I liked this film. I like how the film starts with bonnie and we get to see the majority of the film from her perspective, bonnie is not treated as a trophy to be won, and she also joins Clyde in committing crimes which was a new outlook on how women were perceived in cinema. The opening of the film puts the main female character at the centre, as well as showing her as partially naked. conveying the female lead as naked and having her as the first thing the audience sees would have been a revolutionary move in cinema at this time, regarding the hayes code and societies view on women. This film gets a 9.5/10

Humphrey Bogart was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart as the greatest male star of classic American cinema. Humphrey Bogart’s breakthrough came with his 1941 film High Sierra, although he rose to stardom after acting in John Huston’s Maltese Falcon, which is considered to be one of the great noir films. Bogart was on contract to warner bros who were known for their gritty gangster films, which Bogart was commonly cast in. -made his name as a character who is tough without a gun.

RICK BLAIN

Ingrid Bergman rose to stardom after acting in Casablanca which was her second English speaking role. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cinematic history.

ILSA LUND.

Paul Henreid was an Austrian-American actor, director, producer, and writer. He is best remembered for several film roles during the Second World War, including Capt. Karl Marsan in Night Train to Munich, Victor Laszlo in Casablanca and Jerry Durance in Now, Voyager. Mr. Henreid’s first big American success was in another such role, that of the bombastic German consul in the Guild Theater production of “Flight to the West.” The play opened in New York on Dec. 30, 1940, and helped get him his first Hollywood contract, with RKO Radio Pictures in 1941.

Claude Rains was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man, a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and, perhaps his most notable performance, as Captain Renault in Casablanca.

Hans Walter Conrad Veidt was born on 22 January 1893 in his parents’ home at Tieckstraß. A new career path for Veidt opened up in 1911 during a school Christmas play in which he delivered a long prologue before the curtain rose. The play was badly received, and the audience was heard to mutter, “Too bad the others didn’t do as well as Veidt.” Veidt began to study all of the actors he could and wanted to pursue a career in acting, much to the disappointment of his father, who called actors ‘gypsies’ and ‘outcasts’.

Greenstreet’s stage debut was as a murderer in a 1902 production of a Sherlock Holmes story at the Marina Theatre, Ramsgate, Kent.^{[citation needed]} He toured Britain with Ben Greet‘s Shakespearean company, and in 1905 made his New York City debut in Everyman. He appeared in such plays as a revival of As You Like It (1914). He appeared in numerous plays in Britain and America, working through most of the 1930s with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne at the Theatre Guild. His stage roles ranged from musical comedy to Shakespeare, and years of such versatile acting on two continents led to many offers to appear in films. He refused until he was 61.

He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before moving to Germany, where he worked first on the stage, then in film, in Berlin during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Lorre, who was Jewish, left Germany after Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power Lorre caused an international sensation in the Weimar Republic–era film M (1931) where he portrayed a serial killer who preys on little girls. His second English-language film was Alfred Hitchcock‘s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), made in the United Kingdom.

Eventually settling in Hollywood, he later became a featured player in many Warner Bros. crime and mystery films. He acted in Mad Love (1935), Crime and Punishment (1935), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Passage to Marseille (1944), and My Favorite Brunette (1947). During this time he acted in several films acting alongside actors Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet.

THEMES AND ISSUES

ISOLATIONISM- a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries. Isolationists believed that World War II was ultimately a dispute between foreign nations and that the United States had no good reason to get involved

When WW2 first erupted America quickly decided to stay neutral and not get involved in any affairs regarding the war. Rick Blain is the personification of Americas Isolationism in WW2, he starts the film off by being heavily removed from any situations regarding the Nazis or Allies, until, someone he cares for, Ilsa Lund turns up, as kind of his own pearl harbour that pushes him to fight against the Nazis around him. In the early days of the war, 96% of Americans expressed that they did not want America getting involved and thought of it as a “phony” war. Rick Blain starts off the film very cynical and hard-headed, but as the film comes to an end after reuniting with Ilsa his patriotism rears is head.

REPRESENTATIONS IN CASABLANCA- MIS-EN-SCENE

1. Lighting

• Casablanca makes use of high-contrast lighting, which is characteristic of the film noir genre. Dimly lit interiors and shadows that create an air of mystery and tension. This lighting emphasizes the moral ambiguity of the characters, particularly Rick, whose personality is reflected in the shadowy spaces around him.

