Character Analysis Of The Film Casablanca

In Michael Curtiz’ film, Casablanca, the resolution to Annina Brandel’s predicament represents the apotheosis stage of one of Rick Blaine’s cycles. Throughout the film, multiple cosmogonic cycles (Campbell) become present. One, in particular, is at the forefront of the film, which involves Rick and his character development following the Hero’s Journey, or the Cosmogonic Cycle.

     In Casablanca, the prominent themes of unhappy love and self-sacrifice set this romantic melodrama apart from most in its genre. These themes are best expressed in the interactions of the three main characters: Victor Laszlo, a heroic political leader; Ilsa Lund, an enigmatic femme fatale; and Richard (Rick) Blaine, a seemingly morally ambiguous night club owner. An unusual love triangle forms with the two men’s mutual love for the intermediary woman. Unlike the archetypal romantic triangle which includes the betrayed husband and the victorious lover, this situation results in unhappiness and loss for all involved. All three are willing to sacrifice for this love,

Casablanca debuted in 1942, shortly following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States' entrance into World War Two, although there was plenty of anti-Nazism sentiment, the movie fueled these feelings. There is pro-Allied forces propaganda to support the war, from the scene with La Marseillaise, to the characters of Renault and Rick, and to the last scene. Although the majority of the French patriots were elated to sing their national anthem, it created tension with the German soldiers who imposed their patriotic songs on the crowd, representing the imposition of Germany on France during the war. Captain Louis Renault, who tries to placate who he believes will be the winning side, seems flimsy when compared to Rick, the firm

In Double Indemnity, lighting plays a key role in visual design. Throughout the film there seems to be and absence of light when something secretive is going on. It is night time (or dark outside) when Walter begins to confess his actions, when Phyllis and Walter continue to meet, and when murders take place. This aids in presenting the dark and mysterious actions of the characters and adds a sense of danger. Shadows, also a play on lighting, seem to follow Walter throughout the entire film. This may represent the idea that something menacing is following Walter, possibly a foreshadowing of the confessions that are soon to be revealed. The shadows are typically obvious and over exaggerated, giving the scenes more of an uneasy feel. There is also a significant shift in lighting when Walter first meets Phyllis. The day goes from bright and sunny to dark and rainy. This is also a foreshadow of what's to come. Walter will be stepping out of the light and into Phyllis’ darkness.

Ray points out that this concealing of the necessity for choice also governs the thematic paradigm in Casablanca. The film invites the audience to identify with Rick rather than Laszlo even though official American wartime sentiments are consistently voiced by Laszlo. Rick regularly insists upon unmediated self-interest,"I stick my neck out for nobody", "I'm the only cause I'm interested in", a position that Ferrari explicitly identifies with a discredited American tradition: "My

The effect of Groucho’s short history of Casablanca is to create a humour but yet also sarcasm scenario. The letter says, “It seems that in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, your great-great-grandfather … had stumbled on the shores of Africa and, raising his aplentock, which he later turned in for a hundred shares of common, named it Casablanca” (Groucho). Groucho finds it ridiculous that the Warner Brothers thinks they own the city name Casablanca. He makes up a how supposedly the Warner Brothers were given the right to own the name not because they made a movie using the title Casablanca.

To make the character Winston Smith, the main protagonist from the book 1984, complex, George Orwell had to give his character multiple traits to keep Winston from being another boring, vague, and 2-dimensional character. Winston is a complex character because he undergoes emotional changes throughout the book, he has a variety of personality traits to drive the plot, and he has significant interactions with other characters throughout 1984.

The Film, ‘The Prince of Egypt’ is a not a very accurate copy when compared to the story of exodus from the Bible. The 1998 Dreamworks production ‘The Prince of Egypt’ was created to follow the remarkable story of Moses, Leading his people from slavery but was changed by the directors to give it some originality. The setting, the characters and the storylines are some of the things that have been changed in the animated story. Therefore the Dreamworks Pictures film is inaccurate and does not flow along the same page as the Biblical story of Exodus.

