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The Gold Rush (1925) - Charlie Chaplin

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metaldams:
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Watch THE GOLD RUSH in the link above.

      THE GOLD RUSH would be Charlie Chaplin’s first starring film that he directed, produced and starred in with complete independence.  Along with D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, he formed United Artists in 1919 yet could not make a film for his own company until he completed his contract with First National, which finally happened in 1923.  Ironically, Chaplin himself delayed his first completely independent starring vehicle by two years as his first United Artist film was 1923’s A WOMAN OF PARIS.  Apparently, Chaplin chose to assert his independence by directing someone else instead of himself, something First National surely would not allow.  However, two years later, Chaplin finally gives his public a starring vehicle for himself and they would not be disappointed.  THE GOLD RUSH is a classic which manages to mix dramatic storytelling, tragedy and comedy perfectly - a combination, judging by other films I have reviewed, that’s not always so easy to pull off.

      Before I get into the meat of this film, I would like to do a shout out to my homeboy, Charles D. Hall.  He’s the art director of THE GOLD RUSH and this film looks phenomenal because of him.  Taking place in a snowy Alaskan mining town, the snowy mountain terrain, the cabin, the dance hall, and the mining town itself with all the little stores and the jail look fantastic.  A visually appealing little world that is a pleasure to look at for ninety minutes.  Hall worked on some of the classier looking Laurel and Hardy productions and those classic 30’s Universal horror films as well.  A lot of the films I find especially visually appealing Hall’s name is on, so I tip my hat to him.  He’s greater than any CGI effect could ever hope to be.

      Like I said, there’s the comedy, tragedy and drama.  For neatness sake, I like to compartmentalize these things in my review, but it’s not always so simple when it comes to Chaplin as these elements can be so intertwined.  Let’s take one subject dealt with in this film - starvation.  In the hands of a lesser comedian, I would be lamenting how such a subject does not belong in a comedy and it drags the mood of the film down.  Not with Chaplin, not with THE GOLD RUSH.  Take the eating of the shoe gag.  There’s no crying here, Chaplin’s nonchalant selling of the eating of the shoe is what makes this work and gives the scene humor.  The way he nibbles at the heel, picks his teeth with spiked thing-a-ma-jig that holds the shoe together and best of all, takes down the shoelace like it’s a piece of spaghetti.  Mack Swain’s reaction to Chaplin eating that shoe so easily mirrors the audience perfectly.  Also love the way for the remainder of the film, Chaplin wears a tied in sack on his foot to replace the eaten shoe, a great attention to detail and continuity.  Speaking of Swain, him mistaking Chaplin in hallucination form as a chicken is another hysterical starvation gag.  This is also because of the way the actors sell it.  Swain perches his lips and had this wonderful cartoon like expression on his face while Chaplin, in a chicken suit, very convincingly makes those chicken movements.  Again, a gag with lesser actors that might not work.

      Other great comic moments include the wonderful snow shoveling gag where Chaplin shovels the snow away from one building to the front of another.  He gets paid for one job and creates himself a second job.  There’s also the classic scene where Chaplin and Mack Swain are stuck in the cabin on the ledge of the mountain, the cabin threatening to tip over based on where the characters distribute their weight, so the movements of each man creates a ton of tension.  This would definitely be a thrill comedy gag that was probably influenced by some of the scenes Harold Lloyd - Chaplin’s biggest competitor - has done to this point.  1923’s SAFETY LAST! being the most famous example.  This would also be the first Chaplin scene I ever saw in my life.  My second grade teacher dressed up as Chaplin for Halloween and showed us this scene.  I’m glad she did and the fact I still remember means the scene left a definite impression.

