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Casablanca

Casablanca

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Humphrey Bogart- Rick Blaine

before Casablanca he specialised in gangster movies. a leading man. He not had worked with Warner brothers as a leading man before, and never as a a romantic lead. He was ‘recognised as being a character actor’ and ‘being tough without a gun’. Which is a large difference from his previous roles. He had been mainly convicts and gangsters and other gritty roles, so this role was a large switch for him. He was on contract with Warner Brothers. Ronald Raegan was originally considered for this role.

Ingrid Bergman- Ilsa Lund

it wasn’t a decision from the start to have a foreign female lead. She was cast to be a more exotic pick other than being attractive. She had previous acting credits on screen and on stage. Casablanca was an early one of her American films. Americans typically like European accents.

Paul Henreid- Victor Lazlo

Austrian American actor, director, producer and writer. He was in films like ‘Night Train to Munich'(1940) and ‘Now, Voyager'(1942)

Claude Rains- Captain Louis Renult

British American actor. Worked for 65 years as an actor. He was in films like ‘The invisible Man'(1933) and ‘Phantom of the Opera'(1943). Won the ‘best actor in a play’ Tony award in 1951 for ‘Darkness at Noon’.

Sydney Greenstreet- Signor Ferrari

British American actor. He was in film like ‘The Maltese Falcon'(1941) and ‘Passage to Marseille'(1944). Started his acting career in a 1902 production of Sherlock Holmes.

Peter Lorre- Ugarte

Hungarian American actor. He was in films like ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much'(1934) and ‘M'(1934). He was originally an active actor in Europe before moving to America.

S.Z. Sakall- Carl

Hungarian American actor. He was in films like ‘Christmas in Connecticut'(1945) and ‘Lullaby of Broadway'(1951).

Dooley Wilson- Sam

American actor. He is in films like ‘My Favourite Blonde'(1942) and ‘Stormy Weather'(1943). Began performing at 7 years old, in churches.

Madeline Lebeau- Yvonne

French actress. She was in films like ‘Hold Back the Dawn'(1941) and ‘Gentleman Jim'(1942). She lived Paris until she fled in 1940 because of the German invasion.

Joy Page- Annina Brandel

American actress. She was in films like ‘Kismet'(1944) and the first season of ‘The Swamp Fox'(1959)

John Qualen- Berger

American actor. He was in films like ‘The Grapes of Wrath'(1940) and ‘His Girl Friday'(1940). He also appeared in plays such as ‘Street Scene’ and ‘Arrowsmith’

Michael Curtiz- director

Hungarian. works on 173 films for WB over 40 years. HE has knowledge on what it is like leaving Europe. His job is making sure everyone in on top of their game. His use of camera movement was impressive in the film. His use of dolly shots broke away from the norm, making the scenes look like a dance, having both the camera and the actors moving. Most of the extras he cast where refugees/immigrants in real life as well as on stage. this is so they have the actual experience of leaving their country and feeling before, so they are able to portray these same feelings on screen. Their passion comes through in the scene where the patrons all sing the French National Anthem. 34 different nationalities are represented in front and behind the camera. the film is a studio’ed film, so there is contracted stars in this.

The script for the play Casablanca is based on ‘Everybody Comes to Rick’s’ arrives at WB the day after Pearl Harbour (the Japanese bombed the American fleet in Hawaii. an unprovoked attack).

Warner brothers was known as the Gangster studio in its early days.

The producer is the one who oversees all of the behind the scenes aspects of production. Hal Wallace was the Producer on Casablanca. Mainly the producer will be the one to get the team of writers together and secure the rights for the script. They may also make changes to the script (i.e. making the female lead non-American), they will often do this to suit their message better (make her more sympathetic to American audiences so they feel sympathetic towards Europeans.)

