After watching
movies today, it is hard to respond to a silent film such as The Gold Rush. The classic silent film, The Gold Rush, uses many important
elements to engage film viewers today. Whether it is the sound mix, props, and
even the great personality and work of Charlie Chaplin, the silent aspect of
the film does not make it incomprehensible or a problem to watch.
In the movie
Chaplin incorporates the sound mix very well. Although the film is silent, the
mood of each scene is captured by the playing of the instruments and whether it
is high pitched, low pitched, fast, or slow. Some of the scenes that utilize
the sound mix are the storm scene and the scene that follows when the cabin is
on the cliff. The sound mix captures the mood and feel of not only the scene,
but also the emotion of the characters, even though there are no words spoken.
There scenes that make use of this is the scene where Chaplin is going crazy in
the cabin after Georgia leaves and the famous dinner roll scene. But this scene
is not the same without Chaplin’s great personality. Another device Chaplin
includes very well into the film is the use of props.
During each scene
Chaplin skillfully integrates many of the props to make the scene become more
appealing and lively. This helps the audience focus on not only the characters,
but also the entire set of the scene. There are many scenes in The Gold Rush where Chaplin utilizes the
use of props such as many of the cabin scenes. In the cabin scenes Chaplin uses
the stove, his shoe, the dinnerware, and even the table to become more visible.
Also in the second cabin after Georgia
leaves and The Lone Prospector becomes ecstatic, he makes use of almost every
prop in the room whether it was the bedding, the boxes, the table and even the
pillow. Another scene where props are allocated is when the lone prospector and
Big Jim are eating the shoe. They use every bit of the shoe, along with the
stove, pots, salt, and dinnerware. All of this just shows Chaplin’s remarkable
work and personality as an actor and director.
Throughout the
film I thought it would be tough to read the characters, but with Chaplin’s
personality, actions, and facial expressions I always knew what the lone
prospector was thinking or what he would say if the film had voices. One of the
many scenes when Chaplin shows his great character is the scene at the bar when
he finally sees Georgia
and meets back up with Big Jim. His many emotions of that one scene are clearly
evident with no need for words. Another
scene that captures Chaplin’s great work is the scene of the dancing dinner
rolls. This is one of the greatest scenes in history. It is so popular that
many other movies throughout the years allude to this historical scene.
All three of these
devices combined with Chaplin’s remarkable work and personality makes The Gold Rush a classic film. This is
why we still watch it today, 85 years after its debut.
- Daniel Bowman (Group 2)
In your analysis above, you mention that even though the movie is silent, Chaplin is able to capture the mood of each scene with music and facial expressions. This argument is a great way to describe how the lack of dialogue adds to the overall film and this theme is relevant throughout the whole movie. There are many examples of this in the film including what’s mentioned above with the dancing dinner roll scene, the storm, and the cabin. During the dinner scene, Chaplin’s facial expressions and body language show his emotions. Although he cannot talk, the audience is still able to understand how he feels: love for Georgia and happiness. During the storm the music gets fast-paced and high-pitched to show the movement of the snow and how Chaplin feels caught in the storm. The cabin hanging off the cliff is another good example of this, as mentioned above. Each time the cabin starts to move and sway, it is reflected in the music. Your point above that this makes the characters easier to read is also valid. In other movies, you get background information and dialogue that helps you to understand the character. In silent films however, you have to rely solely on the information given to you from the music and body language. Chaplin does a fantastic job of this in The Gold Rush, and there is never a time when you’re confused about what’s going on. Overall, your analysis is clear and defined and proves a valid point.
ReplyDelete-Mary Walker