MHL+C

Considering Casablanca

What follows is a thumbnail outline of the key elements of movie scripts.

Each section offers a general explanation of each, and after asks you to
apply those elements to your viewing of Casablanca.

You can find tis on StudyPlace, as well, but here is a link to the full film
script:

http://mckeestory.com/wp-content/uploads/Digital-CASABLANCA.pdf

The Premise
Screenplays have been the key element of filmmaking since the
earliest days of motion pictures. Although movies are a visual medium, they
typically begin with words on a page, a literary blueprint. Before the first
onscreen kiss, before the first onscreen duel and even before the first cream pie was thrown into
someone's face, screenwriters were diligently working at their craft. Although it may look simple at
first glance, screenwriting is a challenging art. In addition to expressing visual ideas on paper, the
writer must create engaging characters and an airtight structure. There is little room for error. As
legendary filmmaker Frank Capra once said, "Scriptwriting is the toughest part of the whole racket…
the least understood and the least noticed.” At its core the point where a writer starts always has to
be: "What is my story about?"
In his book The Art of Dramatic Writing (1977), teacher and playwright Lajos Egri discusses at
length how premises work. Egri states:
Everything has a purpose, or premise. Every second of our life has its own premise, whether
or not we are conscious of it at the time. That premise may be as simple as breathing or as complex
as a vital emotional decision, but it is always there…Every good play must have a well-formulated
premise … No idea, and no situation, was ever strong enough to carry you through to its logical
conclusion without a clear-cut premise.
The premise should be the driving force behind every event in your screenplay. A good
premise is derived from emotions – love, hate, fear, jealousy, desire, etc. – and revolves around a
character, a conflict and a conclusion.

1) How would you put the premise of Casablanca into words? What is this story about,
at its core? What emotions drive the premise of the story? And what would you define as its
primary conflict?

Casablanca is the tale of Rick Blaine, an American expat who opened a nightclub in Casablanca,
French Morocco following the Fall of France in 1940. He appears to be very comfortable with his life
under the rule of Vichy France and maintains neutrality in all of his customers’ affairs. His neutrality is
challenged, however, when he is left with two exit visas to Lisbon. The visas turn out to be for Victor
Laszlo, a Free French patriot and Nazi internment camp escapee, and his wife. His wife turns out to
be Ilsa Lund, Rick’s lover when he was living in Paris. She had broken his heart by running off at the
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last minute before their planned escape from the soon-to-be Nazi-occupied Paris. Already reluctant to
breach his pledge of neutrality (he had been instructed by Nazi and Vichy authorities to not help
Laszlo), he became even more unwilling. Later on, Ilsa tells Rick that it is he she truly loves and she
only loves Laszlo for his cause. Finally giving up his neutrality, Rick agrees to give Ilsa the tickets,
telling her they were for him and her. In reality, he planned to and eventually did give his ticket to
Laszlo in order to help further the Free French movement. Love for Ilsa and sentimentalism for the
Free French movement are the core of Casablanca, both being driving factors of Rick’s decisions to
finally break his conflict with whether or whether not to break neutrality.

Character Development
Emotions are at the heart of every good film. Whatever emotional struggle you writer is
attempting to dramatize – whatever the premise – the story must bleed out of the characters' psyches.
The most successful screenplays are character-driven, even those with complex plots. In solid,
character-driven scripts, all action, or plot, is organic; that is, it flows logically from the characters'
needs and desires.
Every good script starts with a protagonist, or pivotal character. According to Egri, the
protagonist "is the one who creates conflict and makes the play move forward … A pivotal character
must not merely desire something. He must want it so badly that he will destroy or be destroyed in the
effort to attain his goal." Willfulness, the ability to make decisions and take actions, is a necessary
attribute of the protagonist.

As Egri notes, the antagonist is the one against whom the protagonist "exerts all his strength,
all his cunning, all the resources of his inventive power." A good antagonist must be as strong and
willful as the protagonist. In most cases, the antagonist is easily identifiable as "the bad guy." His
morals and motivations are clearly corrupt, his goals destructive. Rarely does a movie succeed
without an antagonist … one the audience may even, on some level, like as a character.

