casablanca

A detailed Summary of casablanca

The classic and much-loved romantic melodrama Casablanca (1942) is a masterful tale of two men vying for the same woman's love in a love triangle against the backdrop of the conflict between democracy and totalitarianism. With rich atmosphere, anti-Nazi propaganda, Max Steiner's superb musical score, suspense, and unforgettable characters and memorable lines of dialogue, it is one of the most popular, magical (and flawless) films of all time - focused on the themes of lost love, honor, self-sacrifice and romance within a chaotic world.

Directed by the talented Michael Curtiz and shot almost entirely on studio sets, the film moves quickly through a surprisingly tightly constructed plot. The script for this film was written from day to day as the filming progressed and no one knew how the film would end [Would Ilsa stay with Rick or leave with Laszlo?]. Its collaborative screenplay was mainly the result of the efforts of Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch - and producer Hal Wallis contributed the film's final line. Except for the initial airport sequence, the entire studio-oriented film was shot in a Warner Bros. Hollywood/Burbank studio.

Thematically, the film is typical in its appropriation of an official h

From a modern perspective, the film reveals interesting assumptions. Ilsa Lund's role is basically that of a lover and helpmate to a great man; the movie's real question is which great man should she be sleeping with? There is actually no reason why Laszlo cannot get on the plane alone, leaving Ilsa in Casablanca with Rick, and indeed that is one of the endings that was briefly considered. In her close-ups during this scene, Bergman's face reflects confusing emotions. And well she might have been confused, since neither she nor anyone else on the film knew for sure until the final day who would get on the plane. Bergman played the whole movie without knowing how it would end, and this had the subtle effect of making all of her scenes more emotionally convincing; she could not tilt in the direction she knew the wind was blowing.

ero (Laszlo), who stands for the civilizing values of home and community and an outlaw hero (Rick), who stands for ad hoc individualism. Formally, Casablanca abundantly illustrates the importance of a number of "centering" techniques that create the illusion of realism while at the same time disguising the complex apparatus that lies behind each shot. By pinning the viewer's consciousness to Rick' s, most of what happens takes its logic from his point of view. The fusion of Rick and audience begins when we first catch a glimpse of nothing more than Rick's hand as it signs a check. Shortly after this shot, the entire body of Rick emerges from the viewer's space as he walks into the frame to confront the arrogant German who tries to force his way i

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Category: Movies