2. Set Design and Location

• The setting of Rick’s Café Americain is central to the mise-en-scene. The cafe itself, with its stylish but slightly worn-down décor, represents a neutral space in the conflict between the Axis and the Allies. It’s a microcosm of the larger world outside.
• The backdrop of war-torn Casablanca, with its French colonial influence, reflects the theme of escape and the complexity of wartime decisions, particularly in how the city is portrayed as a place of both opportunity and corruption.

3. Costumes

• Characters are dressed according to their roles and personalities, often in a way that subtly communicates their inner struggles or alignment. Rick’s tailored suits highlight his status and sophistication, while Ilsa’s elegant wardrobe conveys her grace but also her inner turmoil.

5. Props

Key props like the letters of transit and the piano play significant symbolic roles in the film’s themes. The letters represent the hope for escape, freedom, and a way out of Casablanca’s perilous political situation. The piano, particularly in the famous scene where Sam (Dooley Wilson) plays “As Time Goes By,” becomes a symbol of the past, love, and nostalgia, echoing Rick and Ilsa’s romance.

EDITING

The letters of transit is an important example of editing in Casablanca. This pivotal moment occurs near the end of the film, when Rick makes the sacrificial decision to ensure that Ilsa and Victor leave Casablanca, even though it means losing Ilsa forever. The editing here is crucial in building the emotional weight of the scene.

Cross-cutting between characters: The scene is carefully edited with cross-cutting between Rick, Ilsa, and Victor. As Rick makes his decision, the editor uses quick, tight shots of each character’s face, showing their emotional reactions—Rick’s stoic resignation, Ilsa’s tears, and Victor’s determination. The cross-cutting between them increases the emotional tension, as the audience feels the internal conflict each character is experiencing.

SOUND

1. Dialogue

• Dialogue: The dialogue in Casablanca is sharp, witty, and often filled with subtext. Rick’s dialogue, in particular, is filled with cynicism, reflective of his character’s emotional journey. His famous lines, like “Here’s looking at you, kid” or “We’ll always have Paris,” have become iconic for their mix of romanticism and bittersweetness.

2. Underscoring

• Max Steiner’s Score: The film’s musical score, composed by Max Steiner, uses underscoring to emphasize the emotional tone of key moments. One of the most notable ways this is done is through the recurring use of “As Time Goes By”, a song that becomes an integral part of the narrative and a thematic anchor for the film. The melody plays during key moments, such as when Sam plays it on the piano, reminding Rick and Ilsa of their past love and setting the nostalgic and tragic tone.
• Use of Music to Convey Emotion: The film also uses music to heighten tension and drama. For example, the score swells during dramatic moments of decision or sacrifice, adding weight to the characters’ choices and reinforcing the emotional stakes. The music’s swelling intensity complements the on-screen action and deepens the audience’s emotional engagement with the narrative.

3. Sound Motif

• “As Time Goes By” as a Sound Motif: The song “As Time Goes By” is more than just a piece of music in Casablanca—it functions as a sound motif that recurs throughout the film, representing Rick and Ilsa’s past love and the passage of time. The motif appears in different variations, from Sam playing it on the piano to the orchestral arrangements in key moments. The song’s repeated use ties together the themes of nostalgia, love, and lost time, creating a powerful emotional connection for the audience. It reminds the audience of the characters’ shared history and the poignant inevitability of their separation.

REPRESENTATIONS OF CHARACTERS.

WOMEN; In Casablanca, Ilsa Lund is the only prominent female character we meet. Ilsa is being competed over by Victor Laszlo and Rick Blain. Her character represents how women are viewed as trophies and never given enough agency to lead themselves, even in the face of persecution all the men in Ilsas life believe that she needs a man to take care of her.

MEN; The plot and the historic timeline that it follows reflects stereotypically masculine concerns: war, duty to country, and freedom. Every decision-maker depicter, regardless of his political affiliation, is a man. All viewers, both male and female, are forced to see the world of Casablanca through the eyes of a man – the lens of a masculinized camera.

