women (casablanca) Flashcards
how does the young bulgarian woman in a way epitomize the role of women
•she’s like a commodity to be bought & sold, a toy to be passed around between men
although Rick acts from good motives in saving the bulgarian woman from Renaults clutches, what does Renault regard her as
•as a possession or pleasure that Rick has denied him
•”why do you interfere in my little romances?”
how is yvonne another example of the low status of women
•rejected and discarded by Rick, Renault describes her as a commodity - “How extravagant of you to be throwing away women, they may become scarce one day.”, before commenting that he might pick her up on the rebound
yvonne later accompanied a german officer to the cafe, what happens
she gets insulted by a patriotic french officer
•yvonne has little to no identity of her own, a trophy to be won or fought over
•she only succeeds in asserting her own individuality when she sings ‘La Marseillaise’
although ilsa plays a more prominent role in the film, what is she also
she seems to be a trophy to be fought over by men, too
what role does ilsa play in the love triangle
the love triangle between ilsa, rick and laszlo is central to the film, yet she seems to play a somewhat passive role in it
torn between two men, she..
‘cannot decide’ and needs Rick to ‘do the thinking for her’
in the end, what does she accept from Rick
•she mutely accepts Ricks decision that she should get on the plane with Laszlo
•even when she attempts to take action, threatening Rick with a gun, he easily overpowered her with his stronger personality
ilsa constantly tells both men what
•that she is ‘afraid’ and that they must be ‘careful’
•her timidity and passivity serves to enhance their masculinity
like the rest of the women in the film, what is ilsa largely defined by
•she’s largely defined by her appearance, she’s described as ‘the most beautiful woman in Casablanca’ •the screenplay tells us that she’s so beautiful that ‘people turn and stare’
the camera certainly loves her, as shown by it…
•accentuating her beauty with soft lighting and focus and long, lingering close ups
•ilsa is there to be beautiful and to gaze admiringly at men while they deliver speeches and take action
what is the overall depiction of women in Casablanca
that they are passive, beautiful trophies
