The Airport Sequence from CASABLANCA

CASABLANCA

This sequence (go here), the famous airport scene from Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942), is built on editing, dolly shots, close-ups, sound effects, and underscore. It's hard to imagine this scene on the stage with the same dramatic impact. In the classical studio system, with a lot of coverage (safety footage of many takes from many angles) the editor would have final control over which shots were used from many and, often, where to spot the film (put the music). Spotting in this sequence is critical.
    The close-ups are the heart of the sequence, especially one long close-up on Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) as Rick (Humphrey Bogart) comforts her as she holds back tears.
    There are several important dolly shots, both in and back. Several are follow shots, moving back as the character (for example, Louis, the police captain) moves towards the camera, thus invisible. But several (not all in this clip) are dramatic dolly-in shots to emphasize a dramatic moment, as when Rick says names Victor and Ilsa as the passengers for the flight, stunning Ilsa, who expects to leave with Rick.  The dolly-in at this moment adds punch to the scene.
    The cutaway shot to Major Strasser, as he races to the airport to stop the plane from taking off is a good example of intercutting, or parallel montage.
    As in several key sequences, Max Steiner's underscore is very effective. Other effective moments of Steiner's score to listen to is the somber chord as Rick announces Laszlo's name as one of the passengers on the plane. Also noteworthy are the variations on the song, "As Time Goes By," associated with the lovers throughout the film. The variations are heard during the two-shots on the lovers.
    Another superb use of underscore is the noble theme as Rick explains to Victor Lazlo that Ilsa and he are no longer in love (a lie). The cue perfectly captures Rick's nobility at this moment.
    Even more effective is the cue that follows this, after Victor's line, "Welcome back to the fight, Rick. This time I know our side will win." (The fight is World War II, just before America entered the war.) Steiner puncuates this moment, as the plane's propellers start to spin, with a single "sforzando" ("with force") chord. The editing then starts a series of short close-ups on all the characters, an example of pure cinema, since the shots are meaningless in themselves and gain meaning only in relation to each other.
    The most important sound effects are the sound of the plane.
    A sequence like this merits repeat study. Students are also advised to download the song, "As Time Goes By," in order to identify the way Max Steiner varies it in the two-shots of the lovers mentioned above.

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