The Gold Rush Key Sequence 4 - Performance, Comedy, and General Analysis

 Analysing The Gold Rush

- The tilting shack sequence

The climax of the film occurs as the audience is revealed the threat of death upon the two prospectors in this ELS. The composition is imbalanced, with the edges of the cliffs in view on either side and the mountainous landscape behind to show the perspective and distance of the exterior shot. The worn-down cabin is the obvious point of focus, and its turbulent condition doesn't assure the audience of any safety which builds tension and uncertainty. The cabin is barely balanced and the use of diagonal lines on the cliff create a sharp image, furthering the notion of danger and a suggestion that Chaplin is presenting this cliff as a force of menace and deceit with its false sense of a secure balance. However, the use of non-diegetic music turns this tense situation into a comical one; the soft, classical tune of 'Morning Mood' by Edvard Grieg juxtaposes to the shot yet represents the men's state of mind as they peacefully wake up with no realisation of their hazardous situation. This soundtrack dissonance thus creates emotional distance between the spectator and situation from the dramatic irony. This was intentional from Chaplin as the juxtaposition of sound to shot is a stimulus for laughter, and this is heightened by the fact the tension comes from the absurd - realistically a shack wouldn't move in this way to end on a cliff - that the characters are treating the situation first without realisation and then seriously. This all adds to the slapstick comedy which makes the scene overall non-threatening, despite how serious it really is. This is because the situation is so abnormal to real life that the exaggeration is apparent to the audience and therefore they will appreciate the situation for what it was intended for - laughter. To a modern audience, the song choice has been used countlessly in pop culture and often in this contrasting, ironic manner. This is called a counterpoint trope, and so the modern audience is familiar with its effect and may think of the scene in a more nostalgic, fond way. The title screen before this shot also ironically contrasts, which evokes humour from the audience: "fate guided them to a spot where all was calm". The use of the word fate is also an interesting auteur choice from Chaplin as it proves that the Tramp was intended to be this unlucky character who ends up in these absurdly dangerous situations, that the world he navigates is set up to fail him. By this point, the audience is fully aware of this, which does contribute to the Tramp's success (even though all the odds are against him) being triumphal for the audience as we have grown to like, empathise, and relate to this character. His small wins against every situation he faces thus far also make the slapstick humour in this sequence apparent that there is no real danger, and thus the audience is confident, despite the surface level tension, that the characters will escape unscathed. 

The next shots are of the cabin's interior. Chaplin's performance as he wakes up conveys that the character is somewhat aware of an unusual occurrence overnight - which the audience knows to be an avalanche moving the cabin towards the cliff - as he stretches' his back, rubs his head, and stumbles slightly. This suggests the storm and shack movement affected The Tramp and he is already mentally and physically displaced. This is an example of the dramatic irony in the scene, as the audience knows why The Tramp feels this way, but the characters inside continue to obliviously move around as the shack tilts. Chaplin moves across to Jim's side, removing the balance in doing so, yet he is still unaware of the situation despite his repeated gesture of holding his head as if to stabilise his body. This mirrors the actions of a hungover person, and the previous scene completely acts to provide reasoning for The Tramp's state - which the audience may have foreshadowed. The previous scene showed the characters preparing for the following day, with Jim using alcohol to start a fire, and of which The Tramp repeatedly drinks from while stumbling to and from the door. The final shot before the title screen shows Jim looking at the asleep Tramp shaking the empty alcohol canteen, alluding that The Tramp has drunk it all in a drunkard state. This makes The Tramp think that the reason for his dizzy state is his alcohol consumption the night before, even though the audience knows it is the cabin's tilt. This detail is a gag to present humour to the audience. The music also changes to what the spectator familiarises as The Tramp's playfully troublesome tune, a motif heard before when the Tramp first meets Black Larson and Jim, which resulted in them fighting over who stays in the cabin, and again when Jim tries to eat The Tramp, thinking he is a chicken, in a hunger-stricken state. This sound, therefore, has been used in tense situations, and so the audience will understand its presence in this sequence to heighten the tension from the calm music used before, and that trouble will occur later in the scene between the characters.

As the cabin tilts, there is a cross cut to the exterior environment (which was a miniature model in the making of this scene) and the spectator is reminded of the dangerous cliff. At the second shot of the exterior, the music's pitch fluctuates which creates an uneven sound that simulates the feeling of falling which is fitting for the cabin's tilt. The music stays in a low pitch until Jim wakes up, to which he realises something's wrong by gesturing his hands like uneven scales that mimic the tilting, which suggests an increased danger and sense of tension from his suspicion at the unordinary. Chaplin masters his staging and movement in the next shots from the way the two characters move to each side of the cabin, balancing it. Their comical suspicion is presented through their performance by Jim narrowing his eyes, although The Tramp is convinced it is his 'stomach'.  Assured that the cabin is stable by jumping, they continue to walk around until it is inevitable the cabin will tilt as they cross to the same side, increasing the weight and toppling the cabin. This continues as they reach back and forth in an exaggerated choreographed performance; hurried and large steps to the other side, arms flinging, and increased comical facial expressions of fear and bewilderment by raising eyebrows and gaping their mouths, all elements of slapstick comedy.

