Download CASABLANCA AND MISE-EN-SCENE The classic American film

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CASABLANCA AND MISE-EN-SCENE
The classic American film Casablanca was released in 1942. It is a romantic
drama that takes place during World War II, in the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of
Casablanca. The main character of the film, Rick Blaine, is a bitter expatriate American
who must choose between love and virtue. He owns an upscale nightclub in the city,
which attracts rather diverse clientele. His former lover, Ilsa Lund, enters the club
with her husband, Victor Lazlo one night, which causes quite a stir. The couple are
trying to get to America quickly, because Victor, a Czech Resistance leader, escaped
from a Nazi concentration camp. Rick must decide whether to help the pair escape or
run away with Ilsa. In the end, he chooses what most would call the virtuous path, and
helps the couple fly to America together. One of the most notable aspects of the film is
the relationship between Rick and Ilsa.
Rick is a man spurned, and has let this pain make him cynical and jaded. Despite
having had his heart broken by her, Rick has not been able to get over Ilsa. The two of
them spent a year together in Paris, and although they were lovers, Ilsa never told him
that she was married. When the Germans marched into Paris, Rick planned on running
away with Ilsa. Rather than telling Rick that she would not be joining him, she stood him
up at the train station, and sent a note. Not surprisingly, the two of them have a strained
relationship. Rather than work through his emotions, Rick chooses to ignore them,
employing the help of liquor.
In the above still, Rick is the obvious focus of the scene. The glass of alcohol he
holds is not simply brought to his lips; the glass is positioned in front of his
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face, suggesting that the alcohol is more important than he is, that it is the catalyst for
the flashback that follows. The scene is dark, suggesting dark emotions. There is much
shadow placed on Rick himself. This gives the impression that the figure in the scene is
a “Shadow Rick”, a depressed version of the bitter man that the viewer has come to
know. These shadows obscure the background, which gives the impression that the
cafe no longer matters to Rick. The shadows placed on the background allow him to fall
into a reminiscence more easily, fading into days gone by.
When Rick gets drunk and remembers Paris, the viewer is first shown an idyllic
relationship. Here, the happy couple are driving around town in a convertible, which
suggests that they are enjoying being young. They have thrown their cares to the wind.
Ilsa has been given highlighting, adding to the impression of beauty. In this scene, the
viewer sees her the way that a lover would. Ilsa is leaning toward Rick and smiling, and
he is angled toward her and smiling. They are clearly in love(or something like it). Both
of them are wearing crisp, clean clothing, suggesting affluence. Ilsa does not appear to
be wearing much make-up, giving her a youthful, fresh-faced look. Her hair is blowing in
the wind, and is obviously unconcerned about the problems of the world. At this point,
Rick and Ilsa have a satisfying, if naïve, relationship. Like many young people, they see
the world as their oyster. Because they are prominently displayed in the middle of
the screen in this frame, it can be assumed that they are prominent to one another. This
does not last, however. Here, Ilsa has realized that their romance must come to an end.
The Germans are preparing to march through Paris, and both of them must flee.
Unbeknownst to Rick, Ilsa will not be going to
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Casablanca with him. Rather, she will be meeting up with her husband, whom has
escaped from a Nazi concentration camp. Her mood is made clear by grey clothing,
which is slightly ruffled. This suggests that she is distracted and feeling down.
The highlighting has been removed, making her look a bit older and world weary. Her
downcast eyes suggest that she is contemplating dishonesty, which Rick suspects. This
is shown by his careful gaze, studying her face. The pair are drinking, but not cheerfully.
Their glasses are in the lower center of the frame, making them a secondary focus.
They are clearly trying to numb themselves. Rick is also feeling down, which is
illustrated in his hard suit. Unlike Ilsa, however, he is holding on to hope. The flower
pinned to his jacked shows this. Rick holds his hands as if he is about to
have something placed in them. This suggests that he is looking for an explanation,
some sort of emotional handout from Ilsa. After his Paris flashback, Rick is clearly
unhappy. In the center of the frame, he slams his fist down in anger, knocking over his
glass. The glass, which is presumably filled with hard liquor, spills across the table. The
glass can be seen as a symbol of Rick’s cold exterior, finally letting his emotions break
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free. Dark clothing signals sadness, and shadow across his body lets the viewer know
that he feels that he has been thrown aside by Ilsa.