Mise-en-Scene in Casablanca

The lighting in Casablanca is used to create mood. Without colour, it only has blacks, whites and greys to work with. The lighting plays a key role in this, As darker colours can be used to represent intimacy, such as when Rick and Ilsa are dancing. In this scene, they are lit from behind and a shadow is cast over their faces, only showing the prominent details of their faces. As well as this, the costuming plays another large role in Casablanca. The characters the audience is meant to be sympathetic with and root for are in pale colours, usually white, the colours associated with good. While the characters we are meant to be against are all in darker colours, usually black, this again references the common trope of the bad characters wearing black. the props that where used for Casablanca

Editing in Casablanca

The editing that was used in Casablanca was the popular style of editing at the time, Invisible editing. This style was used so the audience could stay invested in the Film. It makes sure that the continuity of the movie is straight forward, going from start to middle to end.

Sound in Casablanca

there is a repeated sound motif with the use of the song as time goes by, and the section that Ilsa hums. It is put into a lot of the score.

Aesthetics in Casablanca

The locations where all purpose built for Casablanca. They where made based off of a few photos that had been taken years earlier, since it was mid war, they couldn’t fly over as they pleased. So the film takes on an idealistic view of Casablanca.

Themes and issues:

isolationism – the choice to remain apart from interests of other countries political affairs.

what was Americas view on world war 2 – they where unsure on if they should get involved in a European war. This links to rick because he didn’t want to get into the war until it concerned him, then he began to help. at the start of ww2, 96% of Americans didn’t want to get involved with the phoney war in Europe.

Rick is an isolationist/cynical character, but by the end he has helped people and became a sentimentalist and much more patriotic.

Representation in Casablanca

women- women are portrayed to be weak and emotional in the movie. they are also used as plot devices to forward the male characters. While Ilsa is a central character, she is used as Rick’s love interest to make him look better. they are treated like things to be protected.

men- they are shown as very dominant, because of how they are all in the roles of power. Rick is the one running the place. they are shown as violent.

authority figures- they are all men. there are no women in positions of power in this, reinforcing the idea of the time that women cannot be in positions of power.

people of colour- the only POC that is predominantly featured in Casablanca is Sam. he is shown in as a positive character. He has always been playing music for Rick, following him from place to place.

Americans- they are shown in a savior type role. the movie is very patriotic and rick is shown as a hero by having him let Ilsa escape with her husband.

Europeans- Europeans are shown in a positive light, as they all rise to sing La Marseillaise. This is a representation of hope from the occupation of Germans.

Political and Social Contexts in Casablanca

Allies – Great Britain, USA, USSR

Axis – Germany, Italy, Japan

France- Originally an allied power but surrendered to Germany. Some soldiers and generals want to fight on, (free French – allies) Vichy France is a territory and it has its own government, basically just the Germans. Vichy France controls Casablanca (not the film)

Casablanca is in Morocco, it is part of French territory.

“it captures the zeitgeist”: Zeitgeist – the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history (shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time)

the war starts in 1939, America joins in 1941 because Japan bombed Pearl Harbour

Operation Torch – an allied invasion of French North Africa in the second world war (November 1942)

Casablanca has its world Premiere on November 26 1942 in New York. goes on General release in January 1943.

Casablanca Conference – a meeting between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill in Casablanca. It most notably finalised the plans for a policy of an ‘Unconditional surrender’ (January 1943)

In the Cinema they would have movie reels, like in news. They learn about the war through these reels and through the radio and news papers.

Serendipity – luck or chance.

Casablanca

Casablanca First Response

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Rating: 6/10

I can see why Casablanca is enjoyed by a large number of Film fans, the cinematography and lighting is great and definitely one of the stage out aspects of it. I personally couldn’t get into the story that much.

Stand out scene:

I think the stand out scene for me was when Ilsa asks Sam to play ‘As Time Goes By’. I think it is a good insight to her character and how she is still attached to her past with Rick.

Hollywood

the birth of Hollywood

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1900-1930

1 – why did film makers and producters move to hollywood?

to avoid Thomas Edison’s film laws

2 – two actors and directors/producers from the silent era:

actors: Charlie Chaplin – known for The Kid, Modern Times and his character of The Tramp

King Baggot – known for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Ivanhoe and he was also a director for movies such as Tumbleweeds and The Home Maker.

directors:

Buster Keaton – known for The General, Seven Chances and was also an actor.

