The Gold Rush (1925) directed by Charlie Chaplin
The version of The Gold Rush that I watched is actually a 1942 re-release where Chaplin composed an original score and added a voice narration, so this isn't actually a silent film per say. It is a sort of in-between film that adds a more modern approach to one of his old classics. I think I would have preferred to see the original silent version because of how universally acclaimed it was but this narrated version is very well done so it is hard to complain. Whether there is a voice or not in the film, the main focal point is in Chaplin's penchant for visual comedy and heart felt storytelling which The Gold Rush oozes with.
Here we follow the familiar Tramp on his exploits to the Alaskan frontier where he tries his hand at prospecting for gold. The first twenty-five minutes of the film are pretty interesting because they don't necessarily relate to the main story and plays out like a situational comedy. In these moments The Tramp is trapped in a cabin with two other people in the middle of a severe snow storm. These moments have classic moments of silent film style comedy but is also surprisingly quite morbid. So stricken with hunger The Tramp and Big Jim must resort to eating a shoe. Big Jim becomes so hungry that The Tramp starts to look tasty himself as he visualizes him as a giant chicken. It is meant to be funny, and it is, but I couldn't help but think of the movie Alive where plane crash survivors had to resort to cannibalism to survive the winter. Nevertheless these early moments are classic Chaplin that you can't help but smile at.
Once The Tramp survives that ordeal there is the familiar romance of the lovable loser and the girl, this time the lonely saloon dancer Georgia. One of the criticisms I've read of Chaplin was his excessive sentimentality but why does that have to be a bad thing? True, in his movies The Tramp can do no wrong, he is utterly faithful and chivalrous, but is it so wrong to aspire to this ideal? The Gold Rush isn't nearly as sentimental as City Lights, but it is charming and heart warming nonetheless.
This film also features some great set pieces, including a house hanging precariously over a cliff. It looks obviously fake 85 years later (it's obviously a miniature model) but I always get a kick out these old time effects. Even knowing how silly it looks, there is still a sense of danger and excitement to the scene as The Tramp narrowly avoids plummeting to his death.
The Gold Rush is considered one of Chaplin's classics but to me it is clearly a level below City Lights and Modern Times, but only because those are all time greats. To me, this is more on the level of The Circus, which isn't a bad thing at all.
Grade: A-
The version of The Gold Rush that I watched is actually a 1942 re-release where Chaplin composed an original score and added a voice narration, so this isn't actually a silent film per say. It is a sort of in-between film that adds a more modern approach to one of his old classics. I think I would have preferred to see the original silent version because of how universally acclaimed it was but this narrated version is very well done so it is hard to complain. Whether there is a voice or not in the film, the main focal point is in Chaplin's penchant for visual comedy and heart felt storytelling which The Gold Rush oozes with.
Here we follow the familiar Tramp on his exploits to the Alaskan frontier where he tries his hand at prospecting for gold. The first twenty-five minutes of the film are pretty interesting because they don't necessarily relate to the main story and plays out like a situational comedy. In these moments The Tramp is trapped in a cabin with two other people in the middle of a severe snow storm. These moments have classic moments of silent film style comedy but is also surprisingly quite morbid. So stricken with hunger The Tramp and Big Jim must resort to eating a shoe. Big Jim becomes so hungry that The Tramp starts to look tasty himself as he visualizes him as a giant chicken. It is meant to be funny, and it is, but I couldn't help but think of the movie Alive where plane crash survivors had to resort to cannibalism to survive the winter. Nevertheless these early moments are classic Chaplin that you can't help but smile at.
Once The Tramp survives that ordeal there is the familiar romance of the lovable loser and the girl, this time the lonely saloon dancer Georgia. One of the criticisms I've read of Chaplin was his excessive sentimentality but why does that have to be a bad thing? True, in his movies The Tramp can do no wrong, he is utterly faithful and chivalrous, but is it so wrong to aspire to this ideal? The Gold Rush isn't nearly as sentimental as City Lights, but it is charming and heart warming nonetheless.
This film also features some great set pieces, including a house hanging precariously over a cliff. It looks obviously fake 85 years later (it's obviously a miniature model) but I always get a kick out these old time effects. Even knowing how silly it looks, there is still a sense of danger and excitement to the scene as The Tramp narrowly avoids plummeting to his death.
The Gold Rush is considered one of Chaplin's classics but to me it is clearly a level below City Lights and Modern Times, but only because those are all time greats. To me, this is more on the level of The Circus, which isn't a bad thing at all.
Grade: A-
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