Casablanca Opening Notes – Re-written | Georgia Newman Film Studies

Key

*important notes

Auteur Signature Film Form

motivated camera movement e.g. when a subject walks past, the camera follows them*
tracking camera – down into the city (even though it’s actually edited)
tracking shot of some people watching the plane*
Being shown the Bulgarian couple twice before being introduced to them due to motivated camera movement*
Different genres – comedy (trumpet), war, documentary like, spy thriller*

Classical Hollywood Film Form

characters have psychological motivations – they want to leave Casablanca*
montage of refugees and people being arrested*
document footage of refugees*
shown some characters before we are introduced to them*
180 rule – when coming off of the plane*
Montage of people being rounded up and the cutting rate reinforces the message (link to how Curtiz had fled Europe and he might be trying to show his opinion?)*
Contrast of powerful/rich people and people in chaos being rounded up/vulnerable
Emblem of free french resistance on papers*

Production Context

Hal Wallis
All shot on WB set/studios because of money*
Budget film making – studio and model of a plane and the background is a painting (city and air crafts*

Themes and Motifs

Representation

Political Context

world war 2*
refugees*
man was shot in front of Petain – visual criticism of vichy government. Mid-shot of Petain going down to a murdered French resistance sympathiser, French national anthem.*
Close up of the sign – freedom equality brotherhood after the man is murdered
Unoccupied France*
Vichy government*
Montage, V/O, documentary footage, animated map*
V/O saying people in Europe are trapped and trying to leave
Refugee crisis*

‘the scum of Europe’ has come to Casablanca, set up to be undermined later
Structure – second shot of the Bulgarian refugees when they see the plane (maybe we’ll be on a plane), theme of escape*