Group 7
Charlie Chaplin’s Cold Cabin
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.)
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.
ReplyDeleteThe power of keeping the characters loosely bound throughout the majority of the film, so far as I can interpret, provides a certain cohesiveness amongst them that is centered by The Lone Prospector. His whimsical and oblivious nature provide a balance to the over-exaggerated roles of Jim McKay, Black Larsen and Jack. Keeping the characters in a form of interaction must in some way have been a necessity in the silent era in order to decrease the use of intertitles and the scenes depicting Jim McKay and the Tramp together likely are derived from those methods. However, it does nothing but stimulate the experience and encourage the narrative despite the lack of dialogue. That was surely Chaplin's realm and The Lone Prospector was a superb portrayal of that talent.
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