Blog #1 Casablanca

I was excited to watch Casablanca as it is often quoted or brought up in many forms in society whether it is other films, books, or magazines. I had never seen the movie, but I was excited to see it. In reference to Chapter One of the textbook, I really had no background on the film other than knowing it was plotted in the time of World War 2. I think it was beneficial to me that I did not know much about it because my excitement was heightened and I paid much more attention to the scenes. The movie was hard for me to track down. Most of the movie stores did not have it on DVD, so I tracked it down online. This made viewing it a constant battle.

            The idea of “letters of transit” to travel freely around Europe and ultimately to the U.S. is an idea that creates much drama. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is torn between the woman he loves, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) and helping her and her husband with the papers. This is the classic “love” dilemma. Help the one you love or be selfish and keep her around. That dilemma surrounded by World War 2 makes for a great drama that is only helped by the superb actors in the film.

            The first thing that I really noticed in the film was the fascination with the planes that are seemingly going to America. But what I will really remember is Bogart’s strong, distinct voice. To me, he takes over every scene he is in because of his words. I could literally listen to him all day long. His voice is a great contrast to the bustling crowds that are frequent in the film at the café or in the streets. Also, the dialogue seemed to be very well-done and thought out. Again, I feel this is the doing of Bogart and Bergman. The music is also very good in the film. “As Time Goes By” is a very catchy tune that I really enjoyed in the film. Ilsa looked very sad and confused when Sam, the house pianist was playing the song before Rick stormed in to tell Sam not to play that song.

            What made this film so emotional is the fact that you can see Rick’s despair in seeing Ilsa again and the struggle that he goes thru in deciding if he should give the “letters of transit” to Ilsa and her husband Laszlo. The main idea is one of moral implications. What should Rick do? Should he be selfish or do the right thing for the woman he loves? I would think that almost every viewer of the film can relate to Rick in a situation where they were torn over someone they cared deeply about. The writers and director of the film develop a great contrast between Rick being a very manly character and a romantic at the same time. He has a strong voice and it is revealed that he ran weapons to Ethiopia, so when Rick is shown in scenes with pain in his face, the viewer can really see the despair he is going thru. This is referenced in Chapter 2 of “The Art of Viewing Films” as an emotional effect. The viewers are really drawn in to the emotional side of the film when they empathize with Rick and his feelings.

            The movie at times, was a little dry. The action scenes of the movie few and far between, which was a tad disappointing especially knowing that it is set in the time of World War 2. The fact that it is a love story makes this a little more understandable. The main thing that made me interested in the film was the connection between Rick and Ilsa and what was going to come from it. I believe that was the main goal of the film’s writers and directors and why it was an immensely popular film.

            The acting in the film was outstanding and seemed to involve many classic actors of the time. The actors did a great job of conveying their emotions to the viewer. I thought Bogart was outstanding. In my opinion, most of his emotions were seen thru facial expressions and tone of voice, which were very effective for his character in the movie. I believe that his role was more of a personality actor in this film. He is dialogue was very sincere and direct and his voice was amazing. It did not seem like he was being anything other than himself.

            The music and sound effects were also very well done as they alerted viewers of major events that were about to transpire. Another very cool thing about the movie was the lighting and use of shadows. In one early seen, Bogart is off camera, but you can see him smoking a cigarette while talking to another character. I thought this was a very unique idea for the time of this film. This also really highlighted Bogart’s dialogue for me. The ending line of the film “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” made me laugh out loud. It was a comical way to end such a serious film and a very fitting end to it as well.

            Overall, I enjoyed the film. However, I do not think it reached my expectations. I am into thinking films with a little more action. I was drawn into the emotional side of the film a little bit, but not as much as I would have liked. I didn’t quite empathize with Bogart enough to be fully drawn in. However, I do feel like this was part of how his character was supposed to be. The film was very well done and I thought Bergman and Bogart were very, very good in it. I would give this movie a 6.5/10.