Sergei Eisenstein – known for Battleship Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky and Strike.

pictures: The general and battleship Potemkin

3 – in what ways were the early Hollywood studio system like a factory or production lines? or football teams?

the main roles of the film making process where split up into many different roles so multiple projects could be being made at the same time. if actors where not doing well, they could have their contract cut short

4- When and what was the first ‘talking picture’?

the jazz singer – 1927

5 – why did the end of the silent era cause problems for some performers in the film industry?

their voices (funny or thick accent)

6 – what was happening at the time in America?

world war one 1914, wall street crash 1929, great depression 1929

The golden age of Hollywood 1930-47:

1 – what where the big 5 studios and what movies did they made

MGM – Wizard of Oz

Paramount – Shanghai Express

RKO – Bringing up Baby

20th Century FOX – How Green Was My Valley

Warner Brothers – Footlight Parade

2 – Vertical Integration: where one company would own every aspect of the film’s production (the making, advertising, distribution and exhibition)

Block booking: ensuring that seats will be filled (the act of owning the theaters as well as the movies themselves)

3- why and when did the original studio system collapse?

1948 – united states versus Paramount Pictures.

this case argued that by owning all aspects of production, it was ruining competition.

4- what was happened in america at the time

the great depression/wall street crash

5- what genres where popular at the time? and why would people go to the movies in this time period?

musicals, westerns and gangster movies. people would go as a form of escapism, because of how bad their lives where outside of the movies.

Classical Hollywood Style

Invisible Style of Storytelling- making the editing style of the movie not noticeable by the audience to keep them immersed in the movie. focused on the Plot and Character development, it is told Chronologically.

Continuity Editing- blending multiple camera shots together to create a consistent and cohesive narrative.

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Film Noir

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Definition- a genre or style of film that is typically a thriller or detective film made mainly during 1944-1954 that are in black and white. The use of black and white is usually done to visually show the divide between a good and evil force. The characters are usually pessimistic or menacing.

Classic Noir:

Strangers on a Train -1951

Neo Noir:

The Lighthouse – 2019

This is England

This is England: Micro Elements

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Cinematography:

During this sequence Shaun is talking to Combo, their conversation is boosted by the use of cutting between extreme close ups of each other. During this scene Combo is acting like a father figure to Shaun, so the closeness could be a representation of that.

Mise-en-Scene:

during this scene, you can easily tell that this house has been run down for years, but judging by the small glimpse of Shaun’s house, you can assume that even before is was abandoned, it still wouldn’t have been in the best state. This is connoting that the area they live in is run down. This is shown by the dim lighting, the chipping paint on the walls, the already broken debris on the countertop and the dust/sawdust on the floors.

Editing:

The opening to This is England is is edited with cuts to what looks like mixes of tv recordings and home videos, this helps to put the audience into the mindset of the time. It also helps ground the story and subtly show what the main plot points will be about. The stark contrast between the clips at the beginning and end help encapsulate the mindset of the time. The imagery going from videos of live performances and people dancing in clubs, to images of war and the people effected by it.

Sound:

music is a large part of This is England, as most alternative subcultures have a style of music they are associated with. Along with this, there is a large amount of popular music from the time period. this is displayed in the opening scene, where the 1968 ska song ’54-46 Was my Number’ is playing in the background. Ska along with Soul, R&B and early reggae where popular with skinheads during this time.

This is England

This is England: Representation

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Young people:

while most of the People Shaun hangs out with are young adults, the youngest character is Shaun himself. At the beginning the movie he is portrayed as short tempered and naïve. This aspect of him is later taken advantage of by Combo and his group to make Shaun start to hold nationalistic ideals.

