Casablanca

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

                As we began watching the movie, my eyes were glued to Humphrey Bogart playing the night club owner, Rick.  Before watching the movie, we went over the movie Casablanca in class to get some general information about the movie and some insight on what we were about to screen. We spoke about the different themes present in the film such as self-sacrifice and honor.  We also spoke about the director Michael Curtiz  As we went through discussing different aspects of the film, my ears perked up at the mention of Humphrey Bogart’s name.  His name is a name I had heard often when it came to acting on the screen and I was eager to see what all the fuss was about.  Our professor even pointed out that he was listed by AFI as the #1 best actor.  Whether or not I was going to enjoy this movie, I wasn’t sure, but what I did look forward to, was watching this actor play the role of his life.

2) Find a related article and summarize the content. (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/610/Casablanca/articles.html

                In this article written by Brett Wood and published by TCM (Turner Classic Movies), Wood writes an overview of the movie touching on its impact on the film industry and the world.  He speaks how on that fact that although there are not many “eye-catching” visuals, the audience is still pulled in, in a different way.  We also learn about some of the ‘going-ons’ that took place when this movie around.  There is also a list of commonly said quotes from the movie.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

                Bret Wood sums it up perfectly in his article when he says “If Citizen Kane (1941) represents the pinnacle of artistic derring-do and Gone With the Wind (1939) epitomizes the colorful bombast of the American epic, then Casablanca is surely the film that defines cinematic cool”.  This film can seem very laid back and mellow, and at the same time it seems very suspenseful and intense.  Wood even comments on the fact that this film appeals through the audience through the world that it creates.  It is also interesting to read about some of the production notes on the movie.  Learning that Conrad Veidt, who played Major Strasser, had died only a month after its Oscar appearance was quite an unfortunate shock as well.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

                 Casablanca does not have high octane explosions, spectacular visual or sound effects, or high quality camera movement.  Even so, this movie stands on its own even without all of the fancy Hollywood tricks.  Casablanca is based in the North African town its title is based off of where night club owner, Rick, runs into his old lover, Isla and gets involved in a complicated situation.  We watch as Rick struggles with his own inner demons while trying to keep his business afloat and stay out of harms way.

                As said before, this movie is not a technical masterpiece, but it is the actual story and plot that pulls in its viewers.  As we began watching this in class, I remember thinking to myself about how slow the pace of the movie was going over all and I felt that it wouldn’t take much longer for me to lose my interest in the movie.  An hour or two later, I find myself completely lost in the world of Casablanca, glued to my seat and never taking my eyes off the screen.  This film is just a good old fashioned storytelling flick. 

                One thing that really captivated me was the final sequence where Rick makes the decision to help Isla and Victor escape the Nazis with the visa.  Through these actions, we are shown that the bitter and selfish Rick is gone and he decides for once to think about something other than his own interests.  This movie has great quotes that have been around for more than 60 years now and it only serves as a testament of how great and important this movie actually is to the film industry.

 

Grades:

 

Journal assignments are given individual points. Each journal assignment is worth 10 points.

9-10 points reflect excellent content, excellent article source, excellent thorough summary, excellent thoughtful analysis and creative, interesting content.

7-8 Points reflect good work in all areas above

5-6 Points reflect that you adequately met all the requirements

1-4 Missing or poorly presented content

0 No journal posted or posted beyond due date

 

Pages: You can create separate pages on your blog or simply do them as continuous posting.

 

Note: You do not have to resubmit your blog after you initially create one. If you post your journal content, I will see it. Just make sure it is posted on time.

Plagiarism Statement: Attach this to the end of every journal assignment.

 

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.