Do the right thing and Casablanca comparison




Casablanca and Do the right thing are two films with almost completely different narratives and settings, but yet deal with similar films and are filmed in a similar style. Do the right thing is a 1989 American comedy drama, written and directed by Spike Lee. The film tells the story of an average day in Brooklyn. Casablanca is a 1942 romantic drama which follows Rick, a bar owner, and the life of someone living in Casablanca. 

These films sound very different narratively in the sense that they are set in different time periods and different settings, but they both deal with similar themes. They both deal with themes of sacrifice and love and hate.

Casablanca and do the right thing both deal with the theme of Love and Hate. In do the right thing there are always changing dynamics of love and hate. In the start of do the right thing there is a woman aggressively dancing to fight the power, this is then contrasted with the fact that the next scene is about a very happy character could Mr. señor love daddy. Casablanca also deals with these themes but in a different way. There is clear hatred between Rick and the Vichy occupants, where as he clearly shows compassion towards illsa. 

Another similarity is the style of invisible editing. Both Casablanca and Do the right. thing use the style of invisible editing where a audience doesn't seem to notice the cuts or fades. Although this is a very slight thing it does link the two.
A very huge difference I've noticed between the two films is the colour. Do the right thing seems to have a very bright and orange tinged colour pallet, where as Casablanca, despite the fact its in black and white, prefers to use shadows and the lack of light to create a shadows. In do the right thing the use of an orange pallet is used to create the sense of it being the hottest day of the year and is used as a realistic choice. In Casablanca the use of shadows and bright light is a stylistic choice and sometimes creates the symbolism of being trapped and isolated. 

Comments

  1. Coulsdon A Level Film and Media10 December 2017 at 15:20

    A very well balanced and informed analysis, go forward you would do well to explore the differences in the production techniques and the careers of the key creative teams. Well Done.

    ReplyDelete

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