scene, timeless writing, and cinematographic elements.
The film had stunning scenery and beautiful interior designs of the palace in which Antoinette lived. Coppola used over the top props and furniture’s to show the life of glitz and glamour that Marie Antoinette lived in. The production crew was given unprecedented access to the Palace of Versailles which is where it takes place. This also gave the film authenticity and realism, making it easier for the audience to get a better look into the life of Marie Antoinette and the courtiers of that time. The director used many pastels, bright pinks and blues in its backgrounds in the beginning of the film to show Antoinette’s innocence but as it progressed the colors went darker to show a sign of maturity. Even though the film is set in Versailles, some scenes were taken in various locations around France. This kept the au...
Casablanca, a 1942 romantic drama directed by Micheal Curtiz and taking place during World War II, pre-Pearl Harbor, captures the complexities of love, sacrifice, moral duty, closure, transformation, and new beginnings. The film lightly touches on the struggle many European refugees face while attempting to flee the area, the North African country of Morocco. In an era where many European countries are under Nazi control, the French territory of Morocco serves as a haven and diverse country of many cultures for refugees escaping the regime. The main characters, Rick Blaine, Victor Laszlo, and Ilsa Lund, are distinct symbols that help portray the realities of wartime. The ending of Casablanca, depicting a heart-wrenching goodbye between two
The classic movie Casablanca masterfully uses lighting to shape the message of the film. The Nazi controlled city of Casablanca, Monaco is holding international citizens hostage, not allowing anyone to leave. The entire city is full of temperate refugees, mostly consisting of wealthy international travelers. The film’s lighting shows a city overcast with impossibly dark and dynamic shadows. The shadows from window blinds are cast over the main characters faces in several scenes as they talk secretly in a private room. The shadows stretch like prison bars across the actors face, representing how hopelessly trapped they are, hoping for a way to escape. The character Rich was a bright idealist turned into a cynic by the brutality of reality. He chooses to stay
Since I've never been to Casablanca, I don’t know what it looks like there, but the film paints me the perfect of what it might have looked like. There’s not many instances where you see an outdoors environment, but all the indoor sets look great. Ricks Café, owned by Rick Blaine, looked like an enjoyable place to be when there’s not much to do in Casablanca. Inside the café, there are tables grouped together with a space in the middle for Sam, the pianist, to serve as entertainment. Off to the side you see a bar area and a backdoor, where some of the locals disappear off to. Behind the doors, there is an illegal casino area so the local can furthermore enjoy their time. The scenes that are in Ricks Café, seems to create a delightful environment, which can be felt even if you’re not physically there. What adds on to that affect are the characters in the
Few movies in today's day and age display prominent themes of love and sacrifice that classic films were able to capture so flawlessly. Films such as Casablanca, by Michael Curtiz, were able to captivate their audiences with their array of magnificent actors and sublime cinematography that not only leave their viewers in awe, but also make them contemplate the world around them in a different manner. Actor Humphrey Bogart, who stars as Rick Blaine, an equivocal night club owner in the film, and actors Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, Ilsa and Victor, are key components of what made this film into a classic. Through the acting of this film, its music, and its use of lighting, Casablanca is easily amongst the most notable classics films of American
Casablanca is a 1942 romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. Set in the beginning of World War II, it focuses on the character Rick Blaine and his life in Morocco. Rick is surrounded by a mysterious past that prevents him from returning to his home in America, and even though the audience learns much about Rick, his reason for exile never surfaces. Rick, now living in Casablanca, owns Rick’s Café Americain and leads a cynical and seemingly lonely lifestyle. The American classic, Casablanca, acts as a political allegory, telling both the story of Rick’s love life as well as the war effort and the dreadful invasion of the Germans. Curtiz employs a unique narrative film structure that utilizes a distorted temporal order and restricted