Chaplin decides to open the door, carelessly throwing himself against it in his character's fashion, resulting in him falling out. This is an example of early stop motion, where a tiny model of The Tramp dangles out in ELS, presenting the reminder of the cliff's size and relation of the characters to their environment. During this, there is a fast staccato rhythm to mirror the anxiety of the shot and of The Tramp, and although the audience likely feels no real fear, there is increased tension from the threat aided with the music and character reactions. This is the point where the dramatic irony no longer persists and the characters carelessly run around in a panic, even though they have been balanced on this cliff for hours. This adds to the comedy and character personalities as The Tramp has established himself to be reckless in his decisions. He dramatically falls to the floor after climbing back into the door, holding his chest as if to stop his heart from collapsing and control his breathing - an exaggerated performative gesture to highlight his stress, showcasing Chaplin's use of physical comedy to accentuate the situation. Inevitably, as the door is left open, the audience knows that it will add a layer of tension to the scene because there will be a moment where the characters are threatened with falling out. The shots of the cabin on the cliff also parallel The Tramp walking on the edge of the cliff in the opening scene, to which the audience may refer. It also suggests that the opening sequence of The Tramp nearly falling off the cliff foreshadowed his actuality in doing so in this scene. 

There is an insert shot of a knotted rope catching between a rock as the cabin is doomed to fall off the cliff. This is an example of the absurd comedy used to provide a sense of security to the audience, even though realistically this small knot wouldn't hold the weight of the cabin. This serves to focus the audience, and to give a seemingly secure shred of hope in escaping the cabin, which the audience will assume anyway from the nature of the scene and film so far; The Tramp always manages to luckily avoid danger when he is placed in mostly avoidable situations if he were to be more careful. 

This Dutch angle simulates the tilted cabin and places the audience with the characters rather than watching from the safety of afar. This change in perspective increases the tension and sense of urgency as we can see the character's facial expressions. Ironically, The Tramp composes himself which is a strong contrast to his reactions shown previous, and he keeps a neutral face despite his obvious widened eyes in an attempt to remain calm. The use of diagonal lines in the composition also makes the shot seem smaller, mirroring their anxiety, and its function at placing the audience with the characters makes it seem that we are at risk of falling which acts to build the tension at a more personal level, in which our involvement acts to engage us further. This framing increases in steepness as the shots progress and the danger increases, and the sharpness of the diagonal lines, as presented in the establishing shot, contributes as a force of menace aimed to dismantle the character's temporary stability. It is interesting to question the function of the cabin too in this scene. For the duration of the film, it acted as a shelter against the life-threatening cold, a safehouse when The Tramp was threatened by his company, and a place of happiness when Georgia visited. Now, it is an apparent danger to the character's safety. This suggests that it was never really a safe place for The Tramp, as each scene within the cabin has posed a greater negative situation over the fighting positive - the surface level safety of the cabin snowballed into a greater trap, it placed struggle and grief into everything The Tramp tried to do to escape his situations. For example, even though the cabin was the first moment where The Tramp and Georgia conversed alone, it was the same place where she gave false promises. This suggests a potential metaphor of The Tramp's experience with others; no matter what or who he encounters, there is never a real connection or reliance. This is an overarching theme of trust in the film and it's continuity of being broken with The Tramp, suggesting that each character aims to serve their own goals and needs.  This could directly relate to Chaplin as he grew and lived in poverty and had to fight to provide for his needs. This theme of trust is shown directly after Jim escapes. 

The theme of wealth is also shown in this sequence. For example, after Jim escapes the cabin by using The Tramp as a stepping stool to the door, he rushes out to find his claim. Immediately he abandons the Tramp and focuses his attention on the wealth he has found. The Tramp has to yell after him to distract Jim away from this in order to save him. Although Jim does not break The Tramp's trust, he still had to be persuaded away from his wealth to save a life, suggesting his morals are placed with material goods than trust and connection with others. This moment in the scene is also the apotheosis of the narrative, which offers the spectator a resolution to the character's problems so far in the film, such as the lack of wealth and all that comes with it like hunger, which is also a prevalent theme throughout. This establishment of wealth immediately takes The Tramp and Jim out of struggle, and they can safely depart Alaska. This perhaps mirrors the experience of Chaplin as he gained immediate success after appearing in film for the first time, which took him out of financial burden. Therefore, this film can be seen as an allegory for Chaplin's life experiences; the cabin falling could be seen as a metaphor for Chaplin's struggle, and the triumphant escape the success of his career as he was suddenly stress-free. The gain of wealth in this scene is used as a plot device to win Georgia's love, as she is now interested in The Tramp's affection as a rich man on the boat journey. This relates to his failure of establishing a real connection, even after he succeeds, he still cannot truly escape false trust. 

This is an example of double exposure, with an ELS of the performers to show their relationship to the large cliff and therefore the death they faced if they fell. Shots like these embed Chaplin's performances within a virtual space created technologically with editing and multiple exposures. The music also rings triumphantly, as it had been used previously in moments where The Tramp succeeds.