Casablanca
Essay Preview: Casablanca
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When 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 Ricks 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.
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 wont 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. Ilsas leaving him at the train station has changed him. As we see the close up shot of Ilsas 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 a bit unhappy. Yvonne looks lost. However Yvonne finds herself once again when the Victor Laszlo has the band play Le Marseilles to drown out the German singers. What is amazing in this scene is that as the band starts to play all other action stops in the cafй. Everyone immediately stands and joins in. A group that just prior was a group out only for themselves has joined together in this symbolic battle with the Germans. The are two close up shots of Yvonnes face as she sings and we see the tears well up in her eyes and her voice get louder and louder as the song fills her spirit. The song has helped her realize her mistake with the German soldier.
There is a small scene within the film about a young couple who cannot afford an exit visa to get