AUTHORITY FIGURES; Captain Renault is represented by his corruption, although being the chief of police in Vichy French territory he still has his indulgences and helps refugees escape in exchange for sex. Eventually Renault decides to put his faith in rick and they form a friendship, this is symbolic of an alliance between the United States and France, emphasizing cooperation against the common enemy of fascism.

AMERICANS; when Ilsa walks back into Rick’s life, the American character (in a time of war) crystallizes: when circumstances demand heroism, Americans get tough on the outside and moral within, capable of sacrifice and romance and rugged individualism, shaping democracy, sticking their neck out. Rick’s Café, in itself, exalts the power of American diversity and the guarded optimism located in America in the forties.

why did filmmakers and producers move to Hollywood- The mountains, plains and low land prices made Hollywood a good place to establish film studios, this year-round climate was the best atmosphere for shooting films.

Big stars from this era, (filmmakers and actors)- Billy Wilder (director) Humphrey Bogart (actor) John Wayne (actor)

In what ways were the early Hollywood system like a factory or production line– actors were practically owned by production companies with extremely strong contracts that they could not get out of.

When and what was the first talking picture? The jazz singer, 1927

why did the end of the silent era cause problems for performers working in the industry. A lot of silent film stars disappeared from the movie industry, because they didn’t possess the right kind of voice for spoken cinema. There were other reasons: failure to understand the mechanics of sound and also not taking the new medium seriously.

what events were happening in America during this time– Prohibition, economic disaster, dustbowl catastrophe, WW1

THE HOLLYWOOD STUDIO SYSTEM

•1) What were the Big 5 studios & what type of movies was each studio famous for? Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., Paramount, Fox, and RKO. 

•2) Explain what vertical integration and block-booking was? Vertical integration means that production, distribution, and exhibition were handled “in-house.” although the proper definition of it being; the combination in one firm of two or more stages of production normally operated by separate firms

•3) Why and when did the original studio system collapse? The studio system was challenged under the antitrust laws in a 1948 Supreme Court ruling which sought to separate production from the distribution and exhibition and ended such practices

•4) What was happening in America(and around the world) at this time? (post WW2) A new world order began to emerge in 1948. The U.S. announced the Marshall Plan to help rebuild Europe, while a group of European nations formed an alliance that would evolve into NATO. The Berlin Blockade escalated tensions between the emerging superpowers, which eventually would come to result in the cold war, lasting until 1991

•5) What genres were popular and why did people go to the movies in this period? Westerns, musicals, screwball comedies, and film noir. Films at this time were crafted to be grand spectacles, and cinema was the only entertainment that the public had, many thought of it as an escape.

CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD STYLE

in Casablanca, invisible editing is used to silently back up the dominant use of story telling. Continuity editing is also a technique used by old Hollywood directors. This is an editing technique where shots are arranged in a certain way to suggest a progression of events. This style of editing was popular in old Hollywood as they relied heavily on dialogue and story telling to create a cinematic experience for the viewer, while small unnoticeable edits are used to add to the aesthetic of the film

Invisible story telling was an unnoticeable technique used by editors to immerse the audience within the story without making the edits and cuts obvious.

HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXTS.

ALLIES- America, Britian, USSR.

AXIX- japan, Germany, Italy.

France was occupied by the Germans early into WW2, this sparked outrage within some of the French, causing a group of rebels to form a new territory of France called Vichy France which seen little to no German occupation. Casablanca was in this Vichy French territory located in Morroco.

America joined the war in 1941, after the bombing of pearl harbour which took many American lives.

Operation Torch. -was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to begin their fight against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a limited scale.^[6] Nov 8, 1942 – Nov 16, 1942- it “Captured the zeitgeist”- General release January 1943

in a pre-internet era of the 1940s people used radios and newspapers to get their news. also film reels, were projected before films.

On November 26, 1942– first screening of Casablanca, in New York City.

Casablanca conference -was held in Casablanca, French Morocco, from January 14 to 24, 1943, to plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of World War II. The main discussions were between US President Franklin Roosevelt (with his military staff) and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill 

 Film Noir a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylized Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the “classic period” of American film noir. 

(Strangers on a train)

NEO-FILM NOIR. Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. This modern take on a classic technique allows for directors to explore amore sleazy and dark style.

All aspects of 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, wardrobe, Facial expressions, body language and reactions.

