Nicole White's Casablanca Blog

                First I wanted to start out by saying that Casablanca is definitely a film that I feel everyone should see at some point in their lifetime. After viewing this film which was made in the 1940s, it gave me the chance to realize just how much the film industry has changed over the years. That has definitely played a role in why I didn’t add this movie to my list of favorites. Since I grew up in a time where films with color stole the stage, I found it hard for me to fall in love with this movie being that it was black and white. When I read the review by Robert Ebert, I was amazed to see that Casablanca “was made on a tight budget and released with small expectations.” I can definitely see why this film was such a hit back in its time, even though it was made on a tight budget.

With that being said, I wanted to talk about the various uses of camera shots and angles that really stuck out to me. The first, which was used a lot, was the medium shot. Majority of the scenes involved that shot. The next one I noticed was a form of the medium shot, the over-the-shoulder shot. This was definitely used a lot, especially in the saloon. I felt this shot was used the best. Almost every conversation involved the over-the-shoulder shot, giving you the feeling as if you were actually there. Without the use of this shot, I feel this film wouldn't have been as popular as it was. Casablanca involved many conversations; this shot helps to direct the attention on who was talking. Without it, I feel it would lose the viewers interest. Another shot that I felt was a very key part in this film was the close up shot. Without it, you really lose the ability to grasp the person’s emotions.

Since this film was black and white, it was harder for me to pick out the use of lighting and how it affected the film. I noticed the use of the shadowing effect. They used the lamps on many desks to allow for a shadow, as though that person was overpowering. Another use of the lamps I noticed was giving Ilsa the effect as if she was glowing. Lastly, I noticed the lighting in the scene when Rick is drinking and Sam is with him, after he ended up seeing Ilsa for the first time since Paris. That scene was very dark. To me it signified how Rick was feeling at that time. He was in a “dark place,” both literally and figuratively.

I would have to say that my favorite scene of the movie was hands down the airport scene. Since I am so used to the movies where you end up with the couple that everyone hopes for, I was completely caught by surprise on how it ended. You always hear people say “If you love something set it free,” and in this case, that is what Rick did.