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Lesson 2: The Development of Cinematic Language
Gold Rush and Social Situations
The next clip is from Gold Rush (1925), the largest grossing film of the silent era. By this time, Chaplin was the most recognizable person on the planet. This clip has sound because it is from a 1942 re-release with Chaplin’s voice narrating. There are not only comedic elements but a very touching side as well. Chaplin believed that comedy and tragedy were never far apart. It’s touching in a melancholic way.
This is a story about falling in love with the popular girl in town, as a town outsider. He has just marshalled all his economic resources to put together a dinner. The ladies have been invited to share the dinner. He is fantasizing, as in a dream sequence about what he’s going to do at the dinner party.
Video 2.6: Clip from Gold Rush.
Clip from Gold Rush Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER: And there was Georgia, caressing him with her smiles and tender glances. And the girls called for a speech, but he was too happy to speak. All that mattered was Georgia was there, Georgia. So he muttered and stuttered and finally said, I can't make a speech, but I'll do a dance. And a dance he did, with the rolls.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The dance with bread rolls is an iconic Chaplin scene. This kind of comedy is translatable in the international market, which helped make this film the large grossing film it was.
Chaplin ends up being stood up by these callous people. So, we have this very touching and melancholic scene that perfects what it does by comedy. It is both a light-hearted story and something very serious about a man who is an outsider and cannot find his way to being accepted by the society that he wants to be a part of.