Nevertheless, it seems that they represent American society in the 1940’s. The character of Rick portrays an unconventional hero who tries to stay outside of everyone’s business, but in the end it is him who saves Laszlo’s and Ilsa’s life. This reminds me of the role of America during WWII. At first, the United States tried to stay out of the war, but when they were forced to react after Pearl Harbor, they got involved. The film also refers to this when Rick asks his friend Sam if he knows what time it is in New York. Before Sam can reply, Rick says that it must be December 1941, which was the time when the attack against Pearl Harbor occurred. Ilsa, on the other hand, represents the role of American women. She is described as the most beautiful woman that has been seen in Casablanca. Her appearance reminds me of the typical image of an ideal American girl – blonde, pretty and conservative. She tries to act in a moral way when she finds out that her presumed dead husband is still alive and she leaves Rick at the station in Paris. This reminds me of how women were treated during the 1940’s. It was their responsibility to take care of the family business, but in the end men would have the final decision. Ilsa tries to get the transit-visa from Rick, but she tells him to decide what she should do next. Rick sends her away with Laszlo and restores the perfect family union between Ilsa and Laszlo. Another

1. What is the setting for Casablanca? How does the film establish this setting? If you were creating a theatrical production of the play upon which the film is based, how would you establish the setting on stage? The setting for the movie looked as if it was around the 1980’s. The movie has a sort of mellow feeling to it because of how calm all the actors and actresses are performing. If i were to do a theatrical performance on this i would have set all the scenes in a way where it would fit the 1980’s attitude, such as clothing and accent.

In the film, “Casablanca”, it showed us that America was neutral in the war as Rick said, “I stick my neck out for nobody.” Rick is portrayed as America, although he seemed as if he was neutral he started to show that he was caving in for the underdog, just as America did when we started to get involved in the War. During the film when the Germans come into Rick’s café, Rick shows that he is aware of what is going on in the War, just as we Americans knew about all the concentration camps. Also, when someone offered to buy Sam’s contract from Rick, Rick said “I don’t buy or sell human beings.” Casablanca shows that America is aware of what is going on and that we are above all of it.

Film Noir, a term coined by the French to describe a style of film characterized by dark themes, storylines, and visuals, has been influencing cinematic industries since the 1940’s. With roots in German expressionistic films and Italian postwar documentaries, film noir has made its way into American film as well, particularly identified in mob and crime pictures. However, such settings are not exclusive to American film noir. One noteworthy example is Billy Wilder’s film Sunset Boulevard, which follows the foreboding tale of Joe Gillis, the desperate-for-success protagonist, who finds himself in the fatal grips of the disillusioned femme fatale Norma Desmond. Not only does the storyline’s heavy subject matter and typical character

Throughout Casablanca, there is a definite sense of patriotism and nationalism from the American side. Although the marketing team focused on the action, romance, and movie stars, the underlying political themes of Casablanca are eminent; the film’s intention was to get people to support the war. Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, is the representative of the Americans in the film. He is, after all, called a patriot by Captain Renault after the murder of Mayor Stasser. In the film, America is shown as a safe place for refugees; this further promotes American involvement in the war, because Americans should want to keep fighting for their land to stay safe.

Casablanca, the crowning achievement of director Michael Curtiz, which was released in 1942, is a film that had to work against the pressing concerns associated with World War II to stay relevant in both cinematic and general audiences. The writing, which was done by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch, had to be inspirational yet uncontroversial. With actors like Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund, Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, and Paul Henreid as the French revolutionary Victor Laszlo, Casablanca has a respectable cast. The movie initially appears to fit the film noir genre because of its smoky backdrops with muted colors,

In the film Casablanca they show various different aspects of American culture during the wartime forties. These things are cumulated in the films sole American, whose name is Rick. However this film not only shows the culture of Americans but also shows a look into what Americans viewed the war as. The values of people and what was considered obtuse for society are ever changing, and you can see this as plain as day within the movies and films of the time. Casablanca is an amazing example for this because it is special in the fact that it’s the only play written during the time that was never played but was instead turned straight into a movie. Now let’s take a more in-depth look into the movie and how it’s connected to the people who were meant to watch it.