Casablanca - Summary And Overview Of Movie - Humanities - Essay

1203 words - 5 pages

Casablanca ​is an exploration of the universal themes of love and sacrifice, but
when the film was released in ​1942​, audiences viewed it as a political allegory about
World War II. The film is set in December ​1941​, the month in which the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor. That attack changed the course of American history, awakening
the nation from political neutrality and thrusting it into the midst of World War II.
Casablanca​ tells the story of a similar, though much smaller, awakening. At the
beginning of the film, ​Rick​ is a cynical bar owner in the Moroccan city of Casablanca
who drinks only by himself and doesn't care about politics. By the end of the film, he has
become a self-sacrificing idealist, committed to the anti-Nazi war effort. The event that
prompts this change in Rick is the appearance of ​Ilsa​, his old flame, in Casablanca.
Ilsa's arrival is unexpected and devastating, and it hits Rick just as hard as the
Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor hit America. Once Rick overcomes the initial
pain, his moral sense is reignited. He doesn't get to live happily ever after with Ilsa, but
he accepts the necessity of his sacrifice and the heartbreak that accompanies it. If Ilsa
hadn't reappeared in his life, Rick would still be stuck in a life of bitterness in
Casablanca. Instead, he is reawakened to the world and to himself.
The film’s impact is said to derive from Riefenstahl’s choreography of images and
sounds…the marching of men,the waving of banners,the uniforms,the swastikas,the
overwhelming cheers, and smiling children at the front of the crowds, sparkles in their
eyes as if it was Santa they were seeing. Throughout the film, Riefenstahl constantly
draws attention to the Fürhrer as the saviour of the Germanic people. For many of the
years before Hitler’s election Germany had been in a state of national depression, due
to the loss of World War One and the institutionalisation of the Treaty of Versailles.
Hitler had promised a greater Germany and a more prosperous Germany. Near the start
of the film (45:45-46:24) Riefenstahl captures the clouds with such grace and beauty.
This could be interpreted as Riefenstahl drawing a link between Hitler and God; Hitler
descending from heaven for the saviour of the Germans. Further examples of this are at
(49:25) where Riefenstahl has shots of the statues, the angles of the scene again
convey Hitler as a saviour, a God, a great figure in the German Empire. In the film
Riefenstahl always had the camera aimed up at Adolf Hitler. She rarely filmed Hitler at
head height or from an aerial view. She applied the same concept of “aiming upwards”
to many of the Nazi symbols such as flags, swastikas or eagles. “Triumph of the
Will”was manufactured to give hope to the German people and put faith into the Nazi
rule. The film captured the Nuremberg rally in a light that clouded many peoples proper
opinions. It was a magnificent film, but at the same time an exceptional acquisition for
Nazi propaganda. In the film Riefenstahl used many film techniques that were “unheard”
of at the time and she revolutionised the film industry in this way. She composed an
exemplarily film, on behalf of the Nazi’s, that brought hope to many Germans who had
been disheartened and lost their sense of nationalistic pride, however it also blinded
many to what the Nazi’s were truly capable of. The Nazi party utilised the increasing
numbers, who were going too see films, to escape the melancholia that had surrounded
the German people for the past 15 years to push the Nazi propaganda to more people
than ever before.
In the late 1930s, Spain was undergoing the turmoil of civil war. On April 26,
1937, the Condor Legion, German ​Luftwaffe​ pilots who had volunteered on the side of
the Nationalist forces, la​unched a raid on the defenseless Basque city of Guernica.
Multiple waves of airplanes bombed and strafed the civilization population of the town.
The total figures are disputed, but hundreds were killed. An early experiment in the
terrorizing carpet bombing later refined by the Nazis, the Guernica attack demonstrated
the callous brutality and efficiency of twentieth century warfare. The world recoiled in
horror, not knowing even worse events were yet to come. ​Guernica​ is work of
propaganda. Even Picasso himself said the painting is propaganda. The painting is in
direct response to the atrocious bombing of the Basque town that bears the same name
during the civil war. Picasso further politicized the piece by withholding it from Spain
until Franco’s regime had fallen. Juan Larrea, a poet and friend of Picasso, argued
(wrongly, I think) that ​Guernica​ envisages the death of Franco and the fall of his
government. When the painting did eventually end up in the Prado in 1981 it was used
by the then Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez as a political statement.
A form of modern realism imposed in Russia by Stalin following his rise to power
after the death of Lenin in 1924, characterised in painting by rigorously optimistic
pictures of Soviet life painted in a realist style. The doctrine was formally proclaimed by
Maxim Gorky at the Soviet Writers Congress of 1934, although not precisely defined. In
practice, in painting it meant using ​realist ​styles to create highly optimistic depictions of
Soviet life. Any pessimistic or critical element was banned, and this is the crucial
difference from ​social realism​. It was quite simply propaganda art, and has an ironic
resemblance to the Fascist realism imposed by Hitler in Germany (see Entartete Kunst
– ​degenerate art​).
The book Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, is a book somewhat a man who stands
against a corrupt brass in the dark future. In this story, there be many types of
propaganda that the political sympathies accustoms in pronounce to control the people
in the dark club to perform the way they desire, and to hide the flaw that their vivify
mankind holds The establishment in the book Anthem abides by the belief of
collectivism, which places emphasis on the group, rather than the individual, and bears
a quick coincidence to communism. The political science uses a lot of propaganda in
order to get ahead the citizens believe that they atomic number 18 equal. They use
glittering generalities by job the people by names that resurrect togetherness such as
Equality, Liberty, Fraternity, Solidarity, and many others. They also make the citizens
use glittering generalities only(prenominal) night. They atomic number 18 forced to sing
a hymn and pull in a play on how running(a) is good all(prenominal) day. Every night,
they must repeat the slogan We are unrivaled in all and all in one. on that point are no
men but only the expectant WE, one, indiscrete and forever.(Rand 19)Every night they
also repeat the mantra We are nothing. cosmos is all. By the grace of our brothers are
we allowed our lives. We exist though, by and for our brothers who are the State. Amen.
Authors, filmmakers, and artists have their own way of communicating what they
feel. We have seen these in movies like Casablanca, documentaries such as Triumph
of the Will, and of course, a moving painting called the Guernica.

