Cinematography of the film Casablanca Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cinematography of the film Casablanca - Essay Example Edeson helped director Michael Curtiz in visualizing by focusing on the shadows and maximizing the use of proper lighting and angles. Wide-angle shots are placed in the beginning scenes giving importance to the place of Casablanca and how a German plane flies behind the sign for Rick's Cafe. The wide shot of the planes just over the cafe shows how important this place will be in the next parts of the story. An establishing shot will soon be noticed as camera angles focuses inside Rick’s cafe as if the audience were walking inside for the first time, giving wide angle shots of the patrons inside the club. Some medium shots are placed on individual characters such as the colored man piano player, until an extreme close up shot of a slip of paper is shown with an â€Å"OK† sign by Rick. Here it is established that Rick is an important man, in a medium shot, he is shown slowly puffing a cigarette. The shots through out the scenes create such continuity and gives credibility to the empty life of Rick. The intensity of the setting in a neutral country of Morocco is established with the mix of characters from the Allied forces and the Germans. It also creates an impression on how â€Å"all is fair in love and war† as what the story line would develop. There is also a use of proper lighting maximized with the proper dà ©cor to create at 1940’s kind of American cafà © with live band and gambling, but still the production team maintained certain props to make sure that the audience would remember that it is still in Morocco like the Islamic architecture that remains obvious in the interior. There is heightened use of lighting to create shadows especially to give focus on melancholic state like after curfew encounters at Rick’s cafe with Renault as he searches for money or documents. It creates a touch of mystery establishing that the main character Rick is an amoral man who after a painful heartbreak has remained to be neutral and cynical. He is portrayed as a bitter and sad man, as focused on the medium and close up shots of a face that seems to be sad and old despite earthly success. He moves slow and somehow gloomy with the background of shadows and smoke that surrounds his cafe. As for Iisa the leading lady, angles are focused on her sad and somehow glowing face with eyes that appears to be always in tears. The musical score also creates an impression. Most part of the film revolves around the song â€Å"As Time Goes By† as it somehow relives a memorable time in Paris by both Rick and Iisa. Songs from the 1930’s to the 1940’s are also el oquently highlighted and combined with national anthems from France and Germany, The audience are reminded that this is not just another love story, it maintains the political issues of World War II. Bogart plays a superb role of a romantic leading man, the sad and indifferent bad boy ruined by a past love. At first he seems to be the typical strong man, full of machismo and ego without caring for anyone in the world but himself. But a sense of humanity is shown by how he treats his employees such as Sam, the piano player. As Bergman enters the scene, we notice that indeed this could be the woman that has created all this illusion. When Sam had an encounter with Iisa, he pretends to have never met her before. It is obvious then that this woman would be someone important. Bergman portrays the role of Iisa with so much justice. The focus on her soft face makes a