What Makes Casablanca a Classic Movie?

Classical Hollywood movies are important to the film making. They have set a guide and standards to be followed by filmmakers to come. Making films is not only a business but an art. It reflects the directors and writers imagination of what the film should be. Classical Hollywood films encompass many formal elements. One such film that encompasses these elements is the film Casablanca. IT is a classical Hollywood film because it uses the formal elements in a way to convey its message and has been critically acclaimed for generations.

The elements of classical Hollywood are essential to the success of Casablanca. Without those critics and historians would not be discussing the movie till this day and considering it a classical Hollywood film. Some of the most important elements of classical Hollywood include camera distance, angle, editing, lighting, music, and production design. Each element is crucial to creating a classical Hollywood film.

The first element is Camera distance; it is used in every scene and in every shot. It refers to how far away the camera is to the characters in the scene. Camera distance was developed in order to provide more to the mise-en-scene of a certain scene. “Mise-en-scene encompasses of variety of categories related to the staging of an action”(Belton 47). Camera distance is one of these important factors in making the scene and giving a sense of what you are supposed to be experiencing during the film. Without using camera distance to its fullest the scene or shot may not come across to the viewer as what the director or writer intended. An example of camera distance being used to its potential is in the opening sequence at ricks café. The first shot that we see at ricks is of ricks sign on the ca...

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...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.