2) Rick is obviously the protagonist of this story. What kind of conflict/s does he create? How
does he use those conflicts to move the story forward? What is it that he wants so badly he
is willing to “destroy or be destroyed in the effort to attain his goal”?
Rick causes conflict by simply being neutral. As the holder of the exit visas, he faced with the
decision of either giving the visas to Victor Laszlo and Ilsa Lund, turning in the visas to Captain
Louis Renault and his superior Major Heinrich Strasser, or just keeping the visas and remaining
neutral. At first, he opts for the latter, refusing to give the visas to Laszlo when he requests for
them. His whole struggle is overcoming his distrust for Ilsa and finally giving them the visas in order
to advance the Free French cause. His love for Ilsa and his grudging admiration for Laszlo are
what put an end to his carefully maintained neutrality (the thing he wanted so badly he was willing
to “destroy or be destroyed in the effort to attain his goal”).

3) Who is the antagonist in this story? Is there potentially more than one?
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The obvious overarching antagonists are the Nazi German regime and its Vichy French puppet
that currently control Casablanca. Major Heinrich Strasser is the embodiment of the Nazi
antagonist, while Captain Louis Renault serves as a secondary antagonist turned protagonist.
Captain Renault appears to be an antagonist on the surface but doesn’t seem to have a strong
loyalty to the Nazis (understandable as he was a Frenchman). His friendship with Rick eventually
wins out over his duty.

Compelling Characters
Every character in a movie – the doorman, the murderer, the little girl next-door – should be
special in some way. Characters don't have to be eccentric to be engaging, but should have qualities
or quirks that set them apart, and make them memorable.
Characters define themselves through large and small actions, through their words and their
deeds. As in real life, movie characters have both a private and public side, the face they see in the
mirror and the one they present to the world. They might say one thing and do another. Their needs
might be contradictory. Villains might be likable and heroes difficult. But always, the backgrounds and
personalities of a character should be consistent with the roles they are written to play. Passive,
reactive heroes annoy an audience; inept antagonists bore them. Character, just like sin and bones
people, often act in contradictory ways, one minute helping their cause, the next hurting it. But, as
Shakespeare once said, there should be some method, or sense, to their madness.

4) Do you like Rick, find him compelling? What values does he represent – or defy – as a
character?
I liked Rick’s character very much. His desire for neutrality was truly admirable in a place where any
sign of loyalty to any side could get him into trouble sooner or later (sooner if he showed Allied
sentiment, later if he showed Axis sentiment). His precedent of neutrality reflected the then neutrality
of the United States as a whole. An interesting fact is that Casablanca was funded in part by the
British government. They hoped that by financing American films that painted the Nazis in a bad light,
America would finally join the war on their side.

5) Do you find Ilsa compelling in any way? What does Rick love about her? Is it the same
thing as Laszlo?
I don’t think Ilsa was developed enough as a character for her to be compelling. While she was
undoubtedly attractive, she seemed to only serve as a companion to either Victor Laszlo or Rick. To
be honest, I’m not sure what Rick sees in her other than her beauty. Laszlo sees her as a confidant
and emotional crutch, much like how a married couple would function. Maybe there is something I am
missing; this is just what I observed in my first viewing.

6) What about Victor Laszlo? How would you compare him to Rick as a character? What
values does he represent?
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Victor Laszlo is definitely not neutral like Rick strives to be. Laszlo has the goal of liberating France
while Rick aims to just run his nightclub with no trouble. As a leader of the Free French movement,
Laszlo represents the hope for a brighter future. The fact that Ilsa goes with Laszlo at the end of the
movie symbolizes the need to place duty above all else for the chance of a better tomorrow.

Getting to Know Characters, Even Minor Ones

While characters should be active, they shouldn't be in perpetual motion. Pivotal characters
should be allowed to reflect on their behavior from time to time, and audiences should be allowed into
their thoughts. Voice-over narration is one way to give audiences insight into a character's head, as
are flashbacks and even wordless scenes; sometimes seeing a character alone is the best way to
allow an audience to explore the character's conflicts.
For minor characters, distinguishing qualities can be rendered in simple, visual bits. Physical
mannerisms and habits, such as a nervous stutter or chain smoking, can also be used to quickly
differentiate characters for the audience while also introducing them to important attributes of the
character's background.

7) Which scenes allow you to get inside the character of Rick? What were the moments
where you really saw what was going on inside of him, the feelings that motivated him, his
true nature?
Perhaps the most important moment in all of the movie is when Rick is sitting at the bar, half-waiting
for Ilsa to return. With only Sam for company, he drowns and chain-smokes his sorrows over her and
the scene drifts into a flashback. This flashback is the only real insight into Rick’s relationship with
Ilsa and how she broke his heart. He has dropped the persona he wears around his customers and
lets out the anguish and brokenness he is feeling. This scene humanized Rick, showing that he was
in fact a sensitive man on the inside.

