Casablanca

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening. Casablanca is a great romance, a stirring wartime adventure, a suspenseful action movie, and in the end, a terrific buddy movie. It’s listed again and again on the top ten lists of critics and fans alike. Its snappy lines are repeated by movie buffs the world over. A big-budget film for its day, Casablanca was shot almost entirely on sound stages and the studio lot. Based on the unprocessed play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, the screenwriters essentially made the story up as they went along, and no one knew exactly how it would end – which may have added to the film’s very real suspense and freshness. In fact, the famous last line of the film wasn't even recorded until three weeks after shooting ended. 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. 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.? While Citizen Kane is generally regarded as the greatest film of all time, Casablanca is actually the better film, maybe even the number one film of all time, or at least tied for first with The Godfather. The main reason Casablanca is the better film is the pure entertainment value, which ultimately comes down to story and character. In contrast, Citizen Kane is highly touted for its groundbreaking cinematography and unique shots that revolutionized the film industry. In this sense, Citizen Kane can be considered the most influential film of all time, but its story or script cannot compare to those of Casablanca. Citizen Kane centers around Charles Foster Kane, whose egotism and eventual corruption alienates him from the audience's affections. In contrast, Casablanca follows Rick Blaine, a very favorable protagonist who is smart, calm, suave, and generous, even if he tries to deny it. This type of character makes the audience care about the story more--we want Rick to get Ilsa more than we care about Kane's problems with Susan. Citizen Kane is influential for its cinematography and filming, but Casablanca is equally influential for its screenplay and dialogue. Casablanca, based on a play, does not have very much action. It is much more about the relationships and interactions between the characters, which is tied together by unbelievable, creative and clever dialogue. The script is full of famous one-liners that stay with the audience forever and resonate in following films and television. For example, when I think of Rick and Ilsa, I think, "Here's lookin' at you kid". In addition, the script mixes in comedy and humor, often subtle, to the serious World War II era situations and serious love story. This mix comes together remarkably well, and with so much tension and issues going on, Casablanca's story is much more interesting than that of Citizen Kane. For example, there is the love story between Rick and Ilsa, the flashbacks to Paris and their love affair, the tension with Victor Laszlo, the antagonism from Major Strasser, the conflict and quips with Captain Renault, and the overall World War II tensions and attempts to escape to America through Casablanca. All of these factors come together to create a remarkably entertaining story that is definitely superior to the life story of one man. 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. 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) ( X ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 2) ( X ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper. 3) ( X ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 4) ( X ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 5) ( X ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 6) ( X ) 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) ( X ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 8) ( X ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper. Name: _______Carla Baylor___________ Date: _____5/7/13_______