Casablanca (Michael Curtis, 1942)

Question 1

What makes up Old Hollywood

Answer 1

Factory like film studios
All about stars, actors, owned by companies
silent movies
reusable set and props
Big 5 studios
Little 3 studios
Cinemas for escapism
Introduction of sound
Moving images and talking pictures
long scenes without cuts
invisible camera work
narrative focused
Hays code
Soft focuses
Long contracts

Question 2

How to introduce a Casablanca essay

Answer 2

I believe Casablanca, Curtiz 1942, is a perfect example and reflects the time in which the film was made - classic Hollywood 1930 - 1960. Casablanca is a romance film set during the early years of ww2 and follows characters desperately trying to leave the war for America. The film perefectly represents the attitudes of time plus why films were made in this period. In this essay / response I will demonstrate how the film reflects the time in which it was made using a key sequence from the film. A key feature of old Hollywood was the studio system. Major studios that were vertically integrated were fans of stars that were on long contracts to the studios.