For our first film, we'll carry on a discussion together on this blog.To post your thoughts and/or questions on Casablanca, comment on this post and follow the directions. You should post at least once on the film, before or after we finish watching it.
Some questions, for starters:
- Write about a specific scene, film technique, actor, or other aspect of the film that strikes you as noteworthy, confusing, thought-provoking.
- What did you think of Rick? What motivates him? Analyze the ways he’s presented throughout the film, and/or how your reactions to his character change as the story unfolds.
- What motivates Renault, the police captain? He plays a surprisingly large role in the movie; why, do you think? How does he connect different characters, and connect to different characters, as the story progresses? Is he finally a shallow character, or a complex one?
- The film interweaves two main stories—the story of World War 2 and the story of “three little people” caught up in their own past and present stories. How do the two stories intersect? How does the film use a war story to tell a love story—but also use a love story to comment on the war story?
I think that Rick is a very interesting character. At first he comes off as a very inactive person who doesn't interact with his customers. I think that part of the reason he is the way he is is because he thinks that if anyone were to get to know him well, they might be able to get him in trouble with the government for something. What drives Rick is getting back to America. He needs an exit visa. As the film goes on we uncover Rick's real character and learn that he used to love a woman who broke his heart. He used to be a very social man but now that he is hurt, he can never go back.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have been thinking about during this movie is that why is it so hooking and interesting to watch. It is a relatively simple plot and characters are pretty simple, but why do i like it. I think i would have to say that curiosity is what is driving me to watch the movie with attentiveness. I want to know what will happen to Rick and what has happened. He isn't an extremely lovable character, but that is probably because he is damaged and it makes you want to know how he got the way he is. It keeps you question what could happen because it could be many different ways.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked this movie, much to my surprise. I thought an old film that is in black and white would not be able to hold my attention. Instead I looked forward to watching this each day and it actually was a great movie. I think this movie kept my attention because it starts off with a lot of questions and threw out the movie they are answered. Which keeps you wondering what will be next and what will happen. The way the characters developed also keep you watching. The whole story with Rick not doing anything for anyone else in the beginning and then surprising all of us at the end was a great twist in the movie. Over all it was a good movie and I would recommend it to others.
ReplyDeleteI still love this movie no matter how many times I see it. What grabs my attention most is how genuine the characters are. Rick is a great character and he plays his part well. The acting is also very good, a little crumby on the crying scenes but that's alright. The Cinematography was very well done in this movie, all the camera angles were perfect and fit with the movie, but the whole atmosphere of the movie is perfect.The direction and the music were all very good. I think this movie is one of the greatest movies of all time, and will be as time goes on.
ReplyDeleteIt was the third time to watch a black and white movie for me. I could say that this movie was the best movie among the black and white movies I have seen. I was amazed by Casablanca, because this movie has great scenes which show what characters are like and how they think and stuff. Actors and actresses were great also. My favorite scene was when Rick and Ilsa get to meet again at the bar. When Ilsa asked the piano man to play the song which was forbidden by Rick. It was kind of sad seeing how Rick and Ilsa at that point. I personally couldn't understand all parts of this movie, so I want to watch it again.
ReplyDeleteThe mood that the film exuded was sensational, whether it was an intentional decision by the director, or whether it was a combination of the age of the film and the antique style of filming.
ReplyDeleteI was struck by the cultural staples that we aren't used to, the incessant smoking, and the whole rowdy yet civilized feel of the saloon.
The character development was fantastic, especially relationally. The awkward relationship between the germans and the french police officer, the way Rick interacted with his customers, and especially the relationship between Rick and Ilsa.
The whole feel and mood of the film was characterized by Rick's saloon, melancholy yet carefree, desperate yet content.
On the whole it was an emotionally stimulating masterpiece.
Casablanca wasn't what I expected for and older black and white film. I thought that the plot of Casablanca was put together well and for the characters I thought the actors played there parts very well. The character Rick was my favorite character in this movie playing the leading role. I liked his part because of the way he played it, as a top salon owner with a past no one knows about and with a secret no he thought would ever know.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of this film is the very end because it shows how Rick has a heart and lets his love and her husband leave for America. Then the last line is said between Rick and the soldier, "I think this is a start to a good friendship". This just sums up the film and leaves the audience off with a happy ending and a sad one, but a full end.
I was really intrigued by the main character Rick throughout this film. At first when we see Rick he seems like a very stubborn emotionless man that does not like people. But then whenever Lisa came around he would get this funny look on his face and was a completely different guy. I was also very impressed by the acting in the film. I did not expect an old black and white film to be so good and have such great actors. I found myself rooting for Rick at the end and was hoping that he was going to get the girl. Personally i was a little bit dissapointed with the way that the film ended because i wanted Rick and Lisa to go to America. I must say though that it was a very surprising and shocking ending nevertheless that was very well written. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and was very glad we watched it or else I probably never would have.
