THE GOLD RUSH
1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.
In the PowerPoint, we discussed the beginning of the silent film era. We reviewed the work of Charlie Chaplin and his movie "The Gold Rush". Chaplin's work made an impact in the beginning of film history. Chaplin was one of the most successful actors of all time. He produced, directed, wrote, and starred in this impact of a film.
2) Find a related
article and summarize the content. (on the film, director, studio,actor/actress, artistic content,
etc.) You can use the library or the internet.
Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do
not plagiarize any content.
On Charlie Chaplin's website, there is an article that explores the story behind the filming of the film from the story, its actors, set designs, and much more. There's many hidden facts about the show as well. It took 600 extras to shoot the mountain climbing scene and was one of the only scene that shot on a location not on a set. Lita Grey, who was originally cast as the leading lady, found out she was pregnant with Chaplin’s baby six months into the filming of The Gold Rush and production was shut down for three whole months. This is why it almost a took a full year for the film to be shot and filmed. Grey was cut from the film and was replaced with actress Georgia Hale.
3) Apply the article to the film
screened in class. How did the article support or change the way you thought about the
film, director, content, etc.?
I can tell Chaplin had special relationships with women he starred in films with and you can see that come through on screen. There are many scenes where you much of a connection between Chaplin and the leading lady, as well as other actors he starred in the film with.
4) Write a critical analysis of
the film, including your personal opinion,
formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and
the article. I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film,
(although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of
its place in film history or the contributions of the director.
Personally, I feel as Chaplin is one of the greatest actors of all time. I have only seen his comedic work previously. Even though The Gold Rush is a comedy, there are so many dramatic scenes that capture my attention. For example, the dream sequence. When I realized it was his imagination, I was amazed. He had so much life and talent that I felt hurt when he woke and saw that the woman of his dreams had played a sick trick on him. It takes a great actor to convince the audience to feel something.
Plagiarism Statement: Attach this to the end of every journal
assignment.
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have
written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations
around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources
cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I
personally read.
6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could
not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the
bibliography.
7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper
lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully
transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
