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Of all fictional movie characters in existence, none are more recognisable than Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp. The baggy pants, top coat, vest, oversized shoes, derby hat, cane, distinguishing walk, and truncated moustache made the tiny chap an icon. Chaplin's wonderful creation became an instantly identifiable symbol of the small man standing up against all odds.
By the year 1925, Charlie Chaplin (frequently billed as Charles) had become the biggest star in the world. The continuing adventures of the Little Tramp were fast becoming more popular worldwide, and The Gold Rush was Chaplin's most ambitious project yet. Chaplin promised a film that would be his "epic": greater in duration, scale, cast, and everything he had previously undertaken. These efforts paid off as audiences loved it, and it was an instant box office hit. In some theatres specific scenes were rewound and played multiple times to the satisfaction of adamant viewers. Today, The Gold Rush may certainly seem dated and not without faults, but this film remains to stand as one of Chaplin's greatest works in addition to being one of the best comedies in cinematic history.
In addition to Chaplin starring in the film it was also produced, written and directed by the multi-talented individual. His inspirations were the Klondike gold strikes of the late nineteenth century and the Donner Party a half century prior. The expectancy of discovering easy money in the Yukon and Alaska sent thousands of men scurrying north, while the unrelated Donner Party of Western settlers met with catastrophic consequences and reports of cannibalism. For writing the script of The Gold Rush, Chaplin stitched together components of these two situations into the foundation of tragicomedy. It's what Chaplin did best: blending pathos with humour, and his Little Tramp was the ideal vehicle for the job.
The film's plot is quite straightforward: the Little Tramp (actually billed as 'The Lone Prospector') heads northwards in search of his fortune. In the frigid wastelands of Alaska, the Little Tramp becomes stranded in a cabin when a fierce snow-storm forces him to take shelter. While staying at this small cabin, he crosses paths with two other men: another prospector named Big Jim McKay (Swain), and fugitive Black Larsen (Murray). Following many scenes of hunger-related humour, the Little Tramp finds his way back to civilisation where he meets and falls in love with dance-hall denizen Georgia (Hale). Like I said, the plot is very straightforward and isn't anything overly deep. Basically, this plot is a tool for Chaplin to pull off some enormously hilarious and memorable gags.
The film's highlights: "dance of the rolls" (later re-enacted by Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon several decades later), eating a boot for dinner (which was achieved by creating liquorice boot), being tied to a dog while dancing with a girl, and even Chaplin in a chicken suit. These scenes are extremely memorable and tremendously funny.
The Gold Rush is a very unique style of comedy. Granted the plot appears to be thin, but this film is a masterpiece and it's vastly superior to typical modern comedies. This is simply because of the poignancy and realism of a period depiction. The laughs are always memorable as well. Those who over-act for laughs (Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, etc) never have any heart behind their performances and you'll generally forget their brainless antics within a few days. Charlie Chaplin stated in later years that The Gold Rush is the film he wanted to be remembered for. He achieved this objective, as his career only spiralled upwards with later hits such as Modern Times, The Great Dictator and City Lights. However, this film is among Chaplin's simplest, most charming films. Regardless of its frequent comedy of a high standard, the film never drifts significantly from Chaplin's eager clutch of solitude and lonesomeness.
Overall, The Gold Rush proved that actor Chaplin was a man of many talents. This is a film of comedic genius, and it has aged gracefully. The film is kept moving at a brisk pace with plenty of humour and a solid plot driving the events. In 1942, Chaplin re-edited and re-released the movie. This new version was shorter (70 minutes as opposed to 95 minutes), and added narration instead of the titles.
9.4/10
