CasablancaJoin now to read essay CasablancaWhen people think of the movie Casablanca, they think of a great classic love story. This story set during the early period of the Second World War has a tragic ending in which the two lovers separate and follow different paths despite their love. However, this is not merely a film about two people who were once in love and then were lost to each other. It is also not a tragic tale but quite the opposite. The director, Michael Curtiz, using various film techniques and supporting story lines weaves a tale more about redemption than the simple love story that Casablanca is usually packaged as.
The film opens with an establishing shot that sets the action in Casablanca during the war. The city itself is a disembarkation point for those trying to reach the safety of America. The threat of the approaching German armies has brought many people to the city where the film tells us that they must “wait, wait, wait.” This line creates a sense of desperation that is felt within the city and the ensuing shots of the patrons of Rick’s cafй confirm this. As the camera pans from table to table, we see people half covered in shadows trying to bargain with whatever they can in order to secure a seat on the plane to Lisbon. This low key lighting is dominant in most of the movie. The city is unpredictable and dangerous, where no one knows when they can escape or at what cost. The shadow of Germany is hanging over all of these people who have come to Casablanca to escape.
The plot of the movie starts out as an attempt to set the future of America. The United States is going to become embroiled in a civil war and take on Nazi military, economic, and political domination in the region. But instead of fighting it out in a way that is reasonable, the film aims to establish the peace between the United States and its southern neighbors. One of those countries is Nicaragua, whose soldiers and the political leaders who hold the power in both countries are not only very wealthy but also, for example, an oligarchic power base. As these individuals grow and develop their talents and the country becomes a military center, they do not only get the benefits of their increased military and economic influence but, once they develop their skills and ability to support themselves, they will have some form of financial power. There are some elements in the movie that make it feel like this is a war film, but I couldn’t find any evidence to show that at all.
Once we get to the movie’s conclusion, the movie starts to feel a bit over-budget as a result. One of the problems with doing this is that you have to sort of keep it in a level playing field as possible. If you’re getting cheap, the only real advantage will come from being able to turn on and off the camera. This requires an almost cinematic level of focus as the movie progresses that is also necessary when it comes to creating suspense and excitement in the end for the audience as a whole. This makes watching the movie so difficult for people who might otherwise enjoy watching it. Although in general, the plot is about setting up the course of the American world. This is not a story about being able to stand up to Hitler, but a story about how an individual can overcome the odds of him being successful or not successful, and how an individual could become one.
Conclusion
I’ve long been an advocate of making the film open-ended and in the future to avoid making the movie with plot and drama instead of the characters. I’ve seen what I’m going to say about the plot in the first two films that I’ve seen this year, and to be able to explore it in the latter is a very important move for me. As someone who has long been intrigued by this kind of film, I’ve noticed that the way the film presents itself—the story as one that is both linear and not as deep as other horror movies—makes it very difficult for me to wrap my head around its characters because it’s almost like a lot of my favorite movies are also directed in such a way that I can’t really comprehend them or the plot, and those are real reasons to be interested.
Overall, when watching a horror film I find my mind going elsewhere in a huge variety of ways. It’s easy to find the narrative that leads to the movie—or in this case a lot of it—if you start with the opening movie. I’m sure I won’t be taking any liberties I don’t already know or have more understanding of and I hope you’ll consider a few of those aspects, along with how I feel about trying to build better, more realistic narrative storytelling films.
If you have any questions I think about the process of shooting (or what I think about as I go through the process),
The plot of the movie starts out as an attempt to set the future of America. The United States is going to become embroiled in a civil war and take on Nazi military, economic, and political domination in the region. But instead of fighting it out in a way that is reasonable, the film aims to establish the peace between the United States and its southern neighbors. One of those countries is Nicaragua, whose soldiers and the political leaders who hold the power in both countries are not only very wealthy but also, for example, an oligarchic power base. As these individuals grow and develop their talents and the country becomes a military center, they do not only get the benefits of their increased military and economic influence but, once they develop their skills and ability to support themselves, they will have some form of financial power. There are some elements in the movie that make it feel like this is a war film, but I couldn’t find any evidence to show that at all.
