The gold rush - micro elements

The Gold Rush (1925)

End boat scene 

The little tramp (Charlie) is wearing the same suit that he is wearing in the rest of the movie, but Big Jim is wearing an expensive-looking, elegant suit that we presume he bought with the money made from the gold they found earlier in the film. Georgia too is warring the same costume, but her wealth and class is apparent through the whole film. We see how Charlie is mistaken to be the stowaway after he is found, based on his clothes and the earlier events, but he is then pronounced the business partner of Big Jim. We see all the different classes and positions of people in this scene, when they think he is the stowaway that they are looking for, because each different character is wearing a different costume that indicates their different classes. The make-up isn’t particularly notable and doesn’t hold much significance on the whole film, but I think it has been used on Georgia to make her beautiful as she is almost too good for the little tramp at the beginning. All of the props in this scene have been used to show that they are on a boat. In this scene they have used to ropes, cargo, anchor and chains among other props. As I already stated, the scene is set on a boat that Georgia and Charlie are both coincidently on so that they can meet again. The lighting seems natural because during the filming, artificial plighting was only just being introduced, and because it was filmed outside it would most likely have been natural lighting. 

The camera angle and movement is very basic because of the technology that was available in the 1920’s, which was very limited, difficult to use and time consuming. However, there are still multiple, different camera angles used in the whole scene. They include close-up shots, of Charlie and Georgia’s face, as well as medium shots and establishing shots, which are particularly complex considering the technology available. 

All of the sound is non-diegetic because it is a silent film, and therefore there is no dialogue, only titles. In the version that we watched, there was narration over the top to further explain each event in the film, I found it useful, although it would have been more authentic without and I think we still would have been able to understand the scene without it. Due to the fact that there was only non-diegetic sound like the music, meant that the actors’ performance and movement was even more important and necessary because through their bodies they would tell the story. As well as this, in this scene, it was a little more difficult to understand because there were so many characters in the screen and their was an absence of diegetic sound, which meant as an audience, we had to really look at the figure expression and movement, as well as the costumes to really understand the chaotic scene. 

Due to the advanced but minimal technology that they had in 1925, I don’t think there was a lot of editing in the making of the whole film, and in this scene. Although, the scene does cut to different angles to continue with the linear narrative, this is the only noticeable piece of editing in the scene, which although small, has a big impact on the sequence of the scene. As each angle changes from one to another, every part still appears to be in real time and flows naturally. 

cabin on edge of cliff scene 

Charlie in this scene and the rest of the film is wearing baggy, cheap looking clothing so we assume that he doesn’t have money and maybe doesn’t care about his appearance, which is the same with Big Jim, as they both seem to be wearing the clothes for comfort and warmth, not for appearance. They both look poor with their costumes looking scruffy and dirt, which I think has been done to show how little they have, as they try to stop the cabin from falling off the cliff as it is all that they own/have. The cabin itself isn’t well put together or clean, again showing that it is only there for protection and warmth so that they can survive the winter, matching their costumes. The make-up they are wearing is again the same throughout the film so I don’t think it holds much significance as it doesn’t tell us anything about the characters, only that they don’t have much money. The lighting again seems natural as it streams through the cabins window, and it would have been very expensive to use artificial lighting at the time so it was easier using the lighting that they had. Overall, I think the props and setting in this scene are important as they show the audience where the characters are- in a cabin on the edge of a cliff, and without the props it would be harder to understand where they are and what they are doing. 

The camera angles and movement in this scene is interesting because it moves from inside to outside the cabin, so we seem them inside trying to balance themselves, and then outside we see the cabin toking on the edge of the cliff. There are only 2 different camera angle sin this scene, yet we don’t get bored because as the audience, we want to see if Charlie and Big Jim escape or not (before the cabin falls, if it does). The outside filming will have been of a model of the cabin set, to make it look realistic because it they wouldn’t have been able to push a real cabin off of a real cliff for obvious reasons. They used an establishing shot and a mid-shot for the inside shots, as well as the title screens in between the shots to explain what was happening, to benefit the audience as there is no dialogue. I think the camera angles worked really well because they kept the audience interested and intrigued because the exterior shots looked realistic. 

