Casablanca, (Michael Curtiz, 1942), explores the ideals of love and sacrifice in the context of World War Two. These themes are propagated by the selfless actions of Rick, a cynical night club owner, and Ilsa, who must suppress her love for Rick in order to support her husband, Victor Laszlow, an anti-Nazi crusadist. The key scene in which Rick and Ilsa are reunited in the presence of Victor Laszlow and Captain Louis Renault at Rick's Café emphasizes the tensions which arise from Rick and Ilsa's obligations to love and sacrifice. Elements of mise-en-scène, particularly lighting, acting, costume, make-up, and staging, reveal the tensions between Rick and Ilsa, generate different sympathies for each of the characters, and implicitly exacerbate the pervading Nazi threat. On a broader scale, the stylistic elements cultivate ideological sympathy for the Allied cause and anxiety towards war.
One key formal element of the scene is the lighting which allows the audience to see Ilsa......
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Approximate Pages: 5 (260 words per double-spaced page) |