Gold Rush Music

Hello, all,

I've been a lurker for a while here, but thought I would come out of hiding to share a little gem with you. In a program for the Tivoli

'My Wild Irish Rose' was indeed Georgia's theme in the final version of the score approved by Chaplin, which is credited to Carli Elinor in the American program (depicted on p. 357 of David Robinson's _Chaplin: His Life and Art_). This score replaced a previous score done by another arranger, which Chaplin scrapped. Georgia's theme connects with the rose depicted on the 'Georgia' titles.

I don't know what d'Arrast had to do with the music, but I'd suspect very little if anyting.

Where does that line occur? Don't recall it offhand.

Connie K.

Hey, Connie. Runs in my mind that that one is in the scene in the florist's shop in which he's wooing Grosnay on the phone and the flower girl with his eyes. Remember?

speaking of The Gold Rush, is the original version without Chaplin's added narration available. I have no idea why Chaplin added the commentary

I never pay close attention to what he's saying in that scene; there's so much to watch. I'm glad two of you were more attentive.

I think so.

Someone (I believe David T.) once reported having acquired a cue sheet for _The Gold Rush_. It would be interesting to compare that with your list, and also with Gillian Anderson's reconstructed score.

Connie K.

You aren't being ignored, Michael.

I responded to this on my other server, but it's evidently not circulating. Dammit.

If it's not moving by tomorrow, I'll repost here.

Connie K.

I believe it was because he wanted: a)to make it more contemporary for audiences who may have never even seen a silent film, and b)to add his own take on the film to explain to the audience, *somewhat* in the same manner of a director's commentary on a DVD today. However, in my opinion, this narration marred the film greatly, and it is ironically ashame that this is now the 'official' version of the film. (Don't get me wrong-Chaplin was more than entitled to reedit the film, but it is ashame that this has become the only good version out there.) I have never found out whether or not there is a decent, watchable copy of the 1925 cut out there. Current silent versions run 82 minutes (at modern projection speed). I have read that the film was premiered at 100 (or 96) minutes-but that might have just been at the silent rate of projection.

I completelly agree with a). As for b), it's worth keeping in mind that a fair portion of the voice over is pretty much identical to the titles.

As I mention in the post that's never left dock, voice over was quite popular in the 'forties and 'fifties, so it was undoubtedly done with current practice in mind, and also in the wake of Chaplin's success with his first talkie, _The Great Dictator_.

I'm among those who think the narration is perfectly OK. It's actually quite spare and witty compared to the hideous narration that Fairbanks Jr. did for the re-release of _The Iron Mask_ in the early 'fifties.

Where did you read this? I've seen 100 minute versions advertised, but I'm pretty sure these are based on 18 frames per second, which is too slow for _The Gold Rush_. At around 22-24 fps the reconstructions run at 81-82 minutes. You aren't missing anything in them except good visual quality, which you *can* get in '42, along with an excellent score.

Connie K.

Not in a really first-rate version. The best available is the Killiam reconstruction, which is not up to the 1942 reissue in terms of visual quality. And there are some awful 'silent _Gold Rush_' patch togethers floating around.

The best version I've seen is the Brownlow/Gill reconstruction, but that's not available on video.

Not everyone agrees that he messed it up by adding the narration. I don't, for one. I think the two versions are equally interesting, and equallly reflective of the time in which they were released.

Chaplin added the narration because he sensed that in 1942, which was well into the talkies era, people were losing the ability to understand or 'read' silent film. When he attended a screening of _Modern Times_ in 1936, he overheard a young boy ask his mother, 'Why can't I hear them talk?' This persuaded him that the silent era was finished, and that he'd have to move on. Because his first talkie, _The Great Dictator_, was highly successful, I think he decided to experiment with sound on the _Gold Rush_ reissue by adding voice over, which was common and fashionable in the 1940s. Not a single reviewer I have found complained about the narration in 1942. Any comments on it at all seem positive, so I think Chaplin understood very well what his audience wanted. The advantages of the 1942 version are, of course, its excellent Chaplin score and its superior visual quality.

Now that a cult of silent films has sprung up, people think that the original version must be superior. To some no doubt it is. It's purely a matter of taste.

Connie K.

The Killiam version doesn't look bad on home video

Hi,

Did the Brownlow restoration, as seen in London, contain the 1925 compilation score or Chaplin's score adjusted to match the 'silent' version of the film?