As I mentioned before, there is no diegetic sound (in the 1925 version) because it is a silent film. The actors will have still reacted to the sounds that they heard when filming each scene, but they had to use their movement and expression to ensure that the audience can follow and understand the story, even though we cannot hear what the actors hear. The music added over the top, and the narration help the audience as the music builds anticipation and suspense so that the audience can see that something shocking is going to happen. In this scene, unlike other scenes, the audience doesn’t need dialogue or sound to understand what is happening because we can already see that the cabin is rocking, and that Big Jim and the Little tramp are confused, which is portrayed through the mise-en-scene, i.e. the setting, characters movement and expression. 

In this scene the shots cut back and forth to show the inside and outside of the cabin, this has been done by the editor when all of the footage was taken and put together, the editor (Charlie) changed the shots to keep the audience entertained. Also, I think this scene is particularly long for comedic effect as the audience continue to watch, questioning whether the cabin will fall off or not, in the end it doesn’t which leads them to the gold and ultimately their fortune. Again, the technology itself will have limited what they were able to achieve; today technology is so advanced, cheap and easy to understand, therefore producing endless possibilities and options at such high standards. The editing is very simple, but it doesn’t fail to keep the audience entertained. 

Charlie and Georgia dance scene

The costume in this scene is particularly important, it is used for comedy and to show the clear division between Charlie and Georgia class. As Charlie’s belt falls from his trousers he finds a string and uses it in place of his belt, however on the end is a dog, he drags the dog around completely unaware as he dances with his crush: Georgia. This whole scene, I think, has been used comedically to really show off Charlie’s capabilities and personality. Everyone else in the scene seems to be dressed in similar clothes to Charlie and Georgia is wearing a glamorous, sparkly dress so she stands out against the dullness of everybody's clothes, I think because of this we see how Georgia looks completely out of Charlie's league but he still falls for her and is honoured when she asks him to dance with her. As well as this, although Georgia looks out of place, they both seem to be really comfortable with where they are and their surroundings. Georgia seems to be wearing more makeup than all of the other women in this scene which again shows her different look and allows her to stand out even more, which I think signifies her personality and she maybe enjoys being in the spotlight and being the centre of attention. In this scene the main props used is the dog and its lead which Charlie ties to himself after his trousers fall down. Other, less important props are used to create a more realistic setting including bar stools and the busy crowds. After Charlie ties the lead around his waist to keep his trousers from falling, he dances around the floor with Georgia and drags the dog along with him which I think has been done to make the audience to laugh but to also show how Charlie really wants to dance with her but things keep on holding him back. The location is simply a pub that is quite busy but not too overcrowded, they both appear to be comfortable where they are so I don't think it holds much importance and doesn't add much to the story or plot. The figure expression and movement in this scene is quite important because there is a closeness between Charlie and Georgia as they dance, but for her it seems less serious and for him we see how he is falling in love with her. 

There are a few different camera angles in this scene as it moves back and forth from Georgia and Charlie dancing, to a headshot of the man who tried to dance with Georgia before. There are a few long shots/tracking shots as the camera follows them around the floor so that the audience don't miss anything, but the camera itself doesn't move in each shot because the technology wouldn't have allowed them to do so, however the audience is still interested in the story because the scene switches from camera shot to camera shot so that it doesn't get boring. Long shots, medium close up and mid shots are used in the scene to make sure that each shot is only shown for around 4 seconds each. The editing includes the long shots used and I have already mentioned the other shots used. But, I think that the editing is quite minimalistic because each shot doesn't need to be shown very fast because the dancing isn't fast paced and there is no need for tension to build, which I normally the purpose of multiple quick shots. I think the editing has allowed the audience to see the love that they both have for each other, although both different, there is a connection between them and this isn't interrupted by the editing.

As I mentioned before, there is no diegetic sound (in the 1925 version) because it is a silent film. The actors will have still reacted to the sounds that they heard when filming each scene, but they had to use their movement and expression to ensure that the audience can follow and understand the story, even though we cannot hear what the actors hear. The music added over the top, and the narration help the audience as the music builds anticipation and suspense so that the audience can see that something shocking is going to happen. Regarding the lighting, they have used artificial lights around the set to make it look natural, although I don't know how many lights would have been used because there are so many shadows it is more than 2 point lighting, again the technology wouldn't have been advanced compared to the technology we use today so it was probably quite limited.