D. W. Griffith is the director of Birth of a nation (1915) the film continues to divine opinions among film critics, practitioners and theorists as the subject of the film is extremely problematic regarding the writing and the cast, but also uses various film techniques that had not been used together before, making the film look very good despite it’s controversial writing.

according to cousins, the hub of film production in the USA moved from the east coast to Hollywood as it was harder for patents to be enforced, provided better weather conditions, and made it easier to film.

cousin describes Denmarks film industry as the best in the 1910’s this was because of the natural lights that could not be achieved anywhere else, this was also due to the intellectually driven writing of the films, and a lack of censorship in Scandinavia compared to the USA meaning film makers could take risks, explore topics and be more free in general

two directors from this time are Benjamin Christensen, who directed Haxan, a second director is victor sjostrom, who directed the phantom carriage.

the name of the first film by the lumiere broths was filming workers leaving a factory, it was released in 1895

a phantom ride was an early genre of film, depicting vehicles simply moving forwards, they were often filmed via strapping a cameraman to the front of a vehicle.

the silent films “the sick kitten” and “the life of an American fireman” were ground-breaking as the sick kitten was a close up, which was a first for films, and the life of an American fireman was the first example of continuty editing

the name of the first hollywood “star” was Florence Lawrence

warren beatty – Clyde Barrow

warren Beatty was a star before bonnie and Clyde, he was in several films some being: Lilith (1964), mickey one (1965)

he was cast because he was a star at the time

faye dunaway – bonnie

Faye wasn’t a star before bonnie and Clyde, as she was mostly in Broadway and small films before bonnie and clyde

Norman Jewison hired Dunaway after he saw scenes from Bonnie and Clyde before its release. As Arthur Penn had needed to persuade Warren Beatty to cast Dunaway, Jewison had to convince McQueen that she was right for the part.

gene hackman

gene hackman wasnt a star before bonnie and clyde, and the movie allowed him to become more famous and get more roles

Hackman made his first credited film appearance opposite Beatty in the 1964 film “Lilith”, where Beatty realized Hackman was one great actor. So when casting “Bonnie and Clyde”, he immediately wanted Hackman to play “Buck”. Hackman was appearing on Broadway at the time, so Penn went to see him

micheal J pollard

micheal wasnt a star prior to bonnie and clyde but the role as c.w moss allowed him to get more roles and become a bigger actor

i would give the film an 8/10, it was very good, and had good characters.

a memorable scene is the ending scene, where bonnie and clyde are gunned down

new hollywood is the period of hollywood from between the late 1960s to the late to mid 1970s where studios relinquished control to young directors in hopes of capturing these arthouse audiences, allowing for greater risk-taking and broader innovation.

stars from the new hollywood period:

• woody allen
• Warren Beatty
• René Auberjonois
• Karen Black
• Timothy Bottoms
• Christopher berry

some directors are

• Martin Scorsese
• Steven Spielberg
• Robert Altman

some films from new hollywood are

• taxi diver
• Bonnie and clyde
• China town
• badlands
• jaws

around this period the TV was rising in popularity

the civil rights act had just been past

the americans started the cold war with the USSR

sets (interiors)

sets are used as a story telling device in Casablanca, we can see this with Ricks bar, as it is used to show a place where people find solitude, can make deals, and distract themself from their troubles.

another set that is used as a story telling device is the train station as the rain shows rick’s heartbreak and allows us to sympathize with him having to leave the person he loves.

locations:

the location of the town in the opening scene shows what kind of place Casablanca is and what it is like to be there

the location of the airport is used to show that the end is near, and that the film is ending, also showing us how rick has changed as now he is staying and ingrid is leaving, contrasting the train station scene where he leaves and ingrid stays

costumes:

costumes are used as a story telling device as it tells us about a character, we see this with  Major Strasser as he is always wearing his badges and is always in uniform while on screen, showing how he is a prideful person.

we see this with rick’s costume aswell, as he wears a white tuxedo in the film, white usually being a colour to show purity, showing that despite his cynical shell, inside he is a sympathetic person.

1. Humphrey Bogart was already a star before Casablanca some of his previous films were Across the Pacific, The Big Shot, All Through the Night, and the maltease falcon Humphrey’s relationship with warner bros was good, i think he was cast for his film because of his previous films, experience, and professionalism
2. indrid bergman was already a star before casablanca, some of her previous films were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Adam Had Four Sons, her relationship with warner bros was good, i think she was cast because she was a known star and was popular
3. dooley wilson was not a star before casablanca, some of his earlier films were Take a Letter, Darling , My favourite blonde, he had no relationship with warner bros, i think he was cast because of his ability to perform musically and as a character
4. paul henreid was already a star before casablanca, some of his earlier films were Under Your Hat, Joan of Paris, Night Train to Munich, his relationship with warner bros was good, i think he was chosen because of his skill in acting
5. Claude rains was already a star before casablanca, some of his earlier films were The Wolf Man Four Mothers and the sea hawk, his relationship with warner bros was good, i think he was chosen because je was a good actor
6. conrad veid was a german born actor who escaped germany someof his previous films were the man who laughs, and waxworks, he had a good realationship with warner bros, i think he was chosen as the idea of a german playing a nazi in a film to boost morale would be more realistic
7. sydney greenstreet was already a star through the film the maltease falcon, for which he received a nomination for a supporting actor award, some of his previous films were the maltease falcon and they died with their boots on, i think he was chosen because he acted in the maltease falcon, and so did other actors
8. peter lorre was already an actor and had been in quite a lot of films, some of his previous films were The missing wife, M, the white demon, and the man who knew too much, i think he was chosen because he was an already well known star who had been in a lot of films and was recognisable at the time.

i think that Casablanca was a 6/10 film, it had a good musical score, and camera shots, and was written well, a memorable scene is the opening scene as it shows what kind of place Casablanca was and how it isnt safe

Mise en scene:

set design is used in the “worst toilet in Scotland” scene, as the set is dirty, uses dark colours, this is to reflect how Renton’s life has been affected by drugs, as he no longer has standards

sound:

sound is used to show the character development of the characters, as at the start of the film mark Renton has a monologue about life being pointless, then at the end there is a much more light hearted monologue about life

cinematography:

in the opening tracking shots are used to follow renton as he runs away

editing:

in the intro, we see a montage showing rentons life, introducing him and his friends the montage shows how chaotic his life is, and towards the end how drugs have affected it, as he is in a worn down house.