Very tame day of school today, we finished watching Nosferatu in film studies and to be honest, it was a bit pants. There were very few moments of genius or intrigue unlike Caligari, Count Orlok was the highlight of the film but there wasn't nearly enough of him as the film instead focused on the estate agent who is a very dull character. The score was absolutely ear-stabbing and completely fails to put you in a state of dread or fear and either makes you want to laugh out loud at how outrageously inappropriate it is or turn off the film completely to avoid having a migraine.
On the flip side I also watched another Chaplin film today: The Gold Rush. It got off to a slow start with some gently funny scenes but right after the halfway point you remember just why Chaplin is such a master, he does not simply create comedy but also tragedy that helps you empathise with the main character, this is most apparent in a heart breaking scene where his dinner date for New Years Eve does not turn up; it gave me a feel. The highlights were the cabin finale which is introduced perfectly and is visually terrifying and the wonderful Oceana Roll dance which almost made me laugh to tears. While I still think City Lights was his finest work, this comes pretty close, if your up for a bitter-sweet slapstick then this is almost as good as it gets.
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