Humanities Study Guide

Humanities Study Guide:

Film:

Casablanca:

BUREAU OF MOTION PICTURES REPORT (Excerpts) Warner Bros. WB Feb., 1943 (Sched.)

Some of the chaos and misery which fascism and the war has brought are graphically illustrated. Refugees of all nationalities are crowded into Casablanca. A few have money, but it goes quickly. They attempt to sell their jewels, but the market is flooded. Some refugees are reduced to stealing; women sell themselves; others bribe corrupt officials who in turn double-cross them. There are pickpockets, murderers, Black Markets in visas. Personal honor and dignity have departed; degradation and treachery have taken their place. This is part of what fascism has brought in its wake. Another facet of Nazi aggression is shown in scenes which depict the Nazi march into Paris. A sense of the honor and confusion of the French population is very well projected.

It is shown that personal desire must be subordinated to the task of defeating fascism. To Laszlo and the other underground workers, the defeat of fascism is of paramount importance. The heroine and the man she loves sacrifice their personal happiness in order that each may carry on the fight in the most effective manner. They realize that they cannot steal happiness with the rest of the world enslaved.

It is brought out that many French are by no means cooperating wholeheartedly with the Nazis. Renault, the French Prefect of Police, tells Rick that he "goes the way the wind blows.” He is cynical and not above taking bribes. Yet, when Rick, the American hero murders Strasser, Renault not only allows him to escape, but goes with him to the nearest Free French garrison. Then again, the French people in Rick's cafe, led by Laszlo, the Czech patriot, courageously sing the Marseillaise to drown out the song of their conquerors. Here is illustrated the love and pride of the French in their country, conquered though it is. We feel that it will rise again.

America is shown as the haven of the oppressed and homeless. Refugees want to come to the United States because here they are assured of freedom, democratic privileges and immunity from fear. The love and esteem with which this country is regarded by oppressed peoples should make audiences aware of their responsibilities as Americans to uphold this reputation and fight fascism with all that is in them.

The film presents a good portrayal of the typical Nazi. In the arrogant Major Strasser, with his contempt for anything not German, his disregard for human life and dignity, his determination that all peoples shall bow to the Third Reich, we get a picture of the Nazi outlook. These are the kind of men who would enslave the world.

Double Identity: Director Billy Wilde

Film Noir: has readily identifiable themes, visual conventions, character conventions, and story conventions, developed in the 1940s

-“feel-bad” movies

-unusual emotional goal: induce a sense of tension and malaise in their audiences

-show an ugly side of American culture: greed, lust, corruption

Character types:

-male protagonists-often troubled

-women – often deadly, vicious, alluring temptresses

Setting:

-often take place at night

-in bad parts of town

-urban

Breakdown of Thematic and Formal Conventions of the Film Noir Genre:

THEMATIC CONVENTIONS OF FILM NOIR

-Often feature murder

-Questions of violence/mortality

-There is often a detective who appeals to the audience – serves as a kind of moral compass

-search for knowledge (epistemological quest)

-often convolutes instead of clarifies stories (complicated plotting)

-nihilistic quality—a sense of cold hostility and the feeling that life is empty and that nothing matters

FORMAL CONVENTIONS

--low-key lighting that creates ominous shadows

--striped effect of bright light shining into a dim room through Venetian blinds

--striking black-and-white cinematography—sometimes gritty, sometimes polished

Analyzing conventions of the film noir genre:

Practice analyzing:

Thematic conventions

Characters, character types

Elements of mise-en-scene

Lighting

Setting

Film Noir: depicts "a world of darkness and violence, with a central character whose motives are usually greed, lust, and ambition and who is himself dominated by fear. Casablanca: Michael Curtiz

The Bicycle Thief: Director Vittorio De Sica

Neo-realist:This movement began with the ideas of Umberto Barbaro, an Italian film critic who wrote in the early 1940s that filmmakers had a responsibility to show the painful realities of day-to-day life instead of producing frothy comedies and escapist musicals. These films often focus on the widespread poverty and hunger in Italy at the time

A Quick Look at Conventions of Neo-realist Films

⎪        focus on widespread poverty and hunger in Italy

⎪        did NOT try to “sugarcoat” social conditions

⎪        on-location shooting (vs. studio)

⎪        natural lighting

⎪        used regular people instead of professional actors

The 400 Blows: Dirrector Francois Truffaut

New Wave-Film:

Before the advent of the "new wave" directors, 99' of all feature films were productions made by a group. They were usually traditional stories

with ‘a beginning, a middle, and an "end. Every shot lead logically to· the next shot, and every scene connected to the neXt scene with no gaps in the narrative. BY"Contrast, these some characteristics of "new wave" film: