I could not find a good clip of the Pearl Harbor scene, but it was 20:00-24:52 in the entire movie.
Pearl Harbor, produced in 2001, and Casablanca, produced in 2001, are both epic love stories with a dramatic war setting in the background. The two selected scenes represent unrequited love and the sacrifices that the protagonists of the stories are able to make for the women that they are in love with.
The scene in Pearl Harbor is set with the hardships of saying goodbye. The camera follows the main woman character as she shares with Reigh, the protagonist, that she is pregnant with his best friend’
s baby. He gets a little angry, but he accepts it and knows that allowing them to be together is the only thing that he could do. There are a lot of over the shoulder shots between him and her talking. The color does add a little bit more to it though. The music is consistent throughout the movie and into this scene before they embark on their private mission. The camera angles vary and some include both people with one in focus and one blurred. When depicting Danny, the best friend, there is an upward tilt shot and there are also planes making noise with other voices screaming in the background, along with music. There is a nice angle of the two guys before she comes over to say goodbye to them. The variation in angles emphasizes the different emotions. The sun in their faces and the music pushes the sadness of the scene. She says goodbye to the one she truly loves in order to be with another for a child.
The movie Casablanca is in black and white setting a whole different mood. The end scene is one of the best of the entire film. There are some over the shoulder shots and two shots that show the reaction of the protagonist and the woman as well. The entire time the woman thinks that she is helping to get her husband out of the Nazi track. But the protagonist has planned that she will leave and escape with her husband. The black and white sets a gloomy mood that emphasizes the actors, not the background. All focus is on the acting, whereas in Pearl Harbor the beautiful and colorful Hawaii backdrop is somewhat distracting. There is a nice medium close-up of the two of them arguing about her departure as well. There are alternating over the shoulder shots that allow the viewer to see the other reaction just as if he or she was speaking. The music playing is the song that connects them together throughout the entire film. It drills home the fact that they are in love, but he is doing what is best for her. He is letting her go. The excitement of the plane and the noise from the propellers along with the music makes it all the more inevitable to the viewer that it is goodbye. The camera angle barely changes, but instead the camera focuses mainly on the faces of the actors and mainly straight on.
Both scenes hit home, but the music and the color makes Pearl Harbor stronger, whereas in Casablanca the greyness makes it all gloomy and harder to watch. There is a lot more said in the Casablanca scene, whereas a lot of the images shown in the Pearl Harbor scene are silent with just music and background sounds.
The Jennacular 