STEREOTYPE– a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

COUNTERTYPE– A representation that actively seeks to subvert and challenge negative stereotypes usually of a person, group or place.

SARAH CONNNOR REPRESENTATIONS

In terminator one Sarah Connor started off as a small town “girl next door” archetype who works as a waitress. Sarah is represented as a ditsy girl who had no interest in being a waitress. Sarah’s character represents the dominant ideology of female characters in Hollywood.

In terminator 2 Sarah’s character does a complete 180 turning into a soldier almost. Sarah is spotted with many assault rifles and adorning big muscular arms. The clothing she is wearing is not showing cleavage which would usually be expected in a 90s action thriller. Sarah’s character has taken on more male characteristics like smoking a cigarette and wearing a pair of sleek sunglasses. The director James Cameron has evolved the character of Sarah Connor to be able to carry out her purpose as a fighter.

TRAINSPOTTING REPRESENTATIONS

1.WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION? (DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT) DANNY BOYLE (DIRECTOR)

2.WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? (Identify specific social groups) The middle to lower class groups of Scotland who have been affected by heroin use directly or indirectly.

3.WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS?- The upper class of Scotland and England. Young teenagers and children

4.WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED?- Tells the audience how lower class communities are affected by drug abuse and crime

5.WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS? arguably the women. Lizzie broke up with tommy which lead him to heroin addiction. Diane coerced Mark into a illegal relationship despite only being 15. Gail denies spud sex because of an article in cosmopolitan.

6.DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES? characters like Renton challenge stereotypes with his commentary on gender and society adhering to neither male or female stereotypes

7.ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE?– The characters in Trainspotting break many stereotypes that are attached them, including sexual stereotypes and philosophical stereotypes and manage to show the audience that they do not think as people who are products of their environments, but as people who yearn for more outside of Scotland.

8.WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET?

GENDER– Trainspotting has a unique take on gender expression throughout the film. Mark Renton quotes “1000 years from now there will be no guys and no girls, just wankers. Sounds great to me.” Mark Renton is so deep into his addiction that his ideas on gender and how society is changing could be an example of the haze that addiction has put him in. Most of the women in this film are more authoritative than the men, with the exception of Allison who was not level-headed due to her addiction.

DRUGS– Drugs on this film are represented though the middle to lower class, this is a direct reference to the Thatcherism that created a generational legacy of destruction and drug use that is still effecting Scotland today. In the film Renton says  ‘There was no such thing as society. Even if there was, I most certainly had nothing to do with it.’ Margaret Thatcher made a similar sentiment in 1987 saying ‘they are casting their problems on society and who is society? There is no such thing! There are individual men and women and there are families, and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first.’ Renton indirectly quoting Thatcher shows the effect her policies had on the working class. The claim that there “is no society” is the same attitude that creates drug epidemics in the first place by making people believe that there is no place for them. In trainspotting addiction isn’t just about drugs, these men use drugs to fill a void of the empty and decrepit society they see around them, an emotional result of decades worth of corrupt politics.

SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND– When Trainspotting was released, Scotland’s is represented as a gritty location rather than a place full of Scottish history and culture. Because of this, us as the audience see a more realistic and current representation of Scottish people in the 1980s. A lot of slangs, Scottish dialect and even hints of Football culture is used/shown throughout the film that helped solidify the culture of Scotland. England or more specifically London was shown as a place of consumerism and new culture. Mark Renton got a new higher paying job selling over-priced apartments to young yuppies in London, showing the difference between the economic and class structure in England and Scotland. Mark Renton also experiences the new culture of electronic music, compared to the Iggy Pop era he was in whilst living in Edinburgh showing that Edinburgh was not as progressive as London was.

SEXUALITY – Sexuality is represented through the use of heroin. All the male characters do not have regular girlfriends apart from Tommy. When Tommy and his girlfriend break-up he subsequently gets hooked on Heroin creating a new damaging and lethal relationship. There is also a lot of female driven sexuality, we can see this through the character Diane who is only 15, but pursuing a sexual relationship with Renton.

AESTHETIC DEFINITION.- the way a film’s visual and aural features are used to create essentially non-narrative dimensions of the film, including the film’s ‘look’. Aesthetics can be understand to relate to the style, tone, look or mood of a film

Social Realism- the realistic depiction in art of contemporary life, as a means of social or political comment.

