Part 1: Brief Reference 

What did you like about the film? I liked the narrative/plot and how he ends up being the person he sees dying at the end.	What didn’t you like? I didn’t like the fact it was only images shown as it didn’t exactly depict the full story well enough for me to understand clearly.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style?  I liked the narrative in the short film so could use a similar idea in the circular narrative it used.	What ideas won’t you use? Why?  The lack of the actors talking confused me because it was one man doing the voiceover, so the tone of the whole short film was the same throughout.

Establishing protagonist – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?

The short film focuses on tracing the life of a man, a slave who travels in time to find a solution to the world’s destiny. He is the main protagonist, who remains nameless, and is sent back and forth in and out of time in an experiment that attempts to unravel the fate and the solution to the problems of a post-apocalyptic world during the aftermath of WW3. The experiment results in him getting caught up in a reminiscence of past events that are recreated on an airport viewing pier. 

Establishing other characters – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed? 

We see the other woman at the beginning and end, emphasizing her importance to the narrative. She almost leads the story on because she represents the main protagonist’s death and foregrounds that at the start. 

Establishing location (time and place) – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed? 

We know from the beginning that the location is Paris. The images they show of bombed out wreckage of the city are real WW2 images. 

Creating Enigmas – what are they? How are they created? 

Throughout the narrative, we question the beginning death scene and who the dying man is, we wonder how he dies, who the woman is and why he’s there. These are powerfully answered through the end scene and the images and voice over. 

Narrative binary oppositions 

The film is primarily based on the theme of past vs future, which is the main narrative binary opposition because of the protagonist’s confliction of deciding to either stay or travel back to the past in which he can find the woman. 

Crisis – how was this conveyed? 

I think the crisis is the moment he finds the woman as that is technically when his death is. Then when he dies of course is the other crisis, though metaphorically it’s when he sees the woman as she basically foregrounds his death. 

Resolution – is it closed or open narrative? 

I would say the narrative is either circular or closed as it is a loop so it doesn’t have much opportunity to continue the story. 

Part 3: Meaning and Effect 

What did you think was the intention of the filmmaker(s)? Intellectual message? Emotional response? How was this achieved?

I think the message of the film was that you can’t change your past or go back in time in order to achieve things, because it will mess with time, and the same thing will happen but in a different way. I think this idea was shown by the crisis at the end in which the main protagonist dies, because he tries to go back but ends up being the person he sees dead at the start. 

The effects of the aesthetic binary oppositions

I think the photos that show each scene and the time change throughout create the effect of change, as they progress throughout and showcase his emotions of loss and almost an identity loss. 

Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film? 

Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme I like the plot of him going back in time and getting caught up in his own death.	Creating enigmas  I like the mystery and enigma of the woman on the airport viewing pier. I would use a similar concept in my film of the mysterious person who technically brings the film together.
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?) I would use the idea of the beginning and end linking to complete the story as I quite liked that concept.	Striking use of technical features  In a way, although it wasn’t my favorite technique, the photos did add effect to the film overall because it added dramatic effect, so maybe I would add photos in my film.

Warren Beatty (Clyde Barrow) produced and acted in Bonnie and Clyde. He selected the writers (Robert Benton and David Newman) and the director (Arthur Penn) and also selected most of the cast. He also oversaw the script and spearheaded the delivery of the film.

Faye Dunaway (Bonnie Parker) was perfect for the spirit of the thirties and the spirit of the sixties. Penn had seen her scenes from ‘The Happening’ before its release and decided to let her read for the role of Bonnie Parker.

Michael J. Pollard (C.W. Moss) is best known for his role in Bonnie and Clyde, he was relatively unknown before this film.

Gene Hackman (Buck Barrow) had most of his stardom come in for him in the 1970s, in which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971).

Realism in Casablanca is shown through the romance aspect of the film, and the theme of war shown throughout. The conflicted love affair between Rick and Ilsa portrays realistic aspects that create effect to the characters of the film, while the war theme creates a real meaning that impacts the narrative of the film.

Tone in the film is portrayed in a dramatic and romantic way. It shows the sad effects of war, while also being a form of escapism from war shown through the romance between Rick and Ilsa.

The visual style of ‘Film Noir’, can be seen through the dark look and shadows used in the film at Rick’s Café, typical of the film noir style. The use of urban settings, unconventional camera angles and low-key lighting also help define Casablanca’s ‘noir’ style.