Film Noir and The Classic Hollywood System- Its influence on Casablanca

Film Noir and The Classic Hollywood System- Its influence on Casablanca



Hollywood Studio System

At the time that Casablanca was made the Hollywood studio system was like a factory with many studios churning out films all the time. It was a collaborative effort between sound, directors, actors and cinematographers working together to produce films. Casablanca was nothing special to the studio and its success was likely due to its timing due to america having just joined world war 2.

Many studios had a particular style for example Warner Bros who distributed Casablanca was well known for film noir hence why there is a lot of film noir influence in Casablanca including their use of the famous film noir actor Humphrey Bogart who up until then had only played bad guys in film noir such as The Maltese Falcon.

Humphrey Bogart was used in Casablanca because unlike in modern Hollywood where actors are freelance back in the 40s actors were on long term contracts to particular studios. Actors would often appear as similar characters as they were seen as fit for the part. Being on the payroll for Warner Bros meant that Bogart was available for the role of rick whereas in modern Hollywood actors have a lot more freedom and studios sometimes have to fit around other work that the actor may be doing.

Because almost all of the filming was done in studio sets it made genres like film noir easy to film as they didn't require any fancy outdoor sets. By allowing the films to be easily shot this further increased the factory-like nature of the classical Hollywood system.

These indoor sets affected the style of the films as they tended to be more dark and indoors with light sources casting shadows across faces giving the feel of something lurking in the darkness. Lighting was so key especially with black and white as lighting affects how an audience perceives a scene. The neon lights and dark alleys of film noir are what makes the atmosphere so great. Films such as The Third Man do a great job at lighting with many scenes shot in sewers and corridors that really use the claustrophobic nature of film noir to their advantage.

At the time editing was seen as something to make the film flow better. Silent editing was used so that the edits didn't obstruct the experience or draw from the immersion. Editing was not meant to be noticed and so cuts were quick and unnoticeable and any other editing was almost out of the question.

Film Noir

Casablanca is greatly influenced by film noir due to Warner Bros past experience in the genre. Film Noir is a very particular story not just in the way it looks but in the ways its stories are written. Women are backstabbing and evil. The idea of the femme fatale is used a lot whereby women are dangerous and untrustworthy and often cold at heart. Men on the other hand are portrayed as useless drunks who are often easily swayed by the sexual appeal of women.

Film noir boomed as many European directors fled towards america due to the war bringing with them German expressionism and other such styles these style gave birth to film noir.

The setting was almost always an urban american city such as Chicago. The neon lights and barely bright street lamps were not only atmospheric but also easy to recreate on a Hollywood studio set. Their cheap production was perfect for the studio system and film noir was a popular choice for many studios.

You can see how film noir influences Casablanca throughout the film. From Ricks smoking which was commonly used to shroud people in mystery in film noir as well as the shadows cast by blinds and lamp shades. The influence especially when it comes to shadows is clear throughout the film.

If it weren't for film noir its possible Casablanca would be completely different if it would even exist at all.