Since so many reviews and studies have been done on Casablanca it is hard to approach it with a genuine touch so in a way this is a study done with all those point of views used as a source and blended together.

Casablanca was awarded three Academy awards in 1943 for Best Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Director thus recognizing the qualities that Casablanca possesses. The only regret about this film in regards to the awards and recognition it received is that almost no acknowledgement was made of Ingrid Bergman exquisite acting.

The review of the professional critic I am including in this study is of Tim Dirks one of the most renown critics:

"The classic and much-loved romantic melodrama Casablanca (1942), always found on top-ten lists of films, is a masterful tale of two men vying for the same woman's love in a love triangle. The story of political and romantic espionage is set against the backdrop of the conflict between democracy and totalitarianism. With rich and smoky atmosphere, anti-Nazi propaganda, Max Steiner's superb musical score, suspense, unforgettable characters and me

The photography and lighting in the movie was under the supervision of Arthur Adeson famous for his work on "The Maltese Flacon" (1941), his art owed him a nomination in 1943 for an Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography. His work is the reason why Casablanca remains so clear in our mind thanks to a contrast of the highest quality and the use of the ever so famous glamorous soft focus technique used to embellish already gorgeous Actresses.

Very close attention was given to the costume design, which is absolutely irreproachable and fits perfectly with the era, the place and all the different cultures and individuals that are portrayed in movie; there is vast costume diversity.

Michael Curtiz; of Hungarian origin and recent immigrant, was the Director and one of the member of the creative team responsible for the success of Casablanca thanks to the touch he gave to it through his interpretation of the story which in the beginning was quite different from what we know it to be today.

Casablanca's fame owes a lot to the movies composition such as the lighting, score and other elements that we shall discuss.

The musical score of this movie is unforgettable thanks to tracks such as "As Time goes By" from the Broadway show entitled "Everybody is welcomed" or the other great musical piece "Knock on wood". "As Time goes by" his played many times as well as sung a few times by Sam throughout the movie, it is the true anthem of Casablanca.

The movie art direction was mostly done by the writers, the most important of which were the Epstein's brothers who were in charge of writing the dialogues and etching the characters as we now know them today, with a lot of wit and personality.

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Approximate Word count = 1519
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)