Kneecap is a social realism film as it tackles the issue of sectarianism in the North of Ireland and the characters express their troubles and bio-logical trauma which stems from colonialism through music and self-expression, all while evading the police and R.R.A.D (radical republicans against drugs)

Verisimilitude- the appearance of being true or real.

I would class this film as having verisimilitude because of Gena Rowlands incredible portrait of an unstable bi-polar mother.

Magic Realism- Magical realism portrays fantastical events in an otherwise realistic tone.

Donnie Darko would be classed as magic realism. Donnie commonly converses with Frank a bunny who tells Donnie the date at which the world will end, Donnie believes this bunny is real, which classes this film as magic realism

Hyperreality-a condition in which what is real and what is fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins.

Mulholland rive would fit into the hyperreality category as the watcher is not aware that the first half of this film is a dream and the second is reality.

AESTHETICS TERM 2-

•Iconography- the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these. The film heavily evolves around dreams, what is real and what isn’t.

•Intertextual Referencing- the relationship between media products where one text references another text by reusing some its ideas and meanings.

I would class Almost Famous as intertextual referencing as many real-life bands including Lynyrd Skynyrd and the eagles are mentioned as if they belong in that world with the fictional band Still Water.

•Visual motif- commonly seen, repetitive symbol in a film

red roses are commonly used in American beauty to represent, love, lust, passion, murder, blood,

Sound motifs- commonly heard- repetitive sound in a film.

Gregorian chants are often heard at high tension points in the film as to make the spectator feel uneasy.

•Colour Grading- digital tools or photochemical processes are used to make videos or films look better or change the colour tone and mood. 

•Auteur Trademarks-An auteur is a director that has such a distinctive style of directing that they are considered the “author” because you can recognise their style from one clip- David Lynch as an example. A particular kind of irony where the very macabre and the very mundane combine in such a way as to reveal the former’s perpetual containment within the latter.” David Lynch has a very recognisable style of directing, as the topics he usually drifts to are on the subjects of dreams, mystery and alternate realities. He often uses the colour blue in his films.

PATHOS- a quality that evokes pity or sadness.

BATHOS- an effect of anti-climax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.

SUSPENSE- a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.

COMEDY- film genre that emphasizes humor

DRAMATIC IRONY-  a literary device by which the audience’s or reader’s understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters.

VERFREMDUNG- The distancing effect, also translated as alienation effect is a concept in performing arts credited to German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Paul breaks the fourth wall talking to the audience

POSTMODERN HUMOUR- postmodern humor features jokes about serious topics like murder or war. By writing characters who make light of such topics, postmodernists highlight the dehumanization they see in their society.

Travis Bickle makes it his mission to “cleanse the filth” from New Yorks streets.

“To create a sense of chaos within the films diegetic world”

DIEGETIC-  narrative techniques and elements in a fictional work. Appearing in the context of the film.

CATHARTIC EFFECT- involving the release of strong emotions through a particular activity or experience

REFRAMING- To change the way something is expressed or considered

CONNOTE- to imply and suggest meaning, along with a primary view.

•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.

SOUND-In the opening scene of Trainspotting director Danny Boyle decided to use the song “Lust For Life” by Iggy pop. This is a fast paced song that matches well with the characters running from the police in Edinburgh’s streets. The title “Lust For Life” coincides with Renton’s monologue about choosing a normal life over heroin.

Cinematography- In every scene we see Swanny, also known as Mother Superior there is a halo of red light around him (2:30) This red light is only present in the drug den. This red glow is representative of the life style that the men live while they are under the influence of their addiction. Red is a universal colour in trainspotting that represents sex, drugs, death and all other things that won’t help Renton “Choose life.

MISE-EN-SCENE- (34:27) The set design of the drug den also holds important representation. The drug den has overwhelming shades of brown and dark, dirty colours with used needles and burnt spoons, But. Scattered around the den are muted vibrant colours, on the walls and carpet. These subtle vibrant colours represent the euphoria that the characters go through when they inject heroin, but the darker browns and greys represent the decay and disease that their addiction creates.

EDITING- (1:20) In this scene we see a freeze frame of each important character. The effect of this editing style tells the audience that each person we see is important to the plot and will be reoccurring.