8) The minor characters in this film are as memorable as the major players. Consider each
of the following and offer your take on what made them memorable as well as what their role
was in advancing the characterization of Rick.
Ugarte
Ugarte was the one responsible for the deaths of the two German couriers (not sure if he killed them
himself) and had stolen the two irrevocable exit visas. By passing them off to Rick, he set off the
narrative of the story that revolves around Rick’s wavering of neutrality.
Captain Renault
Captain Renault was not only the great comic relief of the movie, but he was also the subject of a
great redemption story. Like Rick, he transformed from having a cynical personality to having an
idealistic personality, albeit in a much more humorous and less serious way. Together, they escaped
Casablanca at the end of the movie as friends. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful
friendship."
Signor Ferrari
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Signor Ferrari was the leader of black market trade in Casablanca. He was the person that informed
Victor Laszlo that Rick had the exist visas. He was also pretty fat.
Major Strasser
Major Strasser was the Nazi officer sent to make sure Victor Laszlo did not make it out of
Casablanca. He serves as the main villain of the film and Rick kills him
Sam
Yvonne - the woman at the bar
Carl
Annina - the young woman trying to get to America

The Character's Progress

Implicit in the premise of a story is character development. In order for the conflict to climax
and resolve, the protagonist must go through change. His understanding of the world must deepen in
some way, with the changes manifesting themselves perhaps in appearance but almost always how
they interact with others.
In every good screenplay, the protagonist reaches a final moment of decision, the point at
which he or she must choose a course of action that will lead either to success or destruction.
Moments of decision can be scripted subtly, through one reflective act or through a series of acts; it
all depends on the quality and qualities of a character’s personality and development, or arc.

9) Part of the history and lore of Casablanca is that none of the actors knew who Ilsa
was going to be with in the end. Was Laszlo the right choice for the story? Why not Rick?

Dialogue: Hearing Voices

Good dialogue is a cross between poetry and everyday conversation. If you've ever read a
transcript of a trial or interrogation, or any recorded conversation, you're probably aware of how
disjointed and awkward most speech is: cut-off sentences, repeated words and phrases, bad syntax,
ramblings, interruptions and pauses. Great movie dialogue does not completely mimic natural
conversation, but it does sound natural. The best dialogue starts with everyday speech and strains
out the redundancies and incoherencies … and most importantly, it sounds like the character
speaking it.

10) There are many famous lines from this film: Play it again, Sam (actually, Play it, Sam
in the film) … Here’s looking at you, kid … Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world,
she walks into mine." … We’ll always have Paris … Round up the usual suspects … This is
the beginning of a beautiful friendship …
How would you evaluate the dialogue in this film? Did it do a good job of sounding
natural: Did each character hav a distinctive style of speaking? Give an example or two you
thought was either week done or … could have used some doctoring.

Creating Tension Through Dialogue

Every scene has its own rhythm or tempo, and dialogue is often its drumbeat. Scenes with
long stretches of dialogue, or monologues, are necessarily slower paced. Tension can be heightened
by quickening the tempo of an exchange with shortened responses or regular interruptions.
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Many exchanges of dialogue are like an interrogation, with one character trying to extract
information or concessions out of another. Questions tend to create more tension than statements,
because by posing them, a character can force an issue, demanding an answer from the other party.
How the other party responds might surprise the character and lead to more questions and conflict.
Sometimes what is left unsaid in a conversation becomes the most potent part. Screenwriters use
dialogue subtext, or what is "under the text," to hint at a conflict without actually identifying it.
Characters might be having an innocuous conversation about a football game, but what they are
really expressing are their feelings about the previous night's date. Conversations littered with subtext
have more substance, and therefore, are more satisfying.

11) Choose a moment from the film where you picked up on the subtext beneath what
was actually being said and explain why it was effective – was it because of character, plot
line, tension between characters?

