Penland: Casablanca

The political message of Casablanca is revealed through the quintessential love story of Rick and Isla. The political scenes standing alone would have made a boring film. The movie needed the love story to make the political statements of the filmmakers.

Many of the political scenes revolve around Rick working out agreements with the military, or Victor secretly meeting with some of his allies. Victor’s freedom depends on the outcome of the conflict between Isla and Rick. Because Rick still loves Isla, and does not want to let her go, Victor could have potentially been caught by the military and sent back to a concentration camp. However, Rick finally learns the truth about his romance with Isla in Paris; that she found out her husband had not really died and she had to return to him, leaving Rick. This causes Rick to be the heroic one, finally giving up Isla and moving on with his life. Most people who think of the film Casablanca, believe it to be a love story, when in fact it really is a political statement about World War II. Overall, this movie did an excellent job of both entertaining the audience and focusing on the ideology of the war.

Mise En Scene: In this scene, Rick and Isla are in Paris, a flashback to their romance, looking down at the street where German troops are invading.

Dominant: The dominant in this scene is Isla. Rick has his hand placed on her shoulder, leading the audience's eye to her. Her clothes are also brighter than Rick's, and his face has several shadows cast upon it, while hers appears completely white and flawless.

Frame: The framing of this scene is tight, focusing in Rick and Isla. This draws the audience's attention to both of them, focusing on where they are looking.

Character Proxemics: The two characters are very close to each other. Neither of them are looking at each other, however, they are obviously close emotionally, as Rick as his hand on Isla. Both looked concerned about what is going to happen, so they have drawn closer to each other.

Camera Proxemics: The camera proxemics in this scene is focused on half of their bodies. The audience can see their facial expressions as well as their body movements.

Lighting: The lighting in this scene is focused on Isla and Rick. The two of them stand out over the background, which is slightly darker.

This scene in Casablanca shows how much Rick and Isla loved each other, and also how Rick was heroic, working out the best possible solution for everyone.