Overview
This sequence serves to introduce us to two more important characters in the film – Victor Laszlo and Ilsa Lund. As they sit at a table in the café, we learn that Victor Laszlo is a fugitive Czech Resistance leader who narrowly escaped a concentration camp. Strasser confronts Laszlo in the café, and the two face off against each other in attempt to stand their ground. Under Major Strasser’s command, Captain Renault arranges a meeting with Laszlo for the next morning.
Cinematography
A tracking shot is used to follow the movements of the couple as they enter the cafe, diverting the viewer’s attention towards them.
During the dialogue sequence, the camera moves fluidly, panning up and down whilst maintaining a gliding motion. This allows the composition of the shot to easily be reframed without having a convoluted shot/reverse shot sequence.
Main, back, and fill lighting is used to light Ilsa in a highly flattering and glamours manner, as opposed to Renault who is lit more modestly, in order to appear more compassionate.
The closeups of Ilsa use a much shallower depth of field than the closeups of Lazslo, which fully draws the viewer’s attention towards her glamorous appearance.
Sound
When Laszlo and Ilsa approach Sam, the diegetic sound of his piano playing rises in the mix, immersing the viewer into their position. Conversely, the piano lowers in the mix during the dialogue scenes in order to efficiently convey exposition.
Mise-en-scène
In the last sequence, we were introduced to Rick wearing a white suit. As Lazslo and Ilsa enter the café, we can see that the couple are also both wearing white – with Ilsa’s costume being the whitest. This use of colour is representative of the characters’ purity and innocence, whilst also drawing the viewer’s eyes towards Ilsa’s radiant appearance.
Editing
When Laszlo speaks to the resistance member, Curtiz employs the use of a shot/reverse shot sequence to display who is talking at a specific moment.
Performance
Laszlo’s expression is stoic, emphasising his resilient nature after enduring the torturous concentration camp. Ilsa, on the other hand, appears to be nervous as she enters Rick’s abode, provoking questions in the viewer’s mind. We also see Sam’s reaction to the couple’s arrival – his face exudes a sense of apprehension when he sees Ilsa, which suggests that he knows her from the past.
Context and Representation
Ilsa (played by Ingrid Bergman) was an international film star and was thus dressed in a radiant manner, andlit in a highly flattering lighting in order to fully accentuate her feminine beauty. This can be seen through her meticulous neat hair and how her skin does not contain a single blemish. Bergman was predominantly filmed from her left side, so that the three-point lighting caught her eyes in a way that made them appear to shine.
Conversely, the male characters – such as Rick and Laszlo -are lit in are a more obscured lighting to emphasise their ruggedness. This is exemplary of Warner Bros. selling the ideal of glamour within their films, a notion that was highly typical of the Classical Hollywood style.
Ilsa speaks in a Mid-Atlantic accent – a superficial accent used frequently throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood. This accent blends the British and American accents in a way that appeals to both audiences and also conveys a sense of aristocracy and elegance.
Major Strasser is presented as a cold and ruthless force during his confrontation with Lazslo, standing over him to assert his dominance. Laszlo then stands up out of his chair to tower over him, shifting the power dynamic. This paints Laszlo as the ‘noble European’, standing up to the nefarious Nazi forces.
Otis Morley’s A-Level Film Studies Blog 