The Gold Rush




Blissful ignorance.

The master of silent comedy Charlie Chaplin directs this, his third feature film. The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) has arrived in the Klondike amidst the Gold Rush and is hoping to hit it big. He's certainly not the brightest chap, and while a storm rages he finds a cabin and takes shelter with the eventual two occupants. Food runs short, and the story follows what happens there and at the town where the Tramp becomes smitten with Georgia (Georgia Hale).

This movie works in so many ways. Very few if any efforts before had seriously tried to combine comedy with drama. Though not an all out example of either, it is an effective blend that hits the mark on both. The most laughs are in the first half hour at the cabin, and what laughs they are. Starvation eventually drives the men half crazy, resulting in disillusion and boot eating. It is funny to see sight gags that have since been employed endlessly used here to an effect rarely achieved. At one point two men struggle over a gun while the Tramp watches on. As they continue, the loaded barrel continues to follow the Tramp around the room. Anywhere else it would've been tired and probably not that funny, but here it is pure comedy gold.

What makes the bumbling character of the Tramp really funny are the grim and often humiliating circumstances he finds himself in. Most of the time the audience laughs without thinking, but here Chaplin injects the sadness such a character must endure. His escapades with the beautiful George are funny, but though he is taken with her, it is never really revealed how she feels about him. Indeed, at some points she shamelessly takes advantage of him.

What can I say? Charlie Chaplin ran this show from beginning to end, and his masterful performance of the Tramp is spot on. He makes things funny that shouldn't be, and his mannerisms and expressions are hilarious by themselves. The rest of the cast adequately does the job, with notable praise going towards Georgia Hale for her somewhat reluctant love interest.

Many cite City Lights as Chaplin's best. Regardless, this is among his finest.



-The Gnome