Casablanca: Plot
Directed by Curtiz Michael, Casablanca is an American film of 1942 that features romance and drama. It is a production of the Warner Brothers who base it on Burnett Murray and unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's of Alison Joan. The setting of Casablanca took place during the Second World War, which underlies the plot of the film. It focuses on an expatriate of the United States who has to sacrifice his relationship with a lady he loves for helping her husband – a leader of the Czech Resistance - escape from Casablanca. Getting out this Vichy-controlled town would help him continue his battle against the German Nazis.
In December 1941, an expatriate of the United States, Blaine Rick, acts as the proprietor of an upscale gambling and nightclub den in the city of Casablanca. Known as the "Café Américain", Rick's pub get a variety of clienteles on a daily basis. Some notables customers include French Vichy and German officers; immigrants aiming to attain the still-neutral America; and the ‘preys’ targeting the other clients. Although Rick decides to assume a neutral state in all matters, the film later reveals the he transferred guns to an Eastern Africa nation, Ethiopia when fighting the Italians. He also sided with the Loyalist during the Spanish Civil War.
The petty crook in the film, Ugarte, visits Rick to boast of "transit letters" he acquired by killing two couriers of the German origin. The newspapers grant the bearers the freedom to move freely around the European parts under the leadership of the Germans and to the neutral Portuguese. For that reason, such regions are suitable for all the homeless refugees in Casablanca city. Ugarte aims at selling the letters at the club the same night he shows up at the Café Américain and requests Rick to have them for a short period. Unfortunately, the local police arrest him before he can strike a deal with his contact. The conviction takes place under the orders of Captain Renault Louis, an unabashedly master of corruption official of the French Vichy. Eventually, Rick becomes bitter when his former lover, Ilsa Lund, visits his establishment. Upon noticing that the house pianist and friend of Rick, Sam, is also present, Ilsa requests him to play her a song, "As Time Goes". Rick’s anger rises as he storms over with fury that the pianist has disrespected him by performing that song yet he had stopped him. He is also stunned that Ilsa has to come to his house. Ilsa went to Rick’s in the company of her husband, Laszlo Victor, the fugitive leader of the Czech Resistance. They came to Rick to seek the letters to fly to America where Laszlo would feel safe to concentrate on his work. Major Strasser of the German origin also comes to Casablanca city to ensure that Laszlo fails in his battle against the Nazis.
On learning that Laszlo made inquiries, Ferrari; a renowned figure of the underworld and a friendly business competitor of Rick; suspects that Rick could have the letters. Rick refuses to exchange them for any amount of money, pushing Laszlo to ask the reason from his wife, Ilsa. Strasser interrupts them when he enters leading a team of other German officials in chanting the "The Wacht am Rhein". At the same time, Laszlo asks the band of the house to play "La Marseillaise". The band looks to the direction of Rick as if seeking confirmation. Rick responds to them by nodding his head, and the music starts playing. Laszlo leads the band in singing alone at the outset, but the rest of the crowd in the house joins him when the patriotic fervour grips them. In something that looks like a small battle, they drown out the Germans. However, things do not roll out well as Strasser orders Renault to close down the club.
Biography of Director
The director of Casablanca film was Curtiz Michael. While he did not have much experience or relationship to war, he made a few contribution to it, in particular through his work, filmmaking. He entered the film industry through acting, and developed into a director in his country, Hungary, as early as 1912. However, he had to put his career on hold when the First World War ensued, during which he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army’s artillery. Three years later (1915), he returned to filming.
During the early years of the 1920s, Curtiz made films in different countries across Europe. In 1926, he moved to the United States where he started doing the same for the Warner Bros in Hollywood. It is through working for the Warner that tuned his career to the studio system. Curtiz made movies of almost every genre during the 1930s and 1940s. Some of his classics include Casablanca and Mildred Pierce of 1942 and 1945, respectively. Notably, he used Casablanca to depict some of the issues of the Second World War, which makes him one of the film-makers who revealed some of the insights of the War to the world.
Plot Summary: Letters from Iwo Jima
In a nutshell, Letters from Iwo Jima is a film that narrates the encounter of the War (Iwo Jima) between the Imperial Japan and the United States during the Second World War, as told by the former Japanese soldiers who participated in it. Co-produced and directed by Eastwood Clint, gives the Japanese ex-warriors of the battle that ensued in Iwo Jima – a Japanese battlefield. The movie starts in 2005 when a group of Japanese archaeologists visit a few tunnel in Iwo Jima. The search leads them to find a small thing in the dirt.
The first change of scene occurs when the film focuses on Iwo Jima in 1944. Saigo, a Private First Class, in the company of his platoon, digs trenches fat the beach on an island while holding a grudge with each other. At the same time, Lieutenant General Kuribayashi Tadamichi storms over to take charge of the garrison and organizes an inspection of the defences at the island with immediate. He comes to the rescue of Saigo and Kashiwara who receives some thrashings from the Captain Tanida for giving 'unpatriotic talks’. The Lieutenant General then orders the two men to tunnel the defences towards Mount Suribachi. Both the Lieutenant General and Lieutenant Colonel Nishi Takeichi Baron - a renowned Olympic winner of a gold medal from show jump – starts up a fuss with some officials of higher ranks than them, who disapproves Kuribayashi's plan. Kuribayashi feels that the US soldiers will grab the beaches fast, during only the mountain guards will find it comfortable to hold out.
