The BFS16 #10: War Propaganda 101
Title: Casablanca
Year: 1942
Director: Michael Curtiz
Other: M/12, 102 min, Drama/ War /Romance
Rating: IMDB: 8,6; Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Perfect for a rainy day, when you want something more but not a masterpiece.
I can't tell you a reason why old films are not a thing for me, because honeslty I have none. I just don't think I have the necessity to search for them and watch them on purpose, and the only scenario I can catch myself doing it is by accident or because one was recommended to me by a friend. Yes, it is a flaw, and I can't consider myself a movie expert, or even lover, if I haven't watched certain films, old or new, or somewhere in the middle. And that is defenatly I flaw I'll try to correct as soon as possible, and as I simoultaneously keep entertaining myself with fresh new things coming out. So, if you have any film suggestions to give me please leave it on the comment section below or tell me on Facebook.
As a first point, we have to keep in mind that this is a film clearly designed beyond its basic narrative, and built as War Propaganda for the States during the WWII. Far away as we are from that point in History, it is still extremely interesting to not only think about how much the US knew (or thought they knew) about the Nazi regime but also to identify the several propaganda strategies they create in the film itself. Furthermore, seems it curious to me how naively the concentration camp subject is treated, suggesting the lack of knowledge of the absolute terror happening on those facilities and it's shaterring to think that, had the outcome of the War been another, our conclusions about the movie nowadays would probably be completely different.
With that said, Casablanca ended up beingrefreshing, by it's (for me) different style. The storytelling techniques are completely distinct from nowadays, and in many ways far better. I'm generally a person who isn't commited to a romantic story per se, but Casablanca captivated me, in a way very few romantic movies did to this day, and though this doesn't mean that suddently I'm into the genre, it's certainly indicative that I'm able to sail through the simple Hollywood classic narrative with a fair amount of peace.
