Film Analysis Of Casablanca

Casablanca is a 1942 film directed by Michael Curtis; set in French-ruled Casablanca, Morocco— during
WWII, Casablanca is over populated, due to Nazi Germany, because many have tried to escape Europe to Lisbon to
then fly to America, but this path left many doomed in Casablanca, in hopes of one day getting a visa. The plot
revolves around Richard “Rick” Blaine, a New Yorker, owner of the popular nightclub, “Rick’s”. Starting off, the
public is told by French police that two German officers were murdered, and the murderer is headed to
Casablanca, which introduces German officer Major Strasser, and French commander Captain Louis Renault, who
welcomes Strasser and alerts him the killer will be at Rick’s that night. The setting moves to the

nightclub, where
we meet Ugarte, who pleads Rick to hold some letters of transit—the killer is identified with having these letters,
to his knowledge—and Rick complies and hides it in Sam’s, the club pianist, piano. After, Rick is stopped by Louis,
who warns him about the arrest of the murderer that night and tells him not to meddle, which Rick replies that he
“sticks his neck out for no one”; on another note Louis tells him about the arrival of famous Czech nationalist,
Victor Lazlo, and to not assist him in his escape from Casablanca, because the Germans want to stop his activities
against Nazi Germany. Through this exchange we learn Rick used to be involved in anti-fascist wars in the 1930’s,
and finally Ugarte is arrested. After that, we meet Lazlo and his wife Ilsa, who are in search of exit visas— and as
she comes in it is seen she knows Sam; as Lazlo goes to talk to Strasser, she talks to Sam and has him play an old
song that attracts Rick over, and they meet again. Later that night Rick is drinking alone, and experiences
flashbacks of when he was with Ilsa in Paris, and how they split up when he left Paris before the Germans came
and she stood him up, then Ilsa walks in to try and tell him why she left him, but his drunk anger chases her
away. Lazlo and Ilsa have trouble getting visas from Ferrari, the rival nightclub owner, and he sends them to Rick
who he suspects has the missing visas; but Rick refuses to sell Lazlo the visas and tells him to ask his wife why.

Lazlo confronts her about it but she refuses to tell him what happened between them, although he clearly sees
there was something there. Ilsa convinces Rick to give her the visas by telling him why she left him (she thought
Lazlo was dead when they met, and when she heard he was alive, she had to go back to him), and he makes plans
with her to leave together with the visas. But Rick, with only Louis in on it, makes it so that she ends up going with
Lazlo, because he knows that’s what’s best for her; Rick kills Strasser who tries to stop the plane, and the movie
ends with Rick and Louis walking along the runway together, in the start of a new and “beautiful friendship.”
I have heard about this film almost all my life—be it references in shows and movies such as “When Harry
Met Sally”, or at school, or from older relatives and friends—, but never got around to watching it, and this
assignment was the perfect motivation. I expected this movie to blow my mind, but at first sight I was
unimpressed, probably because I did not understand what exactly was going on; so when I watched it a

second
time, everything started to click and I was able to appreciate the film, and how powerful it was for its time. First of
all, the plot is exceptional; it captures the essence of one of the most historical events in the world—WWII—but
does so with an interesting story line. The film expresses the hardships of Europeans trying to get to America in
order to be free, and has a story line that is fascinating all on its own. For example, the romance between Rick and
Ilsa in the film is not only believable, but also ties in well with the plot and the historic timeline of the film; like the
flashbacks that Rick experiences from when he was in Paris with Ilsa was brief, but greatly expresses the strength
of their romance, it conveys to the viewers how much that heartbreak changed who he was—from sweet and fun-
loving man, to a cold and secluded—, and the way they split off due to the presence of Germany in Paris tied well
to the historic plot. Another example of how well-crafted the plot is, is the ending, when Rick makes this whole
charade that he is going to forcefully get him and Ilsa out of Casablanca, like it were a huge act of love, but in
reality he lead Ilsa on and send her off with her husband and Louis, who was held at gunpoint, was in on it;
although we know Rick tricks Ilsa, this scam was the real act of love, because although he was still in love with her,
he knew in the long run that being with her husband was the best thing for her, and he puts his feelings aside for
her well-being.

Another aspect is the acting and casting.

The casting was an iconic style of American films, with the
handsome leading man, and the beautiful damsel in distress. To start off, Humphrey Bogart played this role
exceptionally, because he was able to change in personality from the cold and brokenhearted Rick, to the lively
and in love Rick, and to the emotionally healed and kind Rick, while making it all believable; through his acting one
could feel like this were reality, one could sympathize with Rick, and see that he does actually change. Secondly,
Ingrid Bergman played the role of Ilsa Lazlo perfectly; she acted the pained, emotionally confused part so well, and
it never seemed over-dramatic, she just had a great balance in her emotions, and was able to express her pain, her
love for both men, and her sincerity in a way that captures the viewers’ hearts; it is to the point that without
words, like when Rick and Ilsa first lay eyes on each other one can see that they were not on good terms and
something major happened between them, the message and mood of a scene was conveyed well. Overall, the
acting of all the characters was greatly played, and felt very authentic, the casting could not have been better, and
the script and plot were top

notch.

Firstly, the cinematography in the film was fantastic, because a lot of the ways shots were made were
influential to modern day cinema—as in the techniques are still used today. One example would be the way Curtis
pans the camera in some scenes to show the essence of the setting, like in the beginning the wide-span shot of
Casablanca’s community emphasized how over populated the city was, and how exciting but frantic everyday life
was there, or how he spans the entirety of Rick’s nightclub in order to get the feel of how much everyone enjoyed
going there, and how popular the place actually was. Another example in the effect of Curtis’s shots is when there
were romantic and dramatic moments between Rick and Ilsa, Curtis shoots her so that her face is whiter and
brighter than her background to not only give the scene a more romantic and dramatic in look, but also to make
her seem almost angelic in reflection to her character—which also ties in to his intricate control of lighting; Curtis’s
mastered technique in controlling the view of the shot and the lighting is what makes the scenes come alive to the
viewer, by allowing them the see the film in the eyes of the characters, and making the film attract the viewers’
interest.

In respect to special effects, the set was marvelous. The set made me feel like the film was really filmed
in Casablanca, how the building where set up, and the environment was recreated, and even the accents of the
people made the setting feel real; not only outside, but in the nightclub as well, the setting was great because it
gave off that extravagant feel, the upbeat and friendly mood everyone had, and also expressed the commitment
almost everyone had in gambling for fun and in order to make money to buy visas. Another great technique was
the costume design, because the completely different style of clothing between the inhabitants of Casablanca and
the German officers makes it clear the seriousness and intimidation those officials hold. Lastly the music created
by Max Steiner was great in matching the mood of each scene—for example the music was slow and dramatic
during romantic scenes, and loud and hyper in scenes such as the club—which dramatized and complemented the
authenticity of the acting. Also, the use of the French National Anthem, “"La Marseillaise", was greatly placed in
the beginning, middle, and end of the film to symbolize the unity and struggle of the French and Europeans in
general. On an ending note, this fil, has so many aspects to it that clearly explain why it still remains one of the
best movies in American history.