Casablanca scene analysis

Analysis of a scene in Casablanca

In the first scene of Casablanca an establishing shot is used at the beginning so the audience can get a sense of the location, the shot focus’ on Rick's bar , as it is the main place that the movie is set. Furthermore a tracking shot has been used to introduce characters as we're walking through the cafe, the shot follows peoples pathways as their walking through,for example the camera follows the waiter around until it eventually gets to Rick, who is the main character. As the shot flows through the cafe we hear about Rick ,although he is the last to be introduced by the camera ,we also here about illegal activities, which tells us Casablanca is a miserable place,however the atmosphere in the cafe contrasts with this idea shown.

The lighting in Casablanca follows the themes of film noir, the lighting is dim but  shadows are casted onto walls,we see this on many occasions, firstly we see a shadow of bars, which conveys an idea of refugees being trapped in Casablanca. In addition a huge spotlight is used to shed light on advents, at the beginning we see it highlight Ricks cafe as it is a main location. The set of Casablanca uses props and objects to cast shadows to add to the mood because the film was filmed on a soundstage so it adds detail ,also it links to hidden meanings.

The editing in this scene tends invisible during the conversations to give it smooth and running effect, however, whenever we see new characters it cuts,this breaks down the storyline and also emphasises each characters individual storyline.

The mise-en scene clearly links to film noir,the props cast shadows to add to the design of the set, additionally the shadows connote to meanings linked to emotions and atmospheres. The costumes give a sense of wealth which contrasts with storyline as most of them cannot afford to leave Casablanca.

Moreover the performance of Rick in this scene is very hard boiled, we understand this from the audio codes, where we find out “Rick never drinks with customers ...it wouldn't impress him” this links to film noir as characters in film noirs tend to be hard boiled or criminals, Casablanca is not a film noir but it follows similar rules. Rick is also shown as intelligent in the visual codes while he is playing chess with himself, this suggests that he is one step ahead of everyone ,he plays mind games with the people around him and that he doesn't trust anyone.