Casablanca: Thinking about Act I
Discussion Questions1. During Act I (the first 30 minutes of the film), what is Rick’s main desire? What does he want?
2. In the scene where the man without papers tries to escape and is shot, the camera first zooms in on a mural of a military leader and then pans down to the dead man. How does this scene shape your expectations for what the film will be about?
3. During the first shot of Rick’s casino, a searchlight scrolls over the building. What effect does this have?
4. We hear a lot about Victor Laslow before the first time we meet him. What effect does all this talk have? What does Laslow seem to represent in the world of the movie?
5. During the first act, we see Rick interact with a woman he has apparently been seeing. What does this scene tell us about him?
6. Urgarte appeals to Rick for help. Rick can’t help him. What is the emotional impact of this scene?
7. What is the inciting incident? What triggers a change in the protagonist’s life?
If you missed the first 30 minutes of the film, for makeup read the first 40 pages of the script and answer three of the questions above (there aren’t many words on a script page--you should be able to read this in about 30 minutes). The script is here: http://www.aellea.com/script/casablanca.pdf
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