Poor health conditions and nutrition take their toll, leading to dysentery, which takes the lives of many Japanese, one of which is Saigo’s friend, Kashiwara. As a result, the soldiers resort to using the nearby caves. Shimizu, the Superior Private and successor of Kashiwara, reports to duty. However, Saigo does not welcome Shimizu, suspecting that he is there to spy on the troop and report on disobedient soldiers back to the Kempeitai.
The first bombings by the American troops occur, leading to significant casualties. A few days after that, Marines from the United States arrives in Iwo Jima. The battles lead to the US soldiers suffering heavy losses, but they manage to overcome the beach defenses and shifts their actions to the places around Mount Suribachi. Saigo submits a request for additional machine guns from the army commander to the garrison of Suribachi, during which he overhears Kuribayashi ordering a retreat. However, the captain decides to ignore his general and directs orders to his company, asking the troops to commit suicide. Saigo decides to escape and takes Shimizu with him, urging him to soldier and fight rather than take away his life. They meet two other warriors, but one of them gets incinerated by the flamethrower from the US troops, and the remaining three soldiers witness the bayoneting of the captured Marine to death.
The Director’s Biography
Clint Eastwood was not a warrior so he did not participate in any battle during, but that notion does not rule out the fact that he contributed to it in other ways. Precisely, he used his extraordinary film-making skills to make movies about the ancient war that enlightened the world about some of the insights of the battle. For example, he earned a hefty sum of $750,000 in 1968 (this sum was ten time worth more its current value) for the classic war film Where Eagles Dare – a movie focusing on a Second World War squad that parachuted into a stronghold of the Gestapo in the alpine highlands.
As recent as 2006, Eastwood made two films about the Second World War’s Battle of Iwo Jima. The first one, titled Flags of Our Fathers, narrated the story of the people who erected the US flag at the peak of Mount Suribachi. The film gave a debut of his son, Scott. The second movie, the same one this paper reviews is the Letters from Iwo Jima, focused on the strategies of the Japanese troops on the Iwo Jima Island as well as the letters they drafted home to their family members about their encounters at the battlefield. This film became the first US movie to describe a war issue from the view of an enemy of the United States.
The Movies and the War Events
In Casablanca, the fiercest rivalry existed between the fugitive leader of the Czech Resistance (Laszlo Victor) who fought Nazis and Major Strasser of the German origin. In fact, the latter even came to Casablanca to ensure that Laszlo failed (to fight against him). The best evidence of the rivalry between them is the fact that Major Strasser led the other German official in singing "The Wacht am Rhein." In response, Laszlo ordered the band of the house to sing "La Marseillaise.” Irked by the response and the solidarity of the crowd that down the Germans by singing "La Marseillaise,” Major Strasser order the closure of the bar.
The wrangles, rivalry and hatred between Major Strasser and Laszlo Victor were reminiscent of the battles between Germany and France during the Second World War. Despite seeing little fighting the World War II, France decided to join hands with Britain in attacking Germany when Hitler attacked Poland in 1939. Germany decides to fight back brought an abrupt end to the French invasion by attacking it alongside other Low nations in 1940. Since the Germans (Nazis) had outmuscled the French, one would deduce that the latter did not like them. Probably, it is the anger that existed between Laszlo Victor and the German Major Strasser, with Laszlo plotting of revenging the humiliation his nation had faced at the hands of the Germans.
On the contrary, Letters from Iwo Jima is a movie that gives an account of a real-life battle that occurred between the US soldiers and the Japanese troops. The film focuses on the strategies of the Japanese forces on the Iwo Jima Island as well as the letters they drafted home to their family members about their encounters at the battlefield. This film became the first US movie to describe a war issue from the view of an enemy of the United States, meaning that it gives an account of the real-life battle that ensued.
Techniques
These movies use several languages, choices of imagery that depict the fact that they focus. In Casablanca, the existence of actions such as the leader of the Czech Resistance, Laszlo Victor, and Major Strasser of the German origin is an indication of the fact that this film featured war. In addition to that, the use “ordering” as in the case of directing others is also an indication of authoritarianism, which is commonplace in battles. On the other hand, the description of the war between the US and Japanese soldiers is a direct indication that it features war.
Verdict
I would use these films in a course on World War II because they give a detailed account of the same. If I am the teacher, then I would use them to teach my students some of the insights of WWII as depicted in the films. However, as a student, I would apply them in studying as well as conducting further research on WWII. Some of the themes in the movies involve war, betrayal, and rivalry. For example, the enmity between Major Strasser and Laszlo Victor prompted the latter to plot ways of fighting the Nazis.
Bibliography
Casablanca. 1942. Directed by Michael Curtiz. Performed by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.
Letters from Iwo Jima. 2006.Directed by Clint Eastwood. Performed by Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya and Tsuyoshi Ihara.
