Classic Films and Their Cinematic Techniques

Casablanca

Director: Michael Curtiz;

Date: 1942;

Place Filmed: USA (primarily Warner Bros. studios, Los Angeles; some exteriors in California);

Summary: In WWII-era Casablanca, cynical American expatriate Rick Blaine runs a nightclub and faces a moral dilemma when his former lover, Ilsa, arrives with her husband, a Resistance leader, seeking escape from the Nazis. Rick must choose between love and duty. Main Filming Techniques: Studio sets with detailed mise-en-scène; 3-point lighting for dramatic effect; continuity editing (shot/reverse shot, eyeline match); soft focus on close-ups (Ingrid Bergman); fog and shadows for mood; piano-based score integrated diegetically. Genre: Romantic Drama / War Film

Manhattan Murder Mystery

Director: Woody Allen;

Date: 1993;

Place Filmed: USA (New York City, on location);

Summary: Married couple Larry and Carol Lipton suspect their neighbor's wife was murdered, leading to a comedic amateur investigation. Their sleuthing spirals into paranoia and danger, blending mystery with neurotic humor. Main Filming Techniques: Location shooting in Manhattan apartments/streets; hand-held and Steadicam for intimacy; long takes for dialogue-driven scenes; naturalistic lighting; continuity editing with occasional jump cuts for humor; jazz soundtrack. Genre: Comedy / Mystery

The Third Man

Director: Carol Reed;

Date: 1949;

Place Filmed: UK/Austria (Vienna, on location and UK studios);

Summary: Pulp novelist Holly Martins arrives in post-WWII Vienna to find his friend Harry Lime, only to learn he's dead—or is he? Martins uncovers a black-market scheme and betrayal in a shadowy, war-torn city. Main Filming Techniques: Expressionist-inspired: canted angles, chiaroscuro lighting; location shooting in Vienna's ruins/sewers; deep focus; zither score for ironic tone; dynamic tracking shots; non-linear narrative with flashbacks. Genre: Film Noir / Thriller

His Girl Friday

Director: Howard Hawks;

Date: 1940; Place Filmed: USA (Columbia Pictures studios, Los Angeles);

Summary: Fast-talking newspaper editor Walter Burns schemes to prevent his ex-wife and ace reporter, Hildy Johnson, from remarrying by luring her into covering a death-row case, sparking chaotic comedy and romance. Main Filming Techniques: Studio sets (newsroom); rapid overlapping dialogue; continuity editing with quick cuts for pace; medium shots for character interplay; bright, even lighting; minimal camera movement to focus on performances. Genre: Screwball Comedy / Romance

A Trip to the Moon

Director: Georges Méliès;

Date: 1902;

Place Filmed: France (Méliès' studio, Montreuil);

Summary: A group of astronomers builds a rocket, travels to the moon, encounters bizarre creatures, and escapes back to Earth, celebrated as heroes in a whimsical, fantastical adventure. Main Filming Techniques: Theatrical sets with painted backdrops; trick effects (stop-motion, dissolves, double exposure); fixed camera; hand-tinted color in some prints; minimal editing, tableau-style staging; silent with intertitles. Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy

The Great Train Robbery

Director: Edwin S. Porter;

Date: 1903;

Place Filmed: USA (New Jersey, on location);

Summary: Bandits rob a train, terrorize passengers, and flee, only to be pursued and gunned down by a posse in a pioneering action tale that established narrative filmmaking. Main Filming Techniques: Location shooting (railways, forests); early cross-cutting for parallel action; basic editing with 14 shots; fixed camera; staged action for dynamism; final close-up of bandit firing at audience; silent with intertitles. Genre: Western / Action

Sherlock Jr.

Director: Buster Keaton;

Date: 1924;

Place Filmed: USA (Los Angeles, studios and locations);

Summary: A projectionist and aspiring detective, wrongly accused of theft, dreams himself into a film as a heroic sleuth, blending reality and fantasy with daring stunts and surreal humor. Main Filming Techniques: Studio sets for dream sequences; location shooting for realism; innovative editing (film-within-film); physical stunts with precise blocking; long shots for action; early special effects (e.g., Keaton entering screen); silent with intertitles.

