Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz and released in 1942, displays the qualities of both classical Hollywood narrative and art cinema. These two cinematic structures equate to formalism in literature, but also point to other frameworks including feminism, postmodernism, and new historicism. Art cinema and classic Hollywood narrative marry in Casablanca in a way that informs the character development and narrative trajectory of the film. The fact that classic Hollywood narrative is so identifiable in this film speaks to its historical time and place; the use of experimentation that would become a staple of art cinema is indicative of the fact that Casablanca uses unconventional textual devices to convey meaning, character and story, and also that Casablanca is a film that demonstrates the slow change of cinematic standards of the time. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Classic Hollywood fiction was and probably still is the standard model for films and films made in Hollywood. It consists of some basic components upon which Casablanca is largely built. Eshowsky.com has narrowed them down to a few basic categories. Specifically, some of these components are elision, cause and effect, motivation, hero/protagonist, and narrative closure. The hero/protagonist is the central figure of the film, he is often the hero and is surrounded by a number of secondary characters. The film is built with a moral and we are usually supposed to support the hero/protagonist in his quest. Elision refers to economical editing that requires that each scene be unambiguously connected to the next and that every action be immediately clarified for the audience. Cause and effect, narrative closure and motivation are the elements for which elision exists. Cause, effect, and motivation refer to the fact that in classic Hollywood narrative, every piece of dialogue, every action, and every scene is designed to lead to a final ending. Nothing happens without a reason. The final ending is governed by narrative closure, which states that the ending is clear and leaves no one guessing. Films using this model usually contain a happy ending. Arthouse cinema had its heyday in the late 1950s and 1960s and some of its early influence can be seen in Casablanca. Filmreference.com has a reliable and concise article on the narrative system. In short, art cinema is essentially the opposite of classic Hollywood narrative and fundamentally consists of authorial expression, an oblique or non-linear narrative structure, and an inclination towards character psychology and realism. Often the ending is unclear and any type of closure is missing. The intent is to show a truer depiction of human relationships, psyche, and events and usually contains multiple themes and no clear morals. Casablanca is primarily built on a classic Hollywood narrative structure, so any experimentation done in the film's language components is subtle. and done in service of the bigger picture. While they require to be pointed out unless the viewer has the background information to be able to spot them, they are significant in that they show not only the slowly changing tide of cinematic styles, but also some of the thematic elements of the work. and how they apply to multiple literary frameworks. For example, Rick's moral vacillations, particularly regarding his relationship with Captain Renaud, show both experimentation and a slight streak of postmodernismdetectable in the film. Rick is seemingly a cold and, as we learn, tormented character throughout the film. He has a strained friendship with the police chief, a devious man who collaborates with the Nazis so as not to be disturbed. However, when Rick manages to defeat the Nazi threat, Renaud changes his allegiances like a weather vane. Interestingly, instead of rejecting him, Rick accepts his friendship. This character ambiguity and fluctuating sense of morality for the sake of pragmatism are typical of postmodernism. The fact that the American is the reluctant hero, the Frenchman the weasel, and that someone as pure-hearted as Victor Lazlo is only a secondary character can be read into a new historical framework. We should be rooting for Victor Lazlo, the legendary hero of the story. In a perfectly classic movie, chances are Lazlo would be the hero/protagonist. However, the flawed Rick is the main character; this can be attributed to the fact that Rick is the American (while Lazlo is Czech), which is why he was made into a more dynamic and relevant character. Lazlo even questions Rick about his true sense of morality and sympathy for losers. Here we see how art cinema is at the service of classic Hollywood narrative: in the end it must be the hero/protagonist who saves the day, but he is ambiguous and tormented; Rick gets advice from someone who is everything he should be. This isn't uncommon in CHN, but normally the hero/protagonist would definitely display those qualities right from the start. Rick could perhaps represent the United States in its attitude towards the Nazis. Rick tries to stay neutral as long as possible until war comes; the United States tried to stay out of the war until Japan convinced them to enter. Lazlo, coming from an occupied nation, could easily represent the plight of occupied nations and the American mentality that it is their job to save them. Rick could therefore be a metaphor for American involvement in the war. It is also possible that this film is a call to arms for Americans, as the film was made in 1942, when America had already entered World War II. In this context, it would appear that cinematic experimentation is being used in a manipulative way for propaganda purposes. Equally significant is the film's use of character psychology. Again, this is done in service of the overall classical narrative structure. Overall, the characters in this film aren't given much representation of their psyches. However, he makes an exception for Rick, whose psychological state is the subject of attention because it helps in the development of the narrative. For example, when Rick is drinking in his empty Café Americain, he begins to remember his lost relationship with Elsa and how it fell apart. This is done through editing, which was an un-American way of using footage to evoke meaning or emotion. This demonstrates some of the practical experimentation that takes place in this film. Rick is shown as lovesick and emotionally and morally conflicted. However, his psychology gives us enough information to understand where the film is going, and his desire for Elsa comes into play heavily throughout the film. The fact that the decision was made to introduce this part of the story through character psychology denotes a slight change in filmmaking styles, but also reinforces the entrenched classical Hollywood narrative so present in this film. An example of genuine classical Hollywood storytelling is the lighting and framing used on Elsa. In the scene where Sam plays “As Time Goes By,” we are shown a close-up of Elsa's face. In a way>.