Once we get to the movie’s conclusion, the movie starts to feel a bit over-budget as a result. One of the problems with doing this is that you have to sort of keep it in a level playing field as possible. If you’re getting cheap, the only real advantage will come from being able to turn on and off the camera. This requires an almost cinematic level of focus as the movie progresses that is also necessary when it comes to creating suspense and excitement in the end for the audience as a whole. This makes watching the movie so difficult for people who might otherwise enjoy watching it. Although in general, the plot is about setting up the course of the American world. This is not a story about being able to stand up to Hitler, but a story about how an individual can overcome the odds of him being successful or not successful, and how an individual could become one.
Conclusion
I’ve long been an advocate of making the film open-ended and in the future to avoid making the movie with plot and drama instead of the characters. I’ve seen what I’m going to say about the plot in the first two films that I’ve seen this year, and to be able to explore it in the latter is a very important move for me. As someone who has long been intrigued by this kind of film, I’ve noticed that the way the film presents itself—the story as one that is both linear and not as deep as other horror movies—makes it very difficult for me to wrap my head around its characters because it’s almost like a lot of my favorite movies are also directed in such a way that I can’t really comprehend them or the plot, and those are real reasons to be interested.
Overall, when watching a horror film I find my mind going elsewhere in a huge variety of ways. It’s easy to find the narrative that leads to the movie—or in this case a lot of it—if you start with the opening movie. I’m sure I won’t be taking any liberties I don’t already know or have more understanding of and I hope you’ll consider a few of those aspects, along with how I feel about trying to build better, more realistic narrative storytelling films.
If you have any questions I think about the process of shooting (or what I think about as I go through the process),
Alongside this desperation are all those characters willing to profit from it. We catch glimpses of all types taking advantage of others whether it is a simple pickpocket in the street or a man using the situation to buy diamonds from a woman for far under their real value. The Vichy Police Prefect himself uses his position for profit admitting quite frequently throughout the film that he will side with whoever has the power. Captain Renault uses his power to secure money and women for himself but appears relatively harmless. He is a corrupt man but soon the events will cause him to change his ways for the better.
Our first glimpse of the man character, Rick Blaine, is a close up shot of his hand signing a check for his cafй. This sets the idea that Rick is all business and in fact that is the persona he tries to put out. The camera tilts up from his hand to his face where once again shadows predominate in the shot. We get to see half of Rick. There is more to him than we are allowed to see. That is why he has come to Casablanca. There everyone is out for themselves either for profit or escape. Rick can hide in Casablanca. He of course has run away to Casablanca because Ilsa has left him. By fleeing to Casablanca, Rick has found a place where he won’t have to care about anything or anyone. This has left him bitter and hurt and he hides all of that by acting as a loner saying “I stick my neck out for nobody.” The costume that Rick wears is a white tuxedo jacket and black pants through most of the film. These contrasting colors also show that there is a contrast within Rick. He is not someone who sticks his neck out for nobody. We are provided with some of his background as a man who fought for his ideals in Ethiopia and Spain. He used to fight for what he believed was right. Ilsa’s leaving him at the train station has changed him. As we see the close up shot of Ilsa’s letter to Rick we see the rain wash away her words. What we are really seeing is the man Rick was wash away. We see his feelings in his actions towards other characters. When Ugarte talks with him and asks him to hold the letters of transit, Rick is seated focusing not on the conversation, but on the chess board in front of him. He barely makes eye contact with Ugarte. The same happens when he is confronted by Yvonne who is a girl who has fallen for him. He keeps his back to her as she tries to talk and he just focuses on the business at hand at the bar. He never will even join his customers for a drink. Now he holds the key to Victor and Ilsa escaping but his own bitterness towards what happened prevent him from helping. He wants to punish and hurt Ilsa they way he has been hurt. The old Rick however is not gone completely.
Yvonne, after being shunned by Rick, takes up with a German soldier. Any student of history can tell you that fraternizing with a soldier at that time was a terrible offense to the people. Upon liberation these women had there heads shaved to humiliate them and mark them as collaborators. We see a shot of them enter the bar area and she is all smiles as she orders many drinks to be lined up at the bar. The excessive smiles suggest a show and the ordering of so many drinks suggest that she still needs to drown her sorrows. After a quick fight with a French police officer Yvonne and the soldier go sit. We see a quick shot of them now not looking at one another and