The Great Dictator and the Power of Film
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Tag Archives: World War II
That Which is Uncovered
This meme originates from the basement scene in Tarantino’s “inglourious basterds” where the Allied soldiers are discovered whilst disguising themselves as Nazis. The caption translates loosely to: “the one who can see through an identity doesn’t have their own humanity interfering with their judgement”. When one thinks of a meme one usually thinks of a witty or funny commentary derived from a common experience, and given both the cultural significance of this movie’s subject matter and the stark contrast between characters, this film presents many possibilities for, mostly tasteless, attempts at humor. That is why I chose a more serious approach for this, the arguably most important scene in the movie. I was fascinated with how the character of the Nazi was portrayed as so perceptive and outgoing whilst maintaining no convincing underlying humanity. Even in this exact moment when a life-threatening discovery is made, he expresses no fear or concern, but rather seems to except the circumstances with perhaps a hint of disgust. What strikes me most about this interaction is how the Nazi is capitalizing on his lack of empathy by toying with the Allied spies. This interaction as a whole serves to reaffirm the Bastard’s mission for the audience and demonstrate how necessary this re-written vindication is against the cruelty and inhumanity perpetuated by the Nazis.
Corrupt Officials Casablanca
In the scene building up to this clip, Rick and Captain Louis Renault (the local commanding police officer) discuss his next big arrest. Captain Renault is the prototypical corrupt police chief, who picks sides based on the highest bidder and own self-interests. Renault bolsters to Rick about how Major Strasser (the local Nazi leader) will be on hand to witness the arrest. The pair discuss “allegiances”, and the presence of two mysterious exit visas in Casablanca. Renault then tells Rick that there are rumors of a resistance fighter by the name of Victor Laszlo, who’s looking to obtain these exit visas. The clip begins with Renault proclaiming he must obey the orders of the Nazis, followed by Rick calling Renault a “GestapoSpank”. This slur perfectly describes the corrupt police officer, who is willing to undermine and oppress the refugees displaced in Casablanca at the time. Renault defends his position by saying that in Casablanca he is the master of his own fate.
This ties into the themes of refugees and transit. Throughout history, people in authoritative positions of power have been exploiting refugees in transit. Rick’s American Cafe, acting as the Refugee camp of today’s standard. Where just like today people prey upon the misplaced, desperate traveler. Abruptly one of Renault’s officers interrupts the two men, stating that Major Strasser has arrived. Renault’s demeanor clearly changes as he jumps to attention. The Clip closes with the Captain ensuring to the waiter that Major Strasser must receive the best possible seating. This clip portrays an all to familiar scene of an official in a “refugee zone” abusing their power and influence.
Length of Liminality – Casablanca
During this scene in the film Casablanca we see many refugees being detained and brought to the House of Justice in Casa Blanca. In the context of the film, this scene shows the uncertainty and risk of trying to escape Europe as a refugee during World War II. Within this scene officers are detaining refugees because of invalid or a lack of letters of transit which allow one to travel freely around German-occupied Europe and to neutral Portugal, these letters are especially valuable to those stranded in Casablanca with hopes of making it to Portugal and the New World.
From the opening scene the narrator shows movement by showing the journey many took to flee Nazi-occupied Germany. The usage of the map shows technical elements used by the director in order to employ a sense of hope for a new life as well as risk in finding this new life. The theme of refugees is prominent throughout the whole film as it is about the journey many refugees attempted during World War II. The film follows along with the refugees voyages as they navigate their way through and out of Casablanca. Liminality encircles this film as the refugees in Casablanca have fled their countries of origin and are now awaiting a transition to a new status they will hold when their journey is complete. Casablanca is liminality central in this film.
Over-all I especially found this scene interesting because of the ending. A man who tries to run from the cops but is shot down in front of a sign that reads, “I keep my promises. Even those of others”. In his hand they find a poster I believe to be French propaganda against the Nazi’s as the poster reads, “Free France”. I think this scene foreshadows the loyalty and faithfulness people have to their beliefs and countries.
Casablanca: Refuge of the Refugees
I chose this scene to blog about because I found that it fully encompassed the themes of refugees and movement within the film of Casablanca. With the help of narration, this clip shows the journey many Jewish Europeans had to take in hopes of fleeing Nazi-occupied countries they had previously called home. The background music and tone of the narrator expresses a sense of seriousness and urgency. I found the use of the map very interesting, especially how they showed the very path that many of the refugees fleeing Europe took. The director used these technical film elements to present themes of both risk and hope. I was completely unaware that Northern Africa became a place of transit for Jewish refugees during World War 2 so it was interesting new perspective to gain. The theory of liminality came to mind when watching this film because the refugees have traveled from far and wide, no longer in their country of origin, to Casablanca. Casablanca is portrayed as this waiting station, a purgatory if you will, in which people are waiting to receive the necessary paperwork to flee to the Americas. The narrator foreshadows this and the actual time in which people ended up waiting there in the clip I chose when he said “The others would wait in Casablanca where they would wait, and wait, and wait….”.
Who’s Running the Show?
This scene stuck out to me during the film because it is the moment everyone realizes that they’ve lost control. It shows the uncertainty and helplessness the characters feel after the war sirens went off and the first bombs were dropped on Poland. I understand that this film is supposed to be ironic and hypocritical but I think this particular still contains a lot of irony in itself. The line, “The Nazis are putting on the show now — a much bigger one”, portrays their loss of power over the situation and also states that now this show/film is being put on/will be about the Nazis. In this still, the performers from the play are hiding. The characters they’re playing were powerful, high-titled people during their lives which makes it ironic that they’re now hiding from war.
What I found interesting about this still is the foreshadowing it is casting on the performers. The image that they are all squeezed in hiding and scared portends their possible future as refugees once the war hits Poland harder. This also could be foreshadowing a rise in the resistance, it could be portending a secret meeting between resisting Poles. This scene discloses a lot of different things which can be taken in multiple ways, but we can be sure that this still reveals unification amongst Poles against Nazis during this time as well as the new distribution of power to the Nazi regime.