8.5 DISCUSSION - Types of Movies

 8.5 DISCUSSION - Types of Movies

Purpose

This discussion gives you the chance to apply the knowledge you attained through the reading to Casablanca - the film viewed.

 Reread the end of Chapter 3 and the study of how the text analyzed The Lego Movie  as "the cinematic equivalent of a pastiche, a term applied to a work of art that imitates or approaches recognizable stylistic elements from a previous work or works." (pg 115 Looking at the Movies, Barsam and Monahan). Apply your understanding of genre and genre conventions to Casablanca. Give examples to bolster your analysis.

Discussion topics should include, but are not limited to:

1)A discussion of genre as it relates to Casablanca.
2)What genre conventions Casablanca shares with other films in a specific genre, and how is it different? For instance, what elements of form (presentation) are relevant? Or, what story formulas are present?
3)Does Casablanca reflect the concept of the "Evolution or Transformation" of a genre?
4)How does style and genre demonstrate cultural invisibility?

In a discussion of, "at least three points", in the case of the possible topics listed above, keep in mind that a thorough discussion of one  genre convention as it is depicted in the film and in a number of genres could yield three points

My Post 10-21-21:

Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) was filmed a year after Humphrey Bogart starred as Sam Spade in the popular film noir film, The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941). In The Maltese Falcon he was a loner and tough guy with a lot of integrity who does the right thing and is a respected protagonist. He is leading man with smoothness and slow gait in his speech, good come backs and smokes cigarettes. Women want him and he is swayed a little but not completely by their manipulation. Humphrey Bogart films was also a tough guy in a lot of narrative dramas that had criminal associations.

As film goers have an expectation of films based on leading actors, casting Bogart in Casablanca, in a similar role as the suave, loner, tough guy with integrity but as a bar owner in Casablanca,  made type-actor sense. It makes Casablanca a Bogart movie. They also brought back Sydney Greenstreet, the “Fat Man” back from The Maltese Falcon as Signor Ferrari. This time he was less sinister than before but still a bad guy.

Casablanca is a hard film to define with a genre. I define it as a narrative drama with film noir and romance genres around the theme of Nazi invasion in World War II. The text on genres does not have a solo war genre but makes reference to World War II films. It says that the government made “gung-ho war movies” to “support the war effort, and lighthearted musicals and comedies” (Monahan 90) creating distraction and comfort. This is not a gung-ho war film or a lighthearted film. It does use the romance genre plot structure where the “characters [are] in love as they couple, break up, and reconnect.” (Monahan 85) Even the romance is noir and not lighthearted. 

I see this blend of genres does reflect the concept of ‘Generic transformation’ where the genre evolves to meet the changing society.  In 1942 the world was in the midst of the war and France had been taken over by the Germans. The film references the Vichy which is the replacement government Germany placed in France. This is something unbelievable that has happened in the world. The world needed to process this information but also needed a distraction.  A Hollywood tough guy who could make people feel good by single handedly standing up to the Nazi’s and winning. 

The text references film noir as having a distinguished visual style. “Noir movies employ lighting schemes that emphasize contrast and create deep shadows that can obscure as much information as the illumination reveals.” (Monahan 92) Scenes of Casablanca were an example in our mise-en-scene presentation where we were shown extreme low key and high contrast lighting. The example had Bogart’s face in so much shadow that we could not really see any definition. The text also says, the film noir illumination distorts facial features as it has in Bogart’s case. Sam, his piano man, is also just in the shadows seen as a suit and tie with an outline. The film noir visual style is designed to create tension and an unstable world.

The plot structure as well “reinforces this feeling of disorientation.” (Monahan 92) Disorientation because of war and Nazi's is huge in the story narrative in Casablanca. Major Strasser creates his own mini-invasion when he comes and starts to reign in his authoritarian political control disorientating the people and city of Casablanca. They have been in one of the few safe spots of the war with hopes to leave to the U.S. but with the great stress of that not knowing if that will happen before Germany changes their mind and arrests them all. Just as Major Strasser does change his mind when he decides that Laszlo is too great a threat to be on the streets and Rick’s café is too great a threat as a meeting place. The story conflict peaks with him imprisoning the leftist hero Laszlo and shutting Rick’s café. 

Here is the part of the movie where Bogart, the ‘tough guy with integrity’ does the right thing and becomes the hero. Although he is in a romance, he does what is right for the world instead of his heart and gets the leftist hero, Laszlo and Ilsa, his own romantic partner, out of the country. He also kills Major Strasser, but as a good guy he did warn him.  As we want a happy Hollywood ending in the Classical Paradigm narrative, Captain Louis Renault decides to not press murder charges against Rick when his police squad come. Instead, there is a funny quip and the two escape the turmoil of Casablanca together as friends. 

Student replies to my post: 
Justin: Hey Ida,
I agree with what you say about Casablanca being hard to define with a genre. It was hard for me to say it was definitely X or Y, but I agree that it is definitely something around film noir and romance. I also agree with your assessment in that Casablanca is partial to the concept of Generic Transformation, very political and romantic. Rick is definitely not your typical character. I did not realize the movie ended with the Classical Paradigm Narrative! Nice post. 

Joe: 

Ida -

I agree with what you said, Casablanca is a war movie.  At least that is one of its genres.  I was surprised the text didn't list war movies as a genre.  While Casablanca wasn't a government-produced “gung-ho war movie” to “support the war effort, and lighthearted musicals and comedies”, it may as well have been.  In my opinion, it also was an effective propaganda film - which also may be considered a genre of sorts.  The film was green lit, made, produced, and distributed by the Warner Brothers who were four very anti-Nazi, anti-Germany Polish-Jews who happened to run a major studio.

My response to two students:

Hello Justin, 

I agree with your assessment of the narrative structure leading up to a conflict and that they film has the genres of film noir and romance. 

I thought I was the only one who would see the film noir genre. I was glad to see your post. 

It was interesting to see your point of view of the conflict. I define the conflict in a broader sense as Rick and Major Strasser standing in for the U.S. and Germany. I wrote that the country at that time needed a film that had a tough guy who could single handedly stand up to the Nazi's and win. 

I symbolically see us winning with Laszlo taking off. He is the hope of the everyone fighting Nazi's and he leaves on the jet because Bogart was able to get him on the plane.  Major Strasser, the Nazi, loses this fight and then is even killed by Bogart.  

I think we're both right and I liked seeing your viewpoint. 

Hello Joe: 

Hi Joe,

Thank you for being diplomatic in your answer and saying that you agree it was a war film as we both saw it differently on film noir. That's what makes class interesting though is for people to post their position and back it up and we both did. 

I agree with your assessment of the propaganda analysis, especially after reading the article at the very end of the module that Anna left us. It seems that the overall intention of the film was to get U.S. audiences to go from the isolationist position of Bogart (I stick my neck out for no one). To the final version we see of him, committed to help defeat the Nazi's. 

Great analysis on the music too!

ida

GRADE 10/10

COMMENTS:

Thank you for your knowledge/research in regards to Bogart and the roles he played. I am sure your classmates will appreciate the information.

Anna Geyer, Oct 24 at 11:23pm

So I hit submit instead of return. Your responses are as stellar as your post and by that I mean as you state, you back up your argument with excellent examples< and the fact you noted , " I define the conflict in a broader sense as Rick and Major Strasser standing in for the U.S. and Germany," and then continued that analysis is both very enlightening and thorough. Not all your classmates are as familiar with the historical context of the film.