"The Gold Rush" and Cinematic Language

Ahmiir McIver

COM 126

Professor Saphire

9/23/2020

 What do audiences like for a film? Realism such as Saving Private Ryan, Marriage Story, Scream, etc. Or do they prefer Antirealism such as Star Wars, Nightmare on Elm St, Star Trek. Both of these terms can be used to make different types of films that can engage audiences in multiple aspects. But if done right it can lead to success. This combination can be seen in the 1942 film “Gold Rush” directed by Charlie Chaplin. The plot of this film follows a prospector who is looking for his fortune in the Klondike and discovery of love combined with Chaplin’s hilariously engaging slapstick. With this simple plot, this film has been engraved into the hearts and mind of cinephiles and fans of film throughout the years. And many who’ve seen the original silent film in 1925 and the 1942 re-release with narration and music, you can see the exceptional combination of realism and antirealism and some nice editing to go along with it. 

In Mark Cousins Documentary, he shows that directors like D.W Griffith can make a film with a grand scale to it. And in Gold Rush, we have scenes like this especially in the introduction. You see men climbing the snowy mountain tops, dance halls being filled to the brim with people, comparable to the time of when these were common occurrences. Also, Gold Rush has wonderful bits of continuity editing. It is put together to convey a story and narrative intertwined with each other. These examples show how the film has realism.

On the other hand, Gold Rush has a lot of elements that show antirealism. A scene in Gold Rush where the cabin door opens and a huge burst of wind blows in is one. Another example would be a scene later in the film, where Chaplin and another character are hanging on from a cliff after the canin blows on the edge of a mountain side. In this sequence, the two characters attempt to balance the entire house while also trying to escape. These examples show that Chaplin used antirealism in sort of a fantastical way. You can see that Chaplin takes inspiration from A Trip to the Moon or Haxan, which appeared in Cousins documentary: The Story of Film. Unlike A Trip to the Moon, where Meies uses a continuous shot to show multiple men on the moon. In Gold Rush, Chaplin uses parallel editing to add a sense of tension and humor to the situation that each character was in. 

Although looking at the Gold Rush now in the 21st century with different films being released throughout the years showing antirealism and realism to varying degrees of success. The Gold Rush has stood the test of time becoming a film that can be analyzed and dissected for being able to combine realism to antirealism to a great degree of success.