Older people:

Combo is the best example of an older person in This is England. He is shown at first to be a well meaning but badly executing man, but later he is shown as borderline psychopathic. He is almost a father figure towards Shaun, so when he starts to take him to these nationalist events/meetings, he trusts him and where he holds his views.

Class:

the main class of people represented in This is England is lower class people. The areas that they are shown to live in/hang out in are often run down or in a not great condition. This is giving the audience the impression that lower class areas are more run down. it is best shown in the scene when Shaun wakes up, because you can see his wall in the back is damaged and hasn’t been fixed.

English people:

A huge part of This is England is the idea of nationalism. The idea that a lot of the cast are very proud about being English is most exemplified by the scene where Combo is asking Milky if he considers himself English, there is a sense of tension and suspense that is weighted on his answer.

People of colour:

A lot of the movie hinges on the idea of nationalism, which itself is grounded in racist ideology. This is best shown through the sequence that leads up to Combo robbing the corner store. You see him teaching Shaun slurs and hateful language to use against the man in the shop, who he interacted with at the beginning of the film. During this robbery, an extreme act of violence, or at least the threat of it, takes place. By showing that Combo would gladly pull out a machete and threaten this man’s life with it, it shows his hatred so much more than just him teaching Shaun how to speak. Along with this, Combo is the main portrayer of violence, both in general and towards people of colour. This is once again shown by the scene where he beats Milky almost to death, purely for speaking about his family.

Men/ the idea of masculinity:

Masculinity is a very important part of Combo’s character. this is best exemplified in the scene right after he bead Milky to near death. Shaun is crying over this because he cares for Milky and his safety, while Combo shouts at him to help him carry Milky. During his shouting, he tells Shaun that men don’t cry, which was a common term used by people at that time to teach young boys about masculinity. He is also seen in an earlier scene trying not to cry after he was rejected by Lol, he responds to this feeling of sadness with violence, which could have lead to the later outburst with Milky, because he viewed himself as less masculine so had to prove himself to himself that he is still masculine, by teaching a young boy the same ideals that he learnt.

Women:

Women take less of a main role as the male characters do in This is England, but are shown in a way that is mean to mimic real life, showing how they themselves can be confident, but also showing the struggles that come with being a woman. This is best shown in the scene where Combo pressures Lol into following him to his car while she is on her way to work. Combo is shown to be praying apon her, as he talks bout a night they had together, Lol clarifying that it was the worst of her life, while Combo saying it was the best. She puts herself forward and makes it known that she doesn’t want that, showing that she can be domineering and stern. He clearly doesn’t get the idea that Lol probably didn’t want anything to do with him after that, so still continues to try and talk her into a relationship while she declines. But women are also shown to be in that same situation, with characters like Smell, who accepts Shaun’s offer of being his girlfriend, despite the fact she herself is 18 and Shaun is 12.

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Exam Feedback

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1- Pick out the phrases / vocab you think is impressive.

‘the deliberate and stylised use of this slow-motion reaction shot’

2- Define ‘diegetic’

Diegetic: things that are present in the world of the movie.

3- Define ‘cathartic effect’

Cathartic effect: the emotional response an audience has after seeing a movie

4- Define ‘reframing’

Reframing: change in camera position

5- How is this paragraph structured

point is made. evidence is given. explanation. linked back to the point.

Throughout Joker, cinematography is used effectively to create a sense of chaos within the film’s diegetic world. This is particularly evident in the scene towards the end of the film where Arthur is shown in a  low- angle, close-up looking out of the police car window and reacting with glee at the riots taking place around him. Here, the camera is used to position  the spectator as not only connecting with Arthur, but now looking up to him. This suggests to the spectator that the tables have turned and Arthur, who was earlier depicted as pathetic and sad, is now depicted as powerful and heroic. This “reframing” of  the central character” has a potentially cathartic effect on the spectator who has, up until this point, been encouraged to sympathise with Arthur’s point of view as a victim of circumstance. The deliberate and stylised use of this slow-motion reaction shot, enables the spectator to get a sense of poetic justice being served: Arthur is now on his way to prison.