Singin' in the Rain

Director: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen;

Date: 1952;

Place Filmed: USA (MGM studios, Culver City, California);

Summary: Silent film star Don Lockwood navigates the chaotic transition to talkies, falls for aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and outwits his jealous co-star in a vibrant celebration of Hollywood. Main Filming Techniques: Technicolor; studio sets (soundstages, backlots); choreographed tracking shots; 3-point lighting; continuity editing; diegetic musical numbers; crane shots for dance sequences; synchronized sound with post-dubbing. Genre: Musical / Romantic Comedy

Sunset Boulevard

Director: Billy Wilder;

Date: 1950;

Place Filmed: USA (Los Angeles, Paramount studios and locations);

Summary: Struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis stumbles into the decaying mansion of silent star Norma Desmond, who hires him to edit her comeback script, ensnaring him in her delusional world of faded glory. Main Filming Techniques: Noir visuals: low-key lighting, shadows; studio sets (mansion); location shooting (Hollywood streets); voice-over narration; flashbacks; deep focus; tracking shots for claustrophobia; orchestral score. Genre: Film Noir / Drama

La Jetée

Director: Chris Marker;

Date: 1962;

Place Filmed: France (Paris, studios and locations);

Summary: In a post-apocalyptic future, a prisoner is sent through time-travel experiments to save humanity, haunted by a childhood memory of a woman and a tragic event at an airport. Main Filming Techniques: Almost entirely still photographs; voice-over narration; minimal editing with fades/dissolves; location shooting (Orly Airport); stark black-and-white; single moving shot for emotional peak; ambient sound design. Genre: Science Fiction / Experimental

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Director: Robert Wiene;

Date: 1920;

Place Filmed: Germany (Berlin, Lixie-Atelier studios);

Summary: A man recounts how hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses his sleepwalking patient Cesare to commit murders, revealed as a twisted tale from an asylum, questioning reality itself. Main Filming Techniques: Expressionist sets: distorted angles, painted shadows; studio-bound; high-contrast lighting; minimal editing; theatrical makeup/acting; canted frames; silent with intertitles; unsettling score. Genre: Horror / German Expressionism

Battleship Potemkin

Director: Sergei Eisenstein;

Date: 1925;

Place Filmed: Soviet Union (Odessa, on location);

Summary: Sailors on the Potemkin rebel against oppressive officers, sparking a revolt that spreads to Odessa, culminating in the iconic massacre on the city steps, symbolizing class struggle. Main Filming Techniques: Montage editing: rapid cuts, rhythmic pacing; non-diegetic inserts (e.g., "rising lion"); location shooting (Odessa Steps); typage casting; dynamic angles; documentary-like realism; silent with intertitles. Genre: Propaganda / Historical Drama

New York Doll

Director: Greg Whiteley;

Date: 2005;

Place Filmed: USA (New York City, Los Angeles, Utah, on location);

Summary: Follows Arthur "Killer" Kane, former New York Dolls bassist, now a Mormon, as he reunites with his band for a comeback concert, exploring redemption and personal transformation. Main Filming Techniques: Observational style: hand-held cameras; natural lighting; interviews and archival footage; location shooting (churches, venues); minimal editing for authenticity; diegetic music (Dolls' performances); voice-over sparingly. Genre: Documentary / Biography

Ladri di Biciclette (Bicycle Thieves)

Director: Vittorio De Sica;

Date: 1948;

Place Filmed: Italy (Rome, on location);

Summary: In post-war Rome, unemployed Antonio Ricci's bicycle, vital for his job, is stolen. He and his young son Bruno desperately search the city, facing poverty and moral dilemmas. Main Filming Techniques: Neo-realist: location shooting in Rome's streets; non-actors (Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola); natural lighting; long takes; mobile framing; continuity editing; post-synchronized sound; gritty mise-en-scène. Genre: Drama / Italian Neo-Realism

The 400 Blows

Director: François Truffaut;

Date: 1959;

Place Filmed: France (Paris, on location);

Summary: Young Antoine Doinel, neglected by family and misunderstood at school, rebels through truancy and petty theft, leading to reform school and a poignant escape to the sea. Main Filming Techniques: New Wave: location shooting in Paris; hand-held cameras; long takes; natural lighting; freeze-frame ending; continuity with occasional jump cuts; improvisational acting (Jean-Pierre Léaud); lyrical score. Genre: Drama / French New Wave