
Filmed during World War II right before the US entered the fray, Casablanca does a good job of capturing the tension that was rising across the globe. The opening sequence gives us an excellent rundown of the situation in Europe and Africa. We see a spinning globe and zoom into France where we’re told about refugees escaping the German occupation of France by fleeing south to Marseille, then across the sea to Oran, and finally to Casablanca in French occupied Morocco. Here the refugees wait to obtain the necessary paperwork to catch a flight to the U.S. These exit visas are obtained illegally and at a high price, resulting in a city full of crime and corruption. All the while the Nazi Gestapo makes its way across Africa towards Casablanca giving the whole film a sense of true urgency.
The film mostly consists of medium shots and close ups with a few establishing shots here or there when we change locations. We don’t see any extreme camera angles or artsy special effects. This allows the audience to become emotionally invested in the film by not drawing focus to the fact that we’re watching a film.
The filmmakers do utilize lighting effects to great effect. Lighting tends to be a more subtle way to draw focus to a certain character or to convey the mood of a scene.
As we see in this still frame, the director uses high key lighting inside Rick’s café during a happy, upbeat scene. There are no ominous shadows lurking in corners; everyone is well lit and clearly visible. This gives a sense of safety or lack of worry.
In this still, however, Rick is surrounded by shadows in the background creating feelings of fear, sorrow, or insecurity. Sam’s dark suit brings even more darkness to the shot and drives home the sense that this is not a happy time for the lead character.
After viewing Casablanca I was a little surprised at how much I liked it and that it kept my interest through the entire viewing. I’ve tried to watch other “classic” films and they are simply too dated or poorly done to keep me interested. This film was different. It was very well done and had a great story that took place during a critical time and place in world history. As James Berardinelli says in his review of Casablanca, the film holds up even today because the characters are three-dimensional and very well acted. Also, the themes of the movie (valor, sacrifice and heroism) are themes which today’s audiences can still grasp onto and hold near to their hearts.
Works Cited
Casablanca. Dir. Michael Curtiz. Perf. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman. 1942. Warner Bros. Production Co., 1942. Film.
Ebert, Roger. “Casablanca.” Rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun Times, 15 Sept. 1996. Web. 12 June 2013.
Berardinelli, James. "Casablanca: A Film Review." TopTenREVIEWS . 1998. Web. 14 June 2013.
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