Set Design

The use of set design in Casablanca communicates to the spectator important story-telling aspects, such as Rick’s bar being the most popular and active place in Casablanca. Because of this, the spectator is encouraged to understand Ricks presence in the Casablanca community, and subsequently his status regarding the level of standard he upkeeps in his bar.

Locations

The use of filming on Location in the ending scene of Casablanca firstly ensures the verisimilitude of the movie itself, its presence during WW2 and the weather as a vehicle of pathetic fallacy mirroring the moving and dramatic final moment between Rick and Ilsa. The fog behind them effectively represents the clouded judgment of Ilsa, and how she, at first, values her and Ricks relationship over her safety. The bad weather also suggests to the spectator how fleeing Casablanca is a rare privilege, and wont be delayed or interrupted by the fog.

Costumes

The use of costumes in Casablanca is also used to tell the story of love and devotion and heartbreak. Ilsa and her husband Victor wear similarly coloured/ shaded clothing in the penultimate sequence, foreshadowing how they leave together in the end, rather than separated like Ilsa and Rick. Rick appears to wear darker clothes, more sophisticated, aligning with his mysterious and dark persona.

Props

Casablanca also uses props in a way that tells a story. The scene where the police arrest a man in Ricks Bar causes commotion and worry amongst the people in the bar, the movie also depicts Rick picking up a glass in order to restore some normality in the war-ridden, politically dangerous time the movie was set.

Similarly, in the flashback Rick has about his old relationship with Ilsa, the night where the Nazis invade Paris, Ilsa knocks over a glass. By connecting these two shots using props the spectator is forced to think about the carnage the war has caused, and how it forcibly separated the two. The way Rick picks up the glass in his own Bar also suggest how he didn’t get the opportunity to fix the relationship between him and Ilsa in the first place.