Casablanca+Review+Josephine+Lee

Casablanca Movie Review Josephine Lee Film as Literature

“Here’s looking at you, kid” Taking place during World War II, Casablanca portrays the difficulties in the lifestyle during the time. This movie is nostalgic combination of adventure and romance. It mainly takes place in Rick’s coffee shop, where all of the refugees go to spend time. The movie first starts off at Rick’s coffee shop, where a criminal with the letters from the underground comes in to sell them to the highest bidder. These letters are stolen from two German messengers, who were murdered. The papers are the key to travel anywhere in Europe, and eventually to America. Since Rick’s Coffee shop is filled with refugees who are looking to find their way to America, the letters are the most valuable objects. Waiting for the highest bidder to come to the cafe to finally pick up the letters, Rick is surprised when his ex-lover, Ilsa Lund, walks in. It turns out that she and her husband, Victor Laszlo, bought the letters. However, the German commander was determined in not letting him succeed. At night, Ilsa goes to see Rick because he has the letters. When Rick refuses to give them to her, she threatens him with a gun. However, she cannot shoot him and confesses that she still loves her. This starts the conflict between Rick choosing love or virtue. The techniques used to film the movie are an aesthetic characteristic. For example, the way the filter of the camera portrays the characters in a blurry way heightens the atmosphere of the film. Since it is blurry, the expressions of the character seems more romantic and softer. We are able to see the true expressions of the characters with heightened emotions. Many close-ups are used in the movie, and the emotions in the faces seemed more abundant. The setting, along with the music and visuals of the people like their clothes and behaviors in the cafe gives a successful portrayal of the exact timeline. Matching with the scenery of the cafe, the people inside it show their status by their clothes, their drinks, and the way they behave. The jazz music was evocative and also spectacular for showing the atmosphere and setting the mood of the movie. The jazz music gives the movie an older mood. The negative points of the film is that while watching the movie, it is not well organized. Since it is an old movie, it is hard to figure out what the characters are actually saying. Even though the blurriness may be a pro to atmosphere, it was a con in continuity. The romance itself was too cheesy and seemed like a cliche. The characters played a main role in this movie. The actors played their parts well, acting and also looking like their characters. I liked the characterization of Rick and Ilsa. Rick’s cold cover and soft personality showed throughout the movie when he could not hold up the wall that he had built in front of Ilsa. I thought that Ilsa was the character that looked the most like her part. A naive and rich woman who needed protection and who was weak. The impressions the characters made on us were diverse. The audience would most likely not be able to allude from most of these characters, because the story is far-fetched, even though it doesn’t seem so. Even though some people might be able to allude to the love story between Rick and Ilsa, I doubt that most people had an affair in Paris while the woman was still married. The audience will probably dislike the German commander, because he is manipulative and tries to seize control over everyone. Casablanca is a classic that shows a cheesy, but somehow original and true love story. It’s nostalgic elements and historical background add to the suspense and diverse atmosphere of the film.