Film Analysis: Casablanca

The movie Casablanca has similarities to World War II. The movie begins by the viewer meeting Rick Blaine. He is the owner of a club that helps people from other countries receive their letters of transit. This club was a safe haven for many of the refugees. This club would allow for the refuges to obtain their letters of transit as well as earning some quick cash for traveling from gambling in the secret room. Another huge problem that Casablanca places emphasis on is that the German and French never see eye-to-eye. German Nazi’s were not happy about the letters of transit and would do anything to make sure that it stopped happening, for example shutting down Rick’s club.

It’s important to watch Casablanca while thinking about the context in which it was released. After the United States entered World War II, it was a little over a year before audiences saw Casablanca. It doesn’t take much investigation to see how the war plays a part in the storytelling, but certain film techniques helped emphasize messages the film wanted to tell its audience. Through the use of camera movement, the finale of Casablanca puts the spotlight on Strasser and Rick’s newfound relationship, which can convey a message about the United States and its allies.

Released September 29, 1950, Sunset Boulevard is a film noir of a forgotten silent film star, Norma Desmond, that dreams of a comeback and an unsuccessful screenwriter, Joe Gillis, working together. Ultimately an uncomfortable relationship evolves between Norma and Joe that Joe does not want a part of. Sunset Boulevard starts off with an establishing shot from a high angle shot with a narrative leading to a crime scene shot in long shot (a dead body is found floating in a pool). The narrative throughout the film established a formalist film.

In 1973, the beloved children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web, made its first appearance onto the screen. Over 30 years later, a newer version of the classic hit the big screen. Since both were closely based on the original book written by E. B. White, the movies still hold true to the core values and overall plot. Between the two films, there arose many similarities, but there were still a few variations in the two films. This essay will compare and contrast the ways in which the original animated version of Charlotte’s Web in 1973 and the live-action version of Charlotte’s Web in 2006 on terms of character’s setting, personalities, and plot.

Casablanca is one the classic Hollywood movie which is one of the most critically acclaimed Hollywood movies of all time and also very famous. Casablanca is a romance story that happens during World War II but the question is does it end there? Is Casablanca just a Romance movie? In this essay, I will be discussing how the movie Casablanca which is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed films of all time is a propaganda movie and what message is sending and the effects that propaganda movies make and why it’s important for governments.

Mise-en-scéne is crucial to classical Hollywood as it defined an era ‘that in its primary sense and effect, shows us something; it is a means of display. ' (Martin 2014, p.XV). Billy Wilder 's Sunset Boulevard (Wilder 1950) will be analysed and explored with its techniques and styles of mise-en-scéne and how this aspect of filmmaking establishes together as a cohesive whole with the narrative themes as classical Hollywood storytelling. Features of the film 's sense of space and time, setting, motifs, characters, and character goals will be explored and how they affect the characterisation, structure, and three-act organisation.

O Brother Where Art Thou? is a film that will take you on a perilous journey with Ulysses Everett McGill and his simpleminded cohorts. This film may be set amidst the early 1930’s Great Depression era, but it still has a Homer’s Odyssey feel to it. Down in the dusty and highly racial south, Everett recruits a couple of dimwitted convicts, Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O’Donnell, to help him retrieve his lost treasure and make it back home before his wife marries another suitor. These three convicts manage to stay one step ahead of the law while finding themselves in all sorts of trouble. It was nominated for 35 other awards, one of which was for best screenwriting. Released in December of 2000, this film won 7 awards, some of which for best soundtrack and score, album of the year, as well as best cinematography.

Casablanca’s narrative plot has a beginning, middle and an end. It has a certain symmetry about it and follows a set of norms and conventions. For a viewer, Casablanca is easy to understand and it simply tells a story that is not ambiguous. At the beginning of the film there is a narrative voice over which explains the political context of what is happening to the audience. The viewer never has to figure anything out for themselves therefor the film is conforming to a typical narrative structure. The storyline concerns the coming of World War II and a love triangle between Baine, Ilsa and Laszlo. The viewer’s main focus is on the love triangle rather than the political context making the overall storyline easy to understand. This also is an aspect as to why this movie conforms to a classical narrative approach.

The intriguing world of Casablanca, displays a wondrous mise-en-scene in fashion that accentuates emotions and feeling through aspects of cinematography. From the movement of the camera, to the intricacy of the shot distances chosen to be included within the frame, the film reveals important elements of the diegesis without uttering a sound. The cinematography of Casablanca gives the audience an insight into the intimacy of Rick and Ilsa's relationship, and seeks to situate the viewer’s attention to the space and time of the film.

The documentary, Merchants of cool, describes an evolving relationship between the vast teenage population and corporate America. The film provides an in-depth look at the marketing strategies and communication between these groups. Adolescents are shown as learners and adapters of the fast-paced world; they’re constantly exposed to fashions and trends. These young adults have a lot of disposable income and are willing to spend it, in order to gain social popularity. In other words, they are chasing ‘cool’. The corporate giant Viacom, however, faced difficulties marketing to such audience. Stubborn teenagers are unresponsive to conventional marketing messages. By conducting focus groups, researchers have learned that teenagers respond to ‘cool’. Accordingly, the merchandise industry had to embrace new marketing strategies.

This week I watched the Netflix original movie To the Bone. I was first drawn into this movie when looking through the Netflix originals list; when I saw the trailer.The trailer fascinated and captivated me, leading me to watch the movie. The movie follows a young women, named Ellen, on her journey seeking treatment for anorexia nervosa. The movie shows her struggle with thoughts of inadequacy, isolation, along with many other struggles as she struggles with her illness. Overall, minus a few hiccups, I greatly enjoyed this movie. The three aspects that most grabbed my attention becoming the sources of my enjoyment were character portrayal, the symbolism used in almost every scene, and connections to my own life experiences.

The Maltese Falcon is a film noir directed by John Huston. The film is based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett of the same name. The film was made and distributed by Warner Bros. and was released in October 1941. In this film, detective Sam Spade, played by Humphrey Bogart, takes on a case from the beautiful but deceptive Miss Wonderly, played by Mary Astor. That night, Spade’s partner, Archer, is killed while following Mr. Thursby, who is also killed. It is revealed that Miss Wonderly’s real name is Brigit O’Shaughnessy and that she had been working with Thursby. Spade is approached by Mr. Gutman, played

The Godfather (1972) is said to be one of the greatest films ever made. When this movie was released in 1972, it was nominated for Ten Academy Awards and it won three: Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was adapted from the book with the same name written by award winning author of mafia fiction, Mario Puzo. This film takes place in a span of ten years following the life of Don Corleone, the head of the Corleone Crime Family. It was a film that changed the history of cinema, introducing a very talented filmmaker and several acting legends in the telling of a story of a Sicilian Crime Family. The most memorable scene in the film is the opening scene of the movie which is also my choice of scene to elaborate on mise-en-scene.

I chose this movie because it is a great film that has the power to convey the unimaginable. This is a movie that can make the viewer not only to watch it, but to experience every moment of it. Probably, it is not kind of the film that makes one want to start one’s life all over, but definitely transports the viewer to another time and place, while always maintaining its worth as a piece of visual art.

The study aims at analyzing the cultural differences between European culture and Indian culture, comparing different dimension of cultures. How cultural differences can be managed. What are the factors that affect the ideology, thinking and behavior of an individual. Can the culture of an individual be changed from what it is from childhood; i.e. is it possible for an in individual to change its culture entirely.