ReplyDeleteThe characters in the movie were very interesting. I was a little annoyed by the stereo typical "dependent" woman (Ilsa and the bulgarian woman--Ilsa says something like "do the thinking for both of us") and the stoic men (Rick, Ilsa's husband, and the bulgarian man). But all in all they did excellent acting (even thought i did not like some of the choices they stuck to them).
ReplyDeleteI really liked Sam, Karl, The Man at the Blue Parrot, and Renault. No matter the size of their role they were completely believable. you could just imagine their lives out side of the plot of the movie. I like how Renault, who seemed so self centered and self gratifying in the begining, turned out to be "good".
I really enjoyed this film. It was old-fashioned compared to movies of this time, but I found it was more interesting because of this. The visuals took you to a different place. Even though there was much turmoil in the story, the black and white gave a romantic and light-hearted feel. It took you back to a time earlier in Hollywood. I found the story to be surprising at times yet at others, predictable. Some of it was cheesy, but I found that to make the movie more enjoyable. My favorite was Sam.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this film a lot because i enjoyed rick. He started out as a fairly self centered character, but as the film progressed we learn that he is really just hiding from his past more than anything. when his past comes back and hits him in the face in the form of elsa, his shell shattered. at the end we finally see him take sides in the war and in his own life. i love charactor development like this, and rick is just one of many well developed characters in the film.
ReplyDeleteFor me it was a little bit cheesy, especially the part which Rick and Ilsa were talking in the room and also the plane part. However the topic was really interesting. I could see the life at that time in Casablanca; the people that wants to go to America to get away from World War 2, the briberies for the visa... So it was also informative. Also I couldn't guess the end and according to me it was a good sign for a good movie.
ReplyDeletei agree, is a very interesting and complex characther. he opens up as the movie progresses.
ReplyDeletefor starters, i really liked this movie. i think that the actors that were chosen for the roles were perfect for the feel this movie had. they all played their parts very believably and like mark said you can envision their lives portrayed outside the movie. i think that renault was one of my favorites because my outlook on him changed so much throughout the movie and he really caught me off guard in the end.
ReplyDeletei liked the tension and the dynamic character developement which is something i usually look for in a movie. these characters (rick especially) developed a lot through out the movie and by the end it felt like these roles that the actors played could easily be their true identities. over all a great movie!
Rick throughout most of the move seems to be portrayed as a fairly shallow character, though as the movie keeps going. You see that in his past, he was involved in a fair number of illegal businesses and rebellions against facism. Because of this, he could likely be put in a concentration camp. I thought that was his main motive for trying to stay neutral in the conflict for the first half of the movie.
ReplyDeleteWhen Llsa shows up in Casablanca, Rick dispises her because she didn't come with him to Casablanca. And for a good part of the movie, we couldn't tell whether Rick was going to help her and Laszlo escape or whether he was going to get revenge, and betray them to Renault.
I was surprised when both Rick and Renault put themselves at risk to get Llsa and Laszlo out of Casablanca.
I really enjoyed the movie because of Rick and because of the unpredictability of his character.
Rick is the best character in the film. He has the hands off attitude when it comes to helping any one who is a customer at his bar. His only real friends are Sam and some others that work at the bar. In the end rick changes to a more of caring attitude about the war. This change of heart was all due to his lost love Elsa. The movie was great I enjoyed the storyline.
ReplyDeleteLike a few others I didn't think I would find an older black and white film very interesting. But I never actually got to see the end of the movie and I'm actually very disappointed I didn't actually get to see the end. I was really curious to what happened between Rick, Elsa and the other guy. I'm curious to see if Elsa got out of Casablanca or if she ended up with Rick again. I wasn't really sure how I felt about Rick, but he quickly grew on me. The one character I always loved was Sam, he was a true friend and just an amazing character. I loved seeing him play the song for Elsa. Then Rick later telling Sam to play it, telling Sam that "if she can handle it so can I!" After that it was hard to watch the pain and struggle in Rick's eyes.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this was an okay movie some of it I thought was pretty cheesy but I thought that it should the struggles for everyone in Europe during WW2 and how the Germanys were taking over all of Europe. I thought that the characters where very good and the actors did a good job of bringing their characters to life and that they did a good job of showing the struggles,pain, love and all that emotion. For it's time and age it was a pretty good movie.
ReplyDeleteRick was an interesting character, he seemed so cold throughout the movie and I also in some scenes saw him soften up a little bit. But I think that was when his EX GF came into the picture. But most of the time he was stiff like and serious. The actor they picked to play Rick was an astonding character and played the role really well. I also noticed that once Elsa came into the scene Rick totally was still in love with her. But had so much pain and hurt from her leaving previously he wanted her so much but knew they couldn't be with each other. So he let her go to the U.S. without him. As the movie ended I could she the pain in his eyes as he saw her leave on the plane. He truly still loved her. I wish he would of gone with them to the USA. Too bad he didn't!
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ReplyDeleteThis was a great and well put together movie. The ideas behind it are still being used today and some of their methods also are still being used. It also uses some very good and very well done for its time cinematography. Some of the shots from this film are just astronomically well done.
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