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Women In Casablanca

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The film Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1943) follows the protagonist Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) who is quite the bitter, cynical club owner residing in the city of Casablanca, Morocco since leaving America. After an encounter with a past lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), Rick enters a conflict concerning two life changing decisions. He could either help Ilsa and her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), escape the Germans by providing them with letters of transit visas or rekindle the whirlwind romance between the two of them. Ilsa’s world is completely turning upside down as she also must decide whether to choose her husband or the man to whom she once held a flame. Whereas in the film His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940) the protagonist …show more content…
Ilsa’s characteristic portrays a negative view of women as being manipulative. Thereby, bringing clarity to the industry’s lack of value for women as they exploit their emotions as being “irrational” in a way that is different than their male counterparts. Ilsa Lund, seems to hold an overwhelming amount of power over the male lead, Rick Blaine, that only becomes more prevalent as she arrives in Casablanca along with her husband Victor Laszlo. As she enters the club, the camera tracks quickly as she makes her way to her table. This image prolongs to illuminate her importance in the film, and introduce her as the love interest. Consequently, this scene creates an unsettling feeling for the urgency in her facial expression as her eyebrows are raised and lips pursed. Suddenly, the camera leaves the her to find Sam, the pianist, staring up at her to create a Kuleshov effect to announce the trouble that is brewing ahead. The camera later opts for quick cuts between Ilsa and Louis’ face as he proclaims his love for Rick. This addition allows for her emotional state to be in full view with various camera angles making her nervous fidgeting hands visible. Ilsa’s next scene establishes her connection to Rick as she forces Sam to play As Time Goes By; which causes Rick to put a stop to the painful remembrance of their history. This is the first instance that her lack of regard for Rick’s emotions are placed in the

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