THE GOLD RUSH (1925)

Neha says
Charlie Chaplin claimed GOLD RUSH as “The picture I want to be remembered by” and while personally I rate City Lights as the essential Chaplin film, Gold Rush in many ways reinforces the recurring themes and essences of almost every Chaplin outing- where our “Little Tramp” character with his twirling cane and little dictatorial mustache and with his two-sizes too short coat, two-sizes too big pants, shoes and hat is always on the hunt for the big Dream- food, shelter survival and a sense of belonging and love. This time round, a high concept tale takes Chaplin to Klondike in search for gold but first he must battle a wanted criminal, starvation, hardships, heartbreak, storms and bears before he realizes his dreams. Yes unique to the Chaplin world of film making, our lone prospector’s journey from Little Tramp to Millionaire is a reality!!! While the plot is marvelously simple, the inventive comic routines that occasionally do seem a tad overstretched stand out for the way in which Chaplin defined the genre of tragicomedy, combining pathos and sentiment, slapstick and pantomime routines, physical comedy and farce with social commentary in a way that can’t help but put a smile on your face. Some of the memorable, well-crafted comic centerpieces include Chaplin eating his shoes and the wick of a lantern; him struggling against the wind; Chaplin changing into a chicken; his shoe catching fire; his dancing act with Georgia while dragging a dog behind him; the wonderfully see-sawing cabin and of course “the dance of the dinner rolls” is my favorite. These elaborate comic routines work because of a character like the Little Tramp who is just simply the perfect vehicle to extract rib-tickling laughs and your emotions. Seeing him waiting with anticipation on New Year’s Eve for the beautiful Georgia will remind you of that sense of isolation that’s such an integral component of his Little Tramp character. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed. Chaplin once said “I don’t need interesting camera angles. I am interesting.” Well with Chaplin in almost every frame of the film, your attention never wavers from how he masterminds the moment and pulls you in any direction of his choosing.

Ira says

In Hollywood, there’s comedy, there’s comic timing, there’s farce, there’s satire, there’s the Marx Brothers, there’s even Laurel & Hardy, but there is only one Charlie Chaplin. Master of mime, brethren to the common man, ambassador of humanity, fool of the heart and artist of the highest order, our little Tramp was and always will be something of a little genius.
And in The Gold Rush, the movie that Chaplin himself has claimed he most wants to be remembered for, the maestro’s ability to provide comedy, laughter and relief soars even today as it did back in 1925.

A simple, complete, original, and thoughtfully made tale, The Gold Rush tells the story of The Little Tramp and his quest to be a part of the Alaskan Gold Rush, where he encounters a prospector named Big Jim McKay played by Mack Swain who has made a discovery of gold and an escaped fugitive Black Larson played by Tom Murray. Opening with the images of hardship that are common in much of Chaplin’s work, the men come together with a comic turn of fate. As they face difficulties of storms and no food, Chaplin’s unique blend of pathos and humor takes over till the 3 are parted and he finds himself in a small town where he falls hopelessly in love with a saloon girl, Georgia played by Georgia Hale (who would become Chaplin’s real-life sweetheart during the making of the film) who doesn’t quite reciprocate the feelings.With a refreshing new landscape (a snowy Alaskan world courtesy Chaplin Hollywood studio and set), a plot fuelled by just a few characters with enough supporting ones to add an authentic flavor and give the film texture and richness, and above all, with a screenplay that seamlessly integrates classically Chaplinesque themes; The Gold Rush, one of the highest grossing silent comedy films of all times is a classic and an entertainer. The little master is superb, in control and mesmerizing as always to watch and his insightful, thoughtful writing incorporates mans primal instincts, universal human values like greed, hunger, and generosity, with moments of farce, comedy, adventure, action, dancing, and romance, and a rags to riches, boy meets girl tale all at once.

The Gold Rush also has some of Chaplin’s most visually beautiful, simple, and elegantly shot and executed, comic and action oriented sequences, like the famous ‘roll dance’ where Chaplin pokes two forks into a couple of bread rolls and makes them dance as if they were living things with rhythm and motivations of their own to hilarious sequences between the three men, particularly Big Jim and Chaplin, struggling not to devour each other, quite literally, to holding on to one another for survival when a storm spins their cabin onto precarious terrain. And along with the somber, the quiet, or the farcical comes a lyrical alive sound score and Chaplin’s incredible ability to create a spirit that is tangible, energetic and boisterous. It has often been said that Chaplin’s films became remedies, and relief for a world made gloomy by the atrocities of the World Wars, that they had an uncanny and timely ability to uplift and entertain. Well, that is the true purpose of great art, and in the world we live in today where things are not much different and gloom of all kinds persists, they still do.