Group 7
Charlie Chaplin’s Cold Cabin 2: Black Larson’s Revenge
Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush is set in several locations, but a large portion of the film takes place in a single frozen log cabin. Charlie Chaplin’s choice of location is perfect for a comedy depicting the harsh circumstances of the gold rush with a tongue in cheek. Furthermore, The Lone Prospector is such an “Everyman” that the viewer can associate with his troubles. We the movie-goer can picture being in these intense and absurd situations (or I do at least).
By setting much of the story in a single room, it makes for perfect cluster-phobic comedy. After all, what is funnier: running from a bear in the woods or running from a bear in a tiny, one-room building? Running from a large stranger with starvation-driven-cannibalistic hunger in an open expanse or locked in a tiny shack? Is there a more inconvenient place to spend time with a creepy, murderous fugitive? Chaplin or perhaps more accurately The Lone Prospector, like most of us, is not an Olympic athlete. He’s just a regular man. So when the bear attacks, the viewer feels the terror as well. Of the three men (McKay, Larsen, and Prospector) notice how Chaplin’s character is the smallest and weakest. This mirrors the powerlessness we all often feel in our own lives.
One of the highlights of the movie was when Big Jim McKay and Black Larsen are fighting over a gun and The Lone Prospector cannot get out of the way of the barrel. He is literally climbing the walls in terror but there is simply nowhere to go. I laughed out loud during this scene. With all of the violence in the world, it does not take much imagination to picture the horror of having a gun pointed at you, so when the gun won’t stop following The Lone Prospector, how can we not laugh?
The story reaches its peak…when the cabin itself almost comes to life by sliding all over the mountaintop until it finally settles, teetering over the edge of a great chasm. The simple brilliance of the rocking floor being chalked up to a hangover…cannot be bested (as far as I know). And it is an excellent example of dramatic irony. It almost took my breath away watching the cabin rock back and forth as The Lone Prospector and Big Jim McKay pace the floor. Finally, Chaplin tumbles out and must hold on for dear life. Many people (myself included) have a natural fear of heights. I remember the vertigo from the first time I looked out across the New York skyline from a skyscraper.
In conclusion, the use of a small space within a wild, storming nowhere is the summit…of perfection for physical comedy. (And I’ll bet it saved money as well.) Because of the character of the character of The Lone Prospector, we are able to put ourselves in his shoes (...well, we would have if he hadn’t eaten them). As a result, we are not just laughing at Charlie Chaplin, but are actually laughing at ourselves.
-Jacob Karnes-
Having the characters interact in confined spaces made for great physical comedy throughout the film. I agree that the scene where the Lone Prospector can’t avoid Jim McKay and Black Larsen wrestling over the gun in the shoddy, cramped cabin is absolutely hilarious. Other than for humor, using scenes where the supporting characters are in close proximity to the Lone Prospector allows everyone, including the audience, to emotionally connect to the lighthearted tramp. I particularly enjoyed the scene where the Lone Prospector prepared and shared his own shoe with Jim McKay for Thanksgiving dinner. McKay chewed his part of the shoe in disgust while the adjacent Lone Prospector let his easy-going nature shine during that terrible situation and appeared to truly enjoy his nail-covered sole for a holiday dinner.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there were other benefits as you mentioned as well. Using the small spaces like the cabin for shoots surely saved them some money. Besides for monetary reasons, having the characters have close interactions within a confined space must have been somewhat of a necessity during the silent film era. Dialogue wasn’t much of an option to establish relationships or express emotions between characters during this period in film. It would have caused constant interruptions in the film for intertitles. Instead, the actors actually had to act out the idea they are trying to express, rather than just say it. Charlie Chaplin was the best at expressing emotion through his facial expressions. Rather than give a speech during his New Year’s Eve dinner dream, he elected to perform the oceana roll dance where his silly facial expressions owned the close-up.