This is England

This is England first response

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Rating: 6/10

I feel that the first 40 or so minuets of ‘This is England’ are the best of the whole movie. After Shaun stops being around Woody and starts hanging around with Combo more, I feel that the movie becomes less enjoyable, as to me it just felt like watching a child being manipulated and mistreated by adults he trusted for another hour, which I was not the biggest fan of. But I understand that this is probably the reaction that was wanted from the audience, and I enjoy some aspects of how it makes the viewer feel uncomfortable and as if they’re intruding on something they shouldn’t be.

Stand out scene:

I feel that the stand out scene for me was when Combo took Shaun, Gadget and Pukey to the nationalist meeting. It stood out to me because when I watched it, it made me feel uneasy, like I was intruding on something private that I shouldn’t and don’t want to see. The view of all these men listening to the man at the front spew hateful ideology, while later belittling the one person who decides to speak out on how stupid and hateful it was, really accentuates how the path Shaun is going down is a completely wrong one.

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Representation

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All aspects of a film form including narrative contribute to the representations of cultures and societies (gender, ethnicity and age) including the ideological nature of those representations.

Performance-

  • age
  • ethnicity
  • body language/gestures
  • facial expressions
  • costume

Stereotype- widely held but fixed oversimplified idea about a certain type of person or thing

Countertype- something that aims to go against its stereotype (i.e. black president of America)

Example: Sarah Connor

In the first terminator movie, Sarah is shown as timid and clumsy. She is a stereotypical waitress in the first movie, which being a fast pace and stressful environment, highlights these attributes by showing her in confrontations with customers.

While in the second movie, she is shown as very Countertypical compared to her first appearance. she is portrayed as an action heroine, showing her confidently handling guns. as well as this, her outfit now reflects her new role in the movie.

Trainspotting representation :

  1. who is doing the representation?- Danny Bo
  2. Who is being represented?- Drug addicts, Scottish lower class and men
  3. what social groups are omitted from representations?- non-white people. women are underrepresented. children
  4. what messages about particular social groups are being convicted?- Drug addicts are being shown in a very negative light and are shown to be reliant on them
  5. which characters or social groups have power within the representations?- men and the people who supply drugs to people
  6. do the characters adhere to or challenge stereotypes?- i feel they adhere to stereotypes about people who are addicted to drugs
  7. what do representations tell audiences about society at the time the film was made and/or set?- showing the underside of Edinburgh to audiences
Trainspotting

Trainspotting representation

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Older people– After Renton’s overdose, his parents take him in and care for him. Being some of the older characters who have a semi-prominent role in the story, they are shown as caring and nurturing as they look after Renton while he recovers and becomes sober.

Scottish people– during this scene, Renton talks about how he is not proud to be Scottish. He calls them ‘the lowest of the low’, and talks about how people hate the British, while they’re colonized by them. This is showing Scottish people as angry at the British, which is a common stereotype.

Addicts– There is two sides of addicts shown in Trainspotting. Towards the beginning, addicts are shown to be carefree and in a very positive light. They talk about how heroin is ‘better than sex’ multiple times though out the film. Which is then echoed by Tommy when he’s asking Renton for heroin after his breakup, which then leads t his downwards spiral and eventual death. Which is where the other, and much more prominent viewpoint comes from. Trainspotting shows how life as a drug addict is with little to no sugar coating, showing how it can impact someone’s social life, their reputation and relationships. Overall the portrayal and representation of addicts is very negative, but that is the films point.

Men– during this bar fight scene, all of the men are shown to be very aggressive, while the women leave. the confrontation starts very quickly and kicks off and while it started with only two people, it now involves the whole floor, which implies that men are aggressive and always wanting to fight.

Women– this scene is showing the women as cunning and well planned. Gail talks about how she enjoys seeing spud suffer from waiting. In the following scene they ask the boys what they where talking about, and when they get asked themselves, they reply with ‘shopping’ which pulls humour from a common stereotype that women like shopping