A Written Analysis Of Casablanca (1942)

During Rick's cafe scene, classic Hollywood style is clearly and successfully used to create meaning and audience response. These adept uses of conventions, such as mise-en-scene and cinematography, subtly add to the context and help provoke feelings of intrigue and tension within the audience.

Throughout the cafe scene, Rick is mentioned multiple times but not seen until the last moment. This leaves an atmosphere of mystery and furthers the importance that Rick's character holds, as everyone wants to talk to him. Just as the camera enters the bar, a spotlight is seen shining and moving outside of the building, which connotes the idea of surveillance, and this helps portray the almost military feel of Casablanca. Everyone in Casablanca wants to escape, and the area is almost this purgatory that they're all stuck in, especially due to the fact that it's under French control, but France is now under Nazi rule. Spotlights are also commonly associated with glamour and elegance,which contrasts the bleak nature of Casablanca and turns Rick's cafe into an exclusive safe haven for the people trying to leave. 

The establishing shot is a close up of the sign outside of Rick's cafe, which seems to linger to help the audience focus on the importance of the place and how present it'll be in the rest of the film. This simple use of cinematography easily helps distinguish which areas of Casablanca hold the most intrigue. As we move into the cafe, the camera takes it time to enter the building, further spiking interest into the audience.Throughout the scene, panning shits are mainly used, going from left to right displaying the cafe's atmosphere and busyness. The camera then focuses on Sam, playing happily on the piano, which gives the audience insight to the nature of his character. 

Texture and colour are use precisely within the scene, although the whole film is in black and white. Light and dark tones are used to create an illusion of elegance and sophistication, which further shows the exclusivity of the cafe, and it is mirrored in the clothing that the people in the cafe are wearing. 

As the scene continues, we are shown small snippets of conversations between different sets of characters, which introduces the desperation that seems to be felt by everyone in the cafe. These short, sharp cuts between these people help add to the context, and effectively keeps the pace of the scene which therefore keeps the interest of the audience. These snippets always cut after the important information is conveyed, which builds even further into the desperation and subtle fear within Casablanca. The camera continues to pan from right to left, covering more of the cafe and it's contents, until it cuts to a close up of a cheque. This closeup then quickly cuts to Rick, and this is the first time we see him in the film, and he's instantly portrayed as a very intelligent man.

The use of continuity editing helps the scene flow successfully, whilst keeping the audience engaged. This type of editing is also referred to as invisible editing, as the cuts aren't jarring and allow the scene to flow smoothly without interruption.

The ending scene is one of the most pivotal within the film, as it wraps up perfectly the events that have taken place and very successfully portrays all of the emotions felt by Ilsa, Rick and Victor.

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