The Gold Rush (1925)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

26 June 1925 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Romance | Western

Plot:

The Tramp goes the Klondike in search of gold and finds it and more.

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Alaska | Klondike | Love | Cliffhanging

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Charles Chaplin	...	The Lone Prospector
Mack Swain	...	Big Jim McKay
Tom Murray	...	Black Larsen
Henry Bergman	...	Hank Curtis
Malcolm Waite	...	Jack Cameron
Georgia Hale	...	Georgia

Runtime:

96 min | USA:72 min (1942 re-release) | USA:82 min (24 fps)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System) (1942 re-issue) | Silent (original release)

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Denmark:A (2003) | Germany:o.Al. (re-rating) | Norway:A (re-rating) | Spain:T | UK:U | West Germany:6 (original rating) | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

The part of Georgia (the showgirl) was originally written for Chaplin's new wife Lita Grey, but she was replaced by Georgia Hale when she became pregnant.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Big Jim is so delirious that he thinks The Lone Prospector is a chicken, The Lone Prospector removes a knife from the table and hides it in the bed. In one of the next shots, the knife is back on the table. Then in the next shot it is gone again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)

Little Tramp makes good

Charlie Chaplin's silent film (also re-released with a narration in the early 1940s) focuses, as usual, on the Little Tramp, and in this case, his attraction to a chorus girl (Georgia Hale). This is the one where he eats a boot, along with its laces, and manages to make it appear a sumptuous meal; as well as creating a dance with bread rolls.

The role of the girl was originally intended for the second Mrs Chaplin, Lita Grey, but her pregnancy ruled her out. Georgia Hale is excellent in her disdain of the unwanted Tramp attentions. Mack Swain appears as Big Jim, who shares a cabin with the Tramp, at one point getting so hungry he imagines his pal as a chicken ready to eat! This film has the spirit of the pioneers and gold-runners, as well as the inimitable spirit of the little hero. As a silent it is one of the best comedies of the time, as a sound film, it is fairly good.