The Gold Rush

Dir: Charlie Chaplin

1925

*****

Famous for being the film that Charlie Chaplin himself said he most wanted o be remembered for, The Gold Rush signified the beginning of a new high for the director/performer. It was the second of Chaplin's big feature-length films with United Artists and is full of classic scenes. There are two different versions of the film; the silent 1925 original and a re-released version that was shorter and had added music and narration by Chaplin himself. The shorter run time is mainly due to tighter editing but Chaplin also cut many of the romantic scenes between himself and Georgia Hale, the most significant being a long kiss they shared in the final scene. Chaplin's marriage collapsed during the filming of The Gold Rush and he and Hale embarked on a secret relationship. By 1945 Chaplin was married to his fourth and final wife and he didn't want any other declarations of real love to exist on film, particularly in the film he was fondest of. So much of The Gold Rush can be seen in films that have been made since in a cross-section of genres. The cabin on the edge of a cliff is the inspiration behind countless cartoons for starters, I'm not sure the great Hanna-Barbera studios would have even existed without it. Probably the famous and popular scene from the film is Chaplin's little 'Roll dance' whereby the little tramp entertains his dining guests by sticking two forks into two rolls and makes them dance like they are little legs. At the time, audiences around the world laughed so hard that many cinemas would repeat the scene again and again at the viewer's request. Personally it's not my favourite Chaplin movie. I like his more simplistic films, I felt that The Gold Rush had too many plots and an unnecessary romance. I've always favoured The Great Dictator and Modern Times over The Gold Rush but its key scenes do make is an enjoyable classic I'll never tire of watching. Credit is due also to Mack Swain and Tom Murray who are both awesome, it really is their film as much as it is Chaplin's. Genius slap-stick with a bigger budget, an absolute classic and probably one of the most influential comedies of all time.