More like Casablanca - Summary And Overview Of Movie - Humanities - Essay

Movie: The Dawn Patrol- The Historical Accuracies And Plot Summary Of This WWI Movie

715 words - 3 pages Free ... coming in are younger and greener. Not a single female appears in this movie!This movie is a multi-level film. On the one hand, we have the action-adventure element of WW I British pilots valiantly waging the air-war over France in 1915. The other level is a dark anti-war film stressing the horror of warfare. It becomes a distressingly familiar experience for Major Brand to count the number of planes as they zoom overhead, returning to base from ...

Short Summary Of The Movie Dr. Zhivago

490 words - 2 pages ... Movie SummaryThe movie Dr. Zhivago is a love story that takes place during the Russian Bolshevik Revolution. It is a story of Russian people forced to live through many tragedies and tells of the emotional trials of complicated love. The story is set during the fighting of World War I, which goes badly for the Russians and provides timely conditions for a revolution. It is in these circumstances that Dr. Zhivago is drafted several times to be a ...

Theseus And The Minotaur: Origins - Humanities - Essay

420 words - 2 pages ... Afshar 1 Niloofar Afshar Wendy Neeld Humanities 6413 30 November 2018 Theseus and the Minotaur: Origins The legend of Theseus and the Minotaur is one that has presumably originated, in the form of literature, as early as 46-120 AD, written down by Greek historians and Roman poets. However, the story itself is believed to be much older, having been passed down through the art of storytelling generation after generation. The legend; a myth as it ...

HIV And Aids Overview Of Illness, Treatment - Galen NUR112 - Research

2230 words - 9 pages ... syndrome (ARS) or primary HIV infection, and it is the body’s natural response to the HIV infection".  Overview of HIV Treatments (2016, May). At this early phase, large amounts HIV are being produced within the body. CD4 cells, a type of T-cells that help the body’s immune system fight infection, do respond and destroy a large amount of HIV, but some HIV survives and infects the helper T-cells. The infected T-cells are not able to do their ...

Daoism And Its Link To Chinese Culture - University Of Oklahoma/ Humanities - Essay

1255 words - 6 pages ... Cassandra Snow LSTD-3113-401 Unit One Essay Daoism and Its Link to Chinese Culture Daoism has been a part if Chinese culture since 1000 B.C.E., maybe even earlier. In equal parts being a philosophy and a religion, Daoism is an expression filled with many practices. All these practices are centralized around prolonging and enriching life. The definition of Daoism can be confusing to some but those that follow the belief explain it as living with ...

