Fritz Lang's first American film, "Fury," concerns the story of a man whom, falsely accused of a kidnapping and murder, is held in a county jail against his will and is subject to mob justice at the hands of the local community. Such people burn the jail he is in and believe he dies, but he in fact survives and shows up later on during the trail of some of the lynchers, condemning the masses for their behavior while reflecting on his own mistakes. Many scenes, in particular the moment when the mob descends upon the jail, are still very captivating, but they seem to be in opposition to earlier moments in the film, where the happy relationship between Joe and Katherine is shown (aping a more lighthearted comedy in the process). The dramatic shift from carefree entertainment to social commentary, then poses an interesting question - is this shift consistent with the tone of the film? It is my argument that it is not, and through careful examination of the film as well as study of its various meanings and messages, it will hopefully be revealed that the shift detracts from the film's underlying social messages. However powerful such scenes may be, they cannot be fully appreciated without our understanding of the main characters. The change from lighthearted romp to stinging critique is too abrupt to justify, and the social commentary suffers to some extent because of this.

Essay Number Ten:  On the Argument of Casablanca and the Meaning of the Third Rick by Kenneth De Luca

 

            The appeal of Casablanca is unmistakable.  Popular amongst men and women of all ages, Casablanca is frequently listed as the second greatest film of all time.  What makes this film so universally popular that it can still garners passionate fans amongst generations that can not even remember World War II,  the studio system, or even Bogart and Bergman?  It is this question that Political Philosophy Comes To Rick’s: Casablanca and American Civic Culture tries to answer with a series of relevant scholarly essays.  The tenth essay (written by Kenneth De Luca) is of particular interest to the analysis of the legendary film.  This essay reflects on the relationship between Rick’s character and the ideals of America.  According to this essay, Rick’s character maintains modern American appeal because he represents the personification of Jeffersonian individualism.  Rick is a man who needs to be free to the point where he can actually be moral and even beautiful.  By making the ultimate sacrifice of love, Rick achieves personal autonomy and also freedom from the overwhelming guilt of having done the morally wrong thing.  De Luca states that Americans find this sacrifice seductive because it represents a combination of seemingly irreconcilable freedoms – freedom to satisfy self interest and freedom to be directed by some higher purpose.  This essay is important to the study of Casablanca because it shows the noncommercial / non-studio system aspects of Casablanca overwhelming popularity. 

"Lowe's appealing work profiles the careers of nearly 300 women active in silent film, mostly as performers. Entries have biographical information, film credits, and, often, a still of the biographee. A few subject entries dot the text, some on unusual topics--e.g., "suffrage films." The work's unique scope--women from any aspect of the early history of the film industry--fills a vacancy in the literature at a time when interest in silent film is growing. For deeper coverage of about 50 early figures, readers may want to consult Ally Acker's Reel Women: Pioneers of the Cinema 1896 to the Present (1991). The appendixes of Lowe's work often provide arcane information difficult to find elsewhere: which silent film actress had the longest careers, which were WAMPA (Western Associated Motion Picture Advertisers) baby stars and sisters, which are memorialized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and which covered in the main text functioned behind the scenes in the film industry. Strengths of this title include its breadth and extent of coverage, illustrations, readable style, and unique information." (Choice, June 2005)

I will write an excellent bibliography on this film.

Pfaelzer, J. (1999). Salt of the Earth: Women, Class, and the Utopian Imagination. Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers, 16 (1): 120-31.

This is an article that deals with representations of working women and class in the film.

This is a book by Herbert J. Biberman, director of the film and Penn grad, about the making of the film.

This is the screenplay of the movie, with commentary.

Book about this film in the context of...