Screenplay Structure and Visual Storytelling

Because most movies have time constraints and unfold continuously, efficient structuring is
essential. Unlike a novel, a screenplay cannot ramble and digress. The viewer cannot stop and start,
or go back and contemplate what came before. The screenwriter, therefore, must pack as much
information and texture into each scene as possible, while keeping the tempo of the piece brisk
enough to retain the audience's interest.
The dramatic through-line of a script encompasses the premise and all the obstacles the
protagonist will face. A screenplay is like a train on a cross-country trip, with scheduled stops and an
estimated arrival time; no getting lost or being late. Every scene should service the journey, and by
the end the audience should feel that the conclusion reached is the only reasonable conclusion
possible.

The Three-Act Structure

Although there are plenty of fine exceptions, most screenplays employ a three-act structure.
Originating in ancient Greek drama, the three-act structure became standard in American theater in
the early twentieth century and soon after was adapted for film. Cinematic three-act structure is more
fluid than its theatrical cousin, but it still provides the screenwriter with a solid frame on which to build
a tight story.
In Act One, characters and conflict are introduced. The conflict deepens in Act Two until it
reaches a climax or breaking point. In Act Three, the conflict resolves and leads to a denouement, or
conclusion. As a general rule, Act Two is the longest and Act Three the shortest. For example,
applying the three-act structure to a two-hour, or 120-page script (one script page is roughly equal to
one screen minute), Act One will run about 40 pages; Act Two, 50-60 pages; Act Three, 20-30 pages.

Sub-Plots
Sub-plots contain all the same elements as the main plot--character, conflict and resolution.
Although it used to be common to see sub-plots functioning only as comic relief, with little connection
to the rest of the story, they now are expected to parallel and advance the main plot. Sub-plots
involve secondary characters interacting with the protagonist or the antagonist. often mirroring the
main action of the story.
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12) Did you see an of the film’s subplots acting as mirrors or echoes of the main plot
between Rick, Ilsa, and Victor? Explain.
Visual Storytelling
The adage "actions speak louder than words" applies to all creative writing, but is especially
true of screenwriting. While the novelist can convey what the characters are thinking and feeling
through an interior monologue, a screenwriter must use external visible behavior, expressed through
dialogue or physical actions. Plays rely heavily on dialogue because of the limitations of the stage
itself, but movies have no such restrictions. The camera can go anywhere the imagination leads it,
and moviegoers expect to be visually engaged.
Much like the novelist, the screenwriter situates the characters in a specific environment at the
start of each scene. The screenwriter's goal is not only to indicate where the scene is taking place,
but to focus attention on key details that, when translated into the visual elements of a film, will
provide viewers with information crucial to the premise. Sometimes these details underscore what is
being said by the characters. Other times, they give the reader information about the characters that
would otherwise go unexpressed.

13) What did you think was the best visual moment in the film and why?

Scene Structure
Just as the screenplay as a whole has structure, so do individual scenes. Although a
screenwriting rule of thumb stipulates that scenes should not run much more than two minutes (two
full script pages), individual scenes are still mini-dramas. Some short scenes, called transitional
scenes, merely connect one place or time to another like a bridge and don't require special treatment.
Each character in a scene should have an objective, or need, and the tension created by these needs
should rise throughout the scene.

14) What was your favorite scene in the film and why?

Back Story
Every screenplay contains back story because every character brings a certain amount of
baggage to a drama.
Some facts about a person can be revealed through props, costumes, makeup and behavior.
Most back story, however, is conveyed through dialogue. For obvious reasons, most back story tends
to be revealed early in the script, but certain facts may be withheld for dramatic effect. Secrets are the
most powerful form of back story, and whole dramas can revolve around them. Knowing how and
when to expose details about a character's past can make or break a film.

15) Rick is cagey about his back story. There are two moments in the film where he
does allude to it. Why do you think the screenwriters left Rick’s true story so much in shadow,
especially in comparison to Laszlo’s fame?

#1: RENAULT: I have often speculated on why you don’t return to America. Did you
abscond with the church funds? Did you run off with a Senator’s wife? I like to think you killed
a man. It is the romantic in me.
RICK (sardonically): It was a combination of all three.
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#2: MAJOR STRASSER: Are you one of those people who cannot imagine the Germans in
their beloved Paris?
RICK: It's not particularly my beloved Paris.
HEINZ: Can you imagine us in London?
RICK: When you get there, ask me!
CAPTAIN RENAULT: Hmmh! Diplomatist!
MAJOR STRASSER: How about New York?
RICK: Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try
to invade. And lastly …
16) This film is mentioned in A Gentleman in Moscow and loved by both the Count and Osip.
Are there any other parallels you see between Casablanca and Count Rostov’s story?