Casablanca+Review,+Chaeri+Jeong

Casablanca melts the hearts of America!

Ranked near the top of lists of the greatest films of all time, Casablanca is a phenomenal movie that is nothing like any other movies in the film industry. With top actors and actresses playing the roles of Rick, llsa and many other characters, this film is guaranteed to touch your heart in ways that you would never expect it to. Cold and gloomy on the outside, but sympathetic and passionate on the inside, Rick Blaine is the owner of the most famous café in Casablanca. His café served as a “getaway” for soldiers and refugees to escape from the dreadful reality of World War ll. Unfortunately, the cafe alone did not satisfy Rick, who had his heart broken when his true love, llsa abandoned him in Paris. Surprisingly, he encounters her again in his cafe, but this time, with another man by her side. Nevertheless, their affection grows stronger with each other’s presence, and leads them to helplessly fall in love once again. llsa’s husband, Lazlo, however, is in grave danger of losing his life if not given the letters of transit, which are in the hands of Rick. This puts Rick in a dilemma, where he must choose between love or virtue, for in order to have one thing, he must give up the other. This film was produced in 1943; hence, it’s no surprising that the screen is in black and white. For those of you who think black and white movies are boring and cheesy, you are mistaken. Watching the movie in black and white is just as good as, if not, more effective, than colored film. The actor’s facial expressions and movements are especially emphasized; hence, we are not distracted by the background or other objects. This allows the audience to focus on what is really important. Moreover, the black and white quality of the film attributes to the mood of the story. Because it almost creates a focal point on the characters themselves, the actors are able to form a mutual correlation between themselves and the audience. Hence, we become more emotional and start to feel goosebumps crawling down our skin. Music is another highlight of the movie. Not only is it an effective way to establish a certain mood, but it is also pleasing to the ears. In Rick’s Café, the pianist plays piano while singing at the same time. He is absolutely sensational. His music is what makes Rick’s café the most popular place in Casablanca. Even as the audience, you may get tempted to hum along the tune as you watch the film. Such harmonic sounds are not only satisfying to our ears, but it also helps set the right ambience for specific scenes in the movie. When llsa first enters the café, she develops nostalgia for her days in Paris; hence, she requests the musician to play her favorite song. By listening to the music, the audience can definitely feel the wistfulness being portrayed in the scene. Unfortunately, every movie has its down side. In Casablanca, I felt the editing and the visual technical effects of some parts were a little lacking. Of course, I have to take into consideration that during such time period, computers were not as developed as contemporary ones; hence, it created limits for the editors to establish the look that they so desired. However, because of its lack of technological elements, some scenes looked out of place compared to the rest of the film. The flashback of Rick and llsa in Paris was one of these scenes. When they are driving in the car with the breathe-taking view of Paris behind them, one could easily notice that the car is not moving but going up and down on the spot. I found this rather funny, but it took away from the overall effect of the flashback scene. Another aspect, which can be improved is the use of camera angles. There were lots of zoom ins where the camera was solely focused on just the face of the actor/actress. This definitely helped when portraying the emotion of the characters; however, too much of the same angle prevents it from achieving the same effect. It would be nice to see a little more variety to camera angles such as far zoom outs where it captures the scene in a bigger picture. Such angle would have been appropriate to capture the liveliness of the café. The key to all romantic movies is chemistry. Not the scientific kind, but the magical kind which exists between almost every lovers. In film, such “magic” can not exist if the acting is not performed at its highest peak. Now, this requires talented actors and actresses. The actors in Casablanca are beyond ordinary. Every line they recite, each step they take is natural and realistic. It almost becomes hard to believe that they are not the actual characters in the film, but are merely actors. One particular actor that shined throughout the film was Humphrey Bogart. Rick is a very complex and mysterious character that it almost takes the most talented actor to play such role. He has to appear steadfast and stiff; yet, he somehow has to show his sympathetic and romantic side without losing the balance of the other. No one could have done a better job than Humphrey. Humphrey has a distinct air of coolness around him that makes him very natural and charismatic. No movements are exaggerated but are performed just the right way, which makes the story seem more credible and interesting. Overall, Casablanca is a movie that will blow your mind away. It has everything that you would ask for in a romantic movie: talented actors and actresses, appropriate setting and mood, spectacular music and interesting plot line. Witness the mystery unravel itself throughout the movie and be the next victim to have your heart melted by the fervor of Casablanca!