“I’ve found it! I’ve found it! A mountain of gold!”
Charles Chaplin’s early film career, nearly a decade, was spent writing, producing, directing, appearing in, and/or, occasionally, composing music for over seventy silent short films. In 1919 he co-founded United Artists and began using the company to release his first feature length films in 1923. He wrote, produced, directed, composed, and appeared in all of these films. His first film with the company, A Woman Of Paris, strayed from his tried and true comedic style. The film was a drama and Chaplin had only a brief, uncredited cameo in the film. His next movie saw him return to form. Chaplin starred in 1925’s The Gold Rush, utilizing his popular The Tramp persona.
In the silent film, Chaplin stars as a prospector who sets out to find gold during the Klondike Gold Rush. The film establishes early on that many prospectors of that time were ill-prepared for the dangers that awaited them and this is used to comedic effect in the first part of the film. Chaplin gets trapped in a blizzard and finds his way to a remote cabin in Alaska that is being utilized by an escaped criminal, Black Larsen. When Larsen attempts to throw Chaplin back out into the blizzard, Big Jim, who recently struck gold but also got lost in the blizzard, arrives on the scene and uses his size to overpower Larsen. The trio end up staying in the cabin together to ride out the storm. Food quickly becomes short in supply and Larsen draws the lowest card in a deck that makes him the man who has to go and find food. Instead, Larsen finds Jim’s claim and decides to ambush him when he returns. Left alone and hungry at the cabin, Chaplin and Jim eat one of Chaplin’s shoes. Soon enough, Jim begins to visualize Chaplin as a giant chicken and attempts to kill him only to have a bear show up just in time to provide them both with food.
When the blizzard finally quiets down, Chaplin heads for the closest town and Big Jim leaves for his claim. Jim is ambushed by Larsen and left for dead. Larsen then dies in an avalanche. Back in town, Chaplin finds himself in a local saloon and he quickly falls for a dancing girl named Georgia. Georgia uses Chaplin to make another man, Handsome Jack, jealous, but Chaplin doesn’t realize what’s actually happening and he thinks that Georgia truly admires him. As time passes, Chaplin takes on odd jobs to make money. This leads to a humorous sequence involving a snow shovel. Eventually Chaplin becomes a house sitter for another prospector and he invites Georgia and her friends over for a New Year’s Eve party. Chaplin then has a dream sequence in which he entertains the ladies, most notably with an Oceana Roll Dance. When he awakens from his dream he realizes that Georgia has blown him off and he becomes hearbroken. Big Jim, who survived his attack but suffers from amnesia, convinces Chaplin to go with him to find his claim and offers to share his riches. The duo set out for the claim and end up in the cabin from the beginning of the film. A hilarious sequence featuring the cabin teetering on the edge of a cliff follows. The duo manage to find Jim’s claim and become millionaires as a result. But what becomes of Georgia? You’ll have to watch The Gold Rush in order to find out!
Primary Cast:
- Charlie Chaplin – The Lone Prospector
- Georgia Hale – The Girl, Georgia
- Mack Swain – Big Jim McKay
- Tom Murray – Black Larsen
- Malcolm Waite – Handsome Jack Cameron
- Henry Bergman – Hank Curtis
The film was well received by critics and filmgoers alike. Chaplin was extremely proud of the film as well. It would go on to become the fifth most profitable silent film in history, earning over four million dollars during its original release. Chaplin would re-release the film in 1942, editing its runtime down and removing some scenes altogether including the sequence in which Handsome Jack tricks Chaplin into believing that Georgia is in love with him. Chaplin also narrated the film and added music that was not part of the original film.
For me, the highlight of the film is the “cabin on a cliff” sequence. I was also quite captivated by the beauty of Georgia Hale. Hale was a competitor in the Miss America Pageant and was also Miss Chicago 1922. She was a close friend of Chaplin and much like he did with many of his friends, he attempted to get starring roles for her. She had difficulties transitioning to sound films and would eventually leave the craft entirely. Mack Swain was also a friend of Chaplin and the two had appeared in numerous shorts prior to working in The Gold Rush. He was also a member of the Keystone Cops. Henry Bergman was also a longtime friend of Chaplin and worked in front of and behind the camera with him for most of his career.
Thanks for checking out this legendary classic with me. See you again real soon!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 