An Introduction to Film

52 CHAPTER 2PRINCIPLES OF FILM FORM

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Manipulating space in The Gold RushFilm editing
can convince us that we’re seeing a complete space and a
continuous action, even though individual shots have been
filmed in different places and at different times. In Charles
Chaplin’s The Gold Rush(1925), an exterior shot of the cabin

[1] establishes the danger that the main characters only

slowly become aware of [2]. As the cabin hangs in the

balance [3], alternating interior and exterior shots [4–6]

accentuate our sense of suspense and amusement.