Invisible City (2009) is a documentary directed by Hubert Davis that follows two teenage boys journey as their community in Toronto's Regent Park undergoes a housing revitalization project. Davis followed the lives of Mickey and Kendall for three years exploring how they are individually affected by structural changes within their neighborhood. The boys are African-Canadian and due to their ethnicity experienced racial discrimination and segregation (Davis, 2009). Regent Park was a community that consisted of a vast number of people that are lower income and living in poverty (Davis, 2009). The communities geographical location placed Mickey and Kendall at a greater risk of engaging in law-violating behaviors (Davis, 2009).
Both films feature a well known musician (Dooley Wilson and Hoagy Carmichael) in prominent roles. Both films also use music to bolster the narrative. The most obvious example is in Casablanca (Curtiz 72:40-73:50) during the “Duel of the Songs” scene. After Laszlo overhears the German officers singing “Horst Wessel Lied” he convinces the band to play “La Marseillaise,” resulting in the refugees singing along and eventually silencing the Germans. In the final scene of the film, as Rick watches Ilsa fly away, their song, “As Time Goes By” begins to play.
The intriguing world of Casablanca, displays a wondrous mise-en-scene in fashion that accentuates emotions and feeling through aspects of cinematography. From the movement of the camera, to the intricacy of the shot distances chosen to be included within the frame, the film reveals important elements of the diegesis without uttering a sound. The cinematography of Casablanca gives the audience an insight into the intimacy of Rick and Ilsa's relationship, and seeks to situate the viewer’s attention to the space and time of the film. Throughout the film, Rick’s romantic relationship, or rather previous relationship, with Ilsa appears to be a focal point of the film.
When Casablanca came out in 1942, it was only three years since War World II had begun. Throughout the film you can see a lot of tension between other countries and Germany’s Nazi party. For example, Victor Laszlo a fugitive who spent about a year in a concentration camp, is running from the Nazi’s due to his resistance to Hitler and the Nazi party. There is a lot of tension as Laszlo tries to flee from France to Casablanca and then to America where the Germans have no control. Another example, is how the Germans treated Rick, they didn’t like Rick because Rick secretly helped people who were running from the Germans.
Camera Movement in Casablanca (ESSAY #3) (A-) It’s important to watch Casablanca while thinking about the context in which it was released. After the United States entered World War II, it was a little over a year before audiences saw Casablanca. It doesn’t take much investigation to see how the war plays a part in the storytelling, but certain film techniques helped emphasize messages the film wanted to tell its audience. Through the use of camera movement, the finale of Casablanca puts the spotlight on Strasser and Rick’s newfound relationship, which can convey a message about the United States and its allies.
Casablanca has been often regarded as one of the best films ever made and continues to be a fan favorite even though it is more than seventy years old. The movie used many different techniques to keep the audience interested at all times while also keeping the viewer in suspense of what was going to happen next. The movie also was depicting the war and how the Germans were taking over parts of France and putting individuals in concentration camps. Later in the movie it is even discovered in flashbacks that Rick wanted Isla to leave Paris with him because the Nazi’s were invading. When Isla never showed up at the train station to leave with Rick, but instead sent a note stating she could not leave Paris, this initiated the interest of the viewers because everyone was curious as to why she could not leave with Rick.
Casablanca (1942) by Michael Curtiz is a story that is based on the classic Hollywood formula, which often involves a film noir flashback that steps outside of a linear sequence of events. At the beginning of the film, the story of World War II is presented by showing a map of the world in order to understand the fight between the Allies and Hitler’s forces throughout North Africa. A plane is shown flying over each location of Europe until it reaches the city of Casablanca in Morocco. This seemingly linear narrative remains stable, as the focus of the story centers on Rock’s Café and the suspicious characters that move about in his bar. Rick’s Café is tolerated by the local French police officials, such as Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) because Rick has a good reputation for being apolitical, yet this linear story pattern changes on the arrival of a mysterious couple.
Sam is loyal to Rick, and Rick is loyal to Sam. He is the type of man to be there when the going gets tough. He shows that to Rick by moving from Paris to Casablanca. He also shows how he is loyal to Rick by not playing a specific song that Rick and Ilsa used to have him play for them. The song represented a difficult time in Rick’s life and Sam understood that.
In the end, in the brightness of the hanger, Rick and the French official are forced to abandon the shadows and their neutrality to pick a side. They let Isla and Lazlo leave, kill Major Strasser, and walk into the foggy darkness, neutrality abandoned, committed to freedom. The cinematography in Casablanca is critical in directing the audience’s attention, shaping the audiences feelings, and revealing the theme of the movie. Ultimately, the movie helped America abandon its neutrality, join the Allies and defeat
In the famous film Casablanca, music is used to primarily identify the scene that is being shown, to compliment a character, and to be the opening act of a famous melody. Since Casablanca is based around a time of war, the settings alternate between America and the Middle East. Popular American music was crucial for the audience to recognize Rick’s Café, which is realistically found in the United States. Also, popular American music set the joyous mood of the refugees. Paired with setting the mood, popular American music highlighted the suspense of the French vs. German “singing war”.
It shows, hatred, envy and refers to love. Though the component that makes Frollo’s song more ‘attractive’ is that he is a more complicated character in comparison to other Disney characters. However, this complication doesn’t mean that the audience struggles to dislike Frollo; in fact, his complexity allows us to dislike him even more. Claude’s song is powerful to get the message across because of the reaction it demands from the audience. The audience cannot perceive the song without simultaneously realizing that Frollo is more human than other Disney antagonists.
Film analysis of Casablanca (1942) One of the most debated topics in recent history questions if Casablanca is the best film of all time. The film was originally released in New York in late 1942, and then nationally in early 1943. Given the time period and the plot, many found this film to be controversial, yet informative, as the movie follows the story of a group of refugees during World War II. With any discussion, criteria must be set to determine this answer.
The advancement I am looking at today is that of Unmanned warfare of as I have heard it said “The next best thing to dying there”. This is the concept of drone warfare. The use of a system that remote the risk to the soldier but still is effective in combat. The most known use of this advancement is the UAV systems like the “Predator” Drones. So first the benefits: A way to engage in conflict without placing your armed forces in harm's way, Using this advancement the combatant in charge of the unmanned weapon can be safe in a bunker on the other side of the world.
Breathless, originally titled ‘À bout de souffle’, made in 1960 is a movie about a small-time thief who steals a car and murders a policeman. The story is about authorities chasing him while he reunites with an American journalist and attempts to persuade her to run away with him to Italy. Jean-Luc Godard, the director of the movie often quotes, ‘To make a film, all you need is a girl and a gun.’, which is probably the inspiration behind this movie. Breathless was one of the movies that kicked off the French New Wave. Like several of his French New Wave members, Jean-Luc Godard started as a film critic, and wrote for the magazine ‘Cahiers du Cinema’ in the 1950s, when he was in his early 20s.
However Strasser is still a Nazi patriot, evident in the scene in which he meets Rick in the Cafe, where Major Strasser and other German occupants begin singing the German patriot song, Die Wacht Am Rhein. In rebuttal, Rick demands the band plays 'La Marseillaise ', the Vichy Anthem. This scene uses close ups on the characters faces to show the emotion and power of the two contrasting songs. Strasser is also deceitful in the scene in which he quotes, "I 'm making out the report now. We havent quite decided whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape."
