Realism

The elements of design in Casablanca, the setting is realistic during the time of 1942 and World War 1. The setting shows the emotion of the people in the film during this time, with the stress of getting off the island and to America where it was safe.

On the other hand, the well-lit, planned out feel of the movie interrupts its ‘realistic’ feel. The immaculate costume and good looking love interests are also used to weave this movie in with other films that follow Hollywood’s surrealistic ‘ideal’ look.

Visual Style

Casablanca’s style and emotional feel has its roots in the black and white, high-contrast style of the German Expressionist filmmakers. In Expressionism, the filmmaker tends to distort or bend reality for an emotional effect. This unique style might have been lost, had World War II not changed the course of events.

Tone

 The fluid camera movements and suspenseful content in Casablanca establishes the tone of the film and manipulates the audience’s mood through imagery, setting, and character emotion/action.  The tone of ‘Casablanca‘ is established in the initial scenes through suspenseful music, the heroine’s troubled expression, and the dramatic and precise mise-en-scene.