“Cassablanca” And “Gone With The Wind” Essay

From the great scientist Thomas Alva Edison marks the birth of the most brilliant inventions of all time that has changed the lives of the human race over time. That [is] the debut of the photographic equipment that can record and play series of shots accompanied by sound, popularly called motion picture. By motion picture we mean, films or movies. However the real definition covers the television media as a whole, starting from movies, commercials, TV series, to news and the like. For centuries, motion pictures have portrayed a great role in influencing the lives of the human population which are dominating in the mainstream culture. Decades after decades or maybe year after year from its birth, the transition of motion pictures has evolved as technology continues to reach its infinite summit. From black and white to colored films, blasted with computer generated special effects nowadays, this has become a form of entertainment that is continuously patronized. Not only do motion pictures provide entertainment, but also it can provide education to the audience. For the great Thomas Alva Edison said that motion picture is going to revolutionize the educational system. Because of this extensive array that films provide this has mark the advent of the film industry. There has been no doubt that films are continuously patronized by its consumers. And as the economy film industry booms, there has also an increase in the category or the variety of films from which consumers can choose. The types of movies classified by the Motion Picture Research Bureau in 1942 includes: Comedies (which can have subtypes such as sophisticated, slapstick, family life, musical), war pictures, mystery and horror pictures, historicals and biographies, fantasies, western pictures, gangster and G-men pictures, serious dramas, love stories, romantic pictures, socially significant pictures, adventure, action pictures, musicals (serious), child star pictures, and (Wild) animal pictures. Others have classified motion pictures according to function. Such classification includes: feature films, animated films, documentaries, experimental films, industrial films, and educational films. When movies are classified according to type, this becomes more beneficial to most of the film producers. This is because they could sell out their films easily for their audience knows what to look forward to because it is much easier to familiarize generic films. This types of pictures use a series of repeating visual themes which allows the viewers to understand the collective information regarding characters, situations, and overall message of any film. Since audience always expect that there is some element of novelty in any film. Technology paved its way to allow innovation for such films to have generic consistency. In many ways, for historians, thinking about genre can expose what might have been ideologically `familiar` to viewers in a time period, and also what they might have perceived as daring or unfamiliar. Every film documents the historical accounts in a genre where people can relate themselves because this is what is happening in their society. Such example is the motion picture during the period where the renowned scientist Thomas Alva Edison lives up to the present genre of motion pictures in computer age. Films indeed mark every course of the world’s history. Contemporary films starting from the 1930’s up to the 1960’s were films which covers the historical events that took place during those times. Films like Casablanca (released in 1942) and Gone with the Wind (released in 1939) retells the history of the Nazi invasion (in Casablanca) and the American Civil War (in Gone with the Wind). These two films reflect the social condition of the people during the Nazi-invasion and during the American Civil War. Casablanca The people living between 1930’s to 1960’s can easily relate to Casablanca for the setting of the story was during the Second World War. Casablanca is a story that revolves around Rick Blaine who is a bitter, cynical American, owner of â€Å"Rick’s Cafe Americain†. The nightclub/casino attracts a mixed clientele of Vichy French and Nazi officials, refugees and thieves. Although Rick professes â€Å"not to stick out his neck to everybody†, he still manages to help those who are in need and involves himself to people like Ugarte. Ugarte killed two German couriers to get the letters of transit which is a passport to travel freely around German-controlled Europe and to neutral Portugal, and from there to the United States. And because everybody wants to escape the hostilities of Europe, Ugarte plans to make a fortune out of the letter. However, before he tries to do so he was arrested and was killed under the command of under the command of Captain Louis Renault. Not knowingly, Ugarte had entrusted the letters to Rick. All the bitterness in Rick’s love affair would flashback when his ex-lover Ilsa arrives with her husband Victor, a Czech Resistance leader, to buy the letters. The needs to go to America so that Victor can continue his work. However, Laszlo is eyed by German Major Strasser. Laszlo as advised by Signor Ferrari, meets with Rick privately to get the letters, however Rick refuses to give the letters and request for Ilsa instead. Interrupted by Strasser’s group who led to sing the German patriotic song, Laszlo was infuriated. Then Laszlo tells the house band to play the French national anthem. Rick allowed the band to play the song which lead Strasser to order Renault to close the club. Rick refuses Ilsa to give the documents even though he was threatened by her. And then Ilsa confesses that she still loves Rick, explaining why she had left Rick without explanation that day in Paris and Return to Laszlo. After hearing the whole detail, Rick agrees to help, leading her to believe that she will stay behind with him when Laszlo leaves. From the story alone it appears that Casablanca was really loved by many people because the movie shows the hardships of the people during World War II. The film also tries to show how people desperately want to get out of Europe to seek an orderly life in America. The film also shows that because the Nazi ceased all trades in Europe, these people living in Casablanca have to resort to black market in order to survive. Moreover the film centralizes its theme to the myth of sacrifice. The idea of sacrifice reassures the audience of this time who were caught in distraught during the war. The love triangle in the movie represents the emotional struggle of a woman caught between two men has given an entertaining value for the film. Gone with the Wind Another contemporary movie that is another prototype of Casablanca is Gone with the Wind. Gone with the Wind is a story of a difficult woman Scarlett O’ Hara who is supposed to be an heir of a large cotton plantation until the American Civil War came. Scarlett falls in love with Ashley Wilkes however Ashley is hopelessly in love with his cousin Melanie whom he proposes to marry. When Scarlett heard the news she also got married to Ashley’s comrade but then she became widow as her husband died in the war. On the other side of the story Rhett Butler, a businessman and a visitor in Tara was attracted to Scarlett however Scarlett never entertains the idea. During the war Scarlett serves as a nurse in the refuge of soldiers who gets wounded in the fight. And as things get worst, Rhett Butler was there to help and sends Scarlett to her home in Tara together with Melanie. As the life in Tara gets harder because of the Civil War and Yankees try to get all the pieces of land they could get in the South. Scarlett decided to go to Rhett and ask Rhett to help her. However Rhett turned Scarlett down and so Scarlett went to the rich lover of one of her sisters and professes her love. Soon she remarries and got rich again. She started managing a timber business together with Ashley. Not long enough Scarlett became a widow for the second time and soon she got married to Rhett. They have a child named Bonnie, but still they were fighting for Scarlett was so insistent on not having a child again. Rhett thought that all of this has something to do with her love for Ashley so they became separated for a while. A tragic incident happen when Scarlett lost her second child and Bonnie. Scarlett realized how much he loved Rhett and professes her love to him. But Rhett still decided to leave her. Gone with the Wind was loved by many people for they can relate to War movies at that time likewise with Casablanca. People were entertained because they could easily put themselves into the character and into the situation where they live. The element of love story in the film tries to show that we should still be hopeful amidst tragic event for as Scarlett O’ Hara said in the finale â€Å"tomorrow is another day†. Love can never be lost in every war for it is where sacrifices and hopes come from. People enjoyed watching those films that time for film is the only form of escape from the reality of life. Despite the war people can think that they can still love no matter how hard life is.