While silent films are normally accompanied with a musical soundtrack, the lack of the spoken voice to convey information, the actors were required to emote via facial expressions. In the case of Chaplin, his incredible displays of physical abilities were just as important. Take, for instance, the scene where Chaplin's Lone Prospector arrives at Black Larsen's cabin. Chaplin's unmistakable physical gifts are on display a number of times, as is his ability to communicate solely with facial expressions:
While the accolades for The Gold Rush are numerous and well-deserved, an area of surprise was the amount of violence in the opening act of the movie. In the first 20-plus minutes, the audience sees Larsen murder two lawmen, followed closely by Larsen knocking Chaplin's film companion, Big Jim, in the head with a shovel. This is quickly followed by Larsen's own death, via an avalanche collapse. Furthermore, each of these acts are not implied. They are explicitly shown to the audience.
Of course, such acts are commonplace in today's entertainment industry and in the case of The Gold Rush's acts of violence, they would be considered downright tame, but it was still surprising to see that kind of "mature" content in movie made in 1925. Unexpected gun-play aside, the movie is celebrated for many reasons, chief among them, the dinner roll dance scene:
Such a scene only confirms Chaplin's unique brilliance.
Another aspect that stood out was the use of special effects in the cabin scene, just before Jim finds his gold. Clearly, miniatures and models were used, but it was done so with such precision, it's easy to imagine that kind of work inspiring the special effects artists who created the tornado scene in the Wizard of Oz, as well as the model makers who created George Lucas' space battles in Star Wars. It should also be noted that when these effects were first shown, there's little doubt the were considered state-of-the-art.
The use of the puppet to represent Chaplin during the penultimate scene is also a masterstroke. Again, there are examples of this kind of effects work being emulated throughout Hollywood, especially before the days of computer-generated special effects.
When you combine the technical aspects with the movie's inherent sweetness--captured wonderfully during the movie's end when Chaplin's Prospector is reunited with Georgia, who doesn't know about his newfound wealth--The Gold Rush becomes a perhaps surprisingly absorbing movie. It also represents a good start to the class movie list.
I completely agree, when I first learned we would be watching a silent film I was very skeptical. I was worried thatI I would have a hard time following the storyline as well as being able to watch a film with no dialouge, but it turned out being very enjoyable. Yes, Chaplin and the cast done an amazing job of shaping their emotions through their expressions, and it was incredibly entertaining. From seeing the film, I can agree that I see to why so many find this film to be so celebrated. It's very interesting seeing how far special effects have come since the 20's, and yes it it obvious that models were used, but I agree that it was done in a way that's really amazing, and in the end I truly enjoyed viewing this film.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with much of what was said in your posting! I think it is safe to say that Mr. Chaplin paved the way for many of today’s most popular actors and screenwriters through his use of not only humor, action, scenes, and special effects, but also through his use of music to further escalate the emotions felt by moviegoers. This is prevalent in almost the entire length of the movie from the opening scenes where the Lone Prospector is scene bumbling through the snow-capped mountains (a cheery, almost carefree, type of march is played) to when Big Jim and Black Lawson are fighting over the shotgun (a piano arrangement with a very hectic, quick tempo and off-setting chords is played to give emphasis to the suspense of the scene). The use of music in this film is, to me, the most effective way of portraying the mood and setting of the current scene. In a time where every movie being produced was without dialogue or sound for the most part, the soundtrack provided was noticed by all. Now when we go to the movies, many of us don’t even notice the subtle hints that the music may give us as to what is going on in a scene because it is usually masked by the extensive use of special effects and lengthy action scenes. Perhaps my favorite use of the soundtrack composed by Mr. Chaplin himself was after the fight scene with Jack. As the Lone Prospector walks away from the fight with a look of utmost self-content, the theme from “Pomp and Circumstance” begins to play. No one song implies the feeling of success more that this, and Chaplin uses it perfectly to narrate the feeling of the scene. This is just one of many examples of Chaplin’s use of music to portray setting.
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