An Overview Of Alzheimers Disease - English Informative Essay - Research Paper

1443 words - 6 pages ... Running head: AN OVERVIEW OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE 2 OVERVIEW OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE 2 An Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease Hannah Heady Murray State University An Overview of Alzheimer’s Disease As the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a slow progressing, degenerative disorder of the brain that eventually results in abnormal brain function and death (Liang et al, 2016, p.2). According to the alz.org ...

Comparing Thelma And Louise Movie To Trifles Book And Find Common Themes - Literature Of Film - Essay

1023 words - 5 pages ... murders because of their sympathy for one another and their belief that the law and justice system will not justify the deaths but will rather punish the culprits. At the beginning of the movie, Thelma is shown as a housewife who is constantly being controlled by her husband meanwhile, Louise is a server at a restaurant (Scene 1). This is almost exact to the case of trifles: Mrs. Hale, the housewife to a farmer, also depicted to always being ...

A Summary Of Promises And Poverty - Global Issues - Summary

885 words - 4 pages ... A Summary of Promises and Poverty By: Raven Johnson September 26, 2018 Global Issues Before sitting down and taking my time to read this article, I looked at the title to see what type of article I would be reading. The title of the article is called “Promises and Poverty”. To me, I felt like the article was going to be about something that has to deal with a country in poverty, but also a country that has been made promises to. After I read the ...

Tell Your Idea About The Purpose Of Life - Humanities - Essay

990 words - 4 pages ... . Still for others, life is all about art. For many, life is all about love. For a few, life is all about religious practices. Others think that the purpose is to be the best version of themselves. Everyone will have different definitions of life as well as the purposes of their life. We can see those differences clearly through three movies: While We’re Young, Pariah, and Into the Wild. Many people believe that life is meaningful when you can be ...

Battle Of Hastings- Events, Summary And Conclusion - Write An Essay On The Battle Of Hastings - Essay

2277 words - 10 pages Free ... This essay is by Bob Marley The Battle of Hastings was an important historic event that took place almost a thousand years ago. In October 14, 1066, the tragic Battle of Hastings took place. It was fought between the Norman Army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army of King Harold II. The battle took place at Senlac Hill, about 6 miles northwest of Hastings. Harold II was killed during the battle; historians predict or believe that ...

Django Unchained: Movie Summary And Review - Immaculata University - Essay

822 words - 4 pages Free ... Paul McLaughlin Film Appreciation Analysis 2/15/18 Django Unchained Set in the South two years before the Civil War, Django is a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz. Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the ...

Summary Of Black Panther And How It Relates To The African Diaspora - African American Diaspora - Essay

1846 words - 8 pages ... Paige lind AFAM 251 Professor Tucker-Worgs March 19, 2019 Black Panther Black Panther is a movie that goes in depth at a look at African culture in not only the united states but in a fictional country named Wakanda. Wakanda is a country in Africa though that is not touched by colonialism, and accepts no aid from any outside country. Black panther is not only a hero story, but a story of family, honor for their home, civil rights, African ...

Summary And Analysis Of King's "letter From Birmingham Jail" - Carthage High School - Essay

993 words - 4 pages ... Lauryl Bankson College Composition II- Toliver 13 February 2019 Summary and Analysis of King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. writes “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was later published in King’s book “Why We Can’t Wait”, in response to criticism of nonviolent protests that took place in Birmingham, Alabama on Easter weekend 1963. King was taken into custody on April 16, 1963 for parading without a permit while ...

Antz - Movie Review And Analysis - Civics And Careers - Essay

831 words - 4 pages Free ... Antz The movie “Antz”, conveys several ideas which the viewer can learn from. Despite the fact that it was initially released in 1998, it contains crucial points which can still apply to our society today. It allows the viewer to reflect on how they’re living in society and how the factors in society affect them. “Antz”, greatly relates to the ideas that we have studied in Civics. The idea of government, laws and rights, and power are examples ...

Comparison Between Clash Of Titans Movie And Myth

740 words - 3 pages ... compare and contrast the film, Clash of the Titans, to the story of Perseus compare and contrast the film,�Clash of the Titans, to the story of Perseus. Andromeda and Perseus Essay : The Story begins with Andromeda and Perseus. There are many Similarities and differences between what happens in the movie "Clash of the Titans" and the actual myth about Andromeda and Perseus. The three main similarities between the movie ...