      Now let’s get to the leading lady, Georgia, played by Georgia Hale.  Some controversy here, especially concerning the ending, which some people consider too Hollywood for Chaplin - but I will get to that in a bit.  Ms. Hale herself does a fine job here and the character herself is undoubtedly the least likable female character Chaplin worked with, but not to the point you don’t detect a hint of humanity.  She’s basically the pretty girl who likes the narcissistic jerk guys and likes to falsely lead on the outcasts, in this case Chaplin obviously being the outcast.  She asks Chaplin for a dance for the sole purpose of making her boyfriend jealous after a fight - and even that leads to some great comedy.  Great dance scene with Chaplin trying to keep his pants up and eventually finding a rope as a belt - which has a dog attached to it!  Even the fight with the jealous boyfriend beats a great gag where he pulls Chaplin’s hat over his eyes, Chaplin blindly punches a column with a clock attached, causing the clock to fall on the boyfriend’s head.  Chaplin removes the hat over his eyes, thinking he knocked his rival out.  Clever gag among some drama.

      Another funny comedy bit with drama would be Chaplin thinking Georgia and her friends were going to come over to his place for New Year’s Eve.  After they leave, he gets so excited he does these flips and pillow destruction that no words of mine can do justice.  Let’s just say there’s a lot of movement, feathers flying everywhere and when Georgia comes back for a moment and sees the aftermath of Chaplin’s excitement, I never fail to laugh.  It’s made my sides hurt in the past. But yeah, with the drama linked to it, Georgia and her friends ditch Chaplin after he worked so hard to make a nice party for them.  A cruel bit on her part, but when she comes back after midnight to continue the joke and realizes what she’s done, she does show an ounce of regret.  This part of the plot does allow for a dream sequence where Chaplin does the Oceana Roll sequence - he takes rolls on the end of silverware and makes them dance.  Inspired by Roscoe Arbuckle (who in turn was inspired by Chaplin’s walk) and later done by Curly Howard, nobody was able to make this the physical tour de force the way Chaplin did.

      (Spoiler alert) Towards the end of the film, Chaplin and Mack Swain find the plot of gold, get rich and live happily ever after, except Chaplin doesn’t have Georgia.  They appear on a boat and for a photo opportunity for the press, Chaplin wears his old tramp costume.  He happens to run into Georgia on the boat.  Georgia does show an act of kindness as she hides Chaplin, thinking he’s the stowaway that’s being looked for.  When it’s revealed he’s not the stowaway and he’s a multi millionaire, they get together and they kiss at the end.  On the surface, a lazy happy ending that does not belong in a Chaplin film.  Look deeper.  While showing some hints of kindness, it does not make up for the way she played Chaplin like a toy throughout most of the film.  Notice her body language when she’s with him, she looks confused.  Look at her during the kiss, she’s not exactly into it.  There’s slight hints there might be happiness, but more hints there may be darkness ahead and you gotta think she won’t say no to Chaplin because now he’s all the sudden a multi millionaire.  Would she fall be with The Little Tramp character the same way?  Probably not.  I’m sure this scenario, by 1925, is something the real life Chaplin could relate to when dealing with women.  So yeah, if you dig deep, the end of THE GOLD RUSH leaves as many open ended questions as CITY LIGHTS.  As an aside, towards the end, Mack Swain is getting a manicure from a cute young woman.  After Chaplin catches him flirting, he teases Swain and gives him a cane poke and side kick.  A total Keystone moment in a decidedly non Keystone film, made all the more relevant Swain was a Keystone staple.  I love it.

      Chaplin would go on to re-release THE GOLD RUSH in 1942 with his narration taking the place of title cards and about a third of the film cut.  I will say no more because I have nothing nice to say.  The original 1925 version, very public domain and with us for all times, is a must see.  Very few people besides Chaplin can make a film this good and not have it called his undisputed best because he has other films this amazing.  If you know THE GOLD RUSH, please comment and if not, the film can be watched above.

Paul Pain:
Metaldams, it's awesome to finally, after 6 years on these boards, see you have the chance to air your thoughts on Charlie Chaplin.

metaldams:

--- Quote from: Paul Pain on January 08, 2020, 08:20:51 PM ---Metaldams, it's awesome to finally, after 6 years on these boards, see you have the chance to air your thoughts on Charlie Chaplin.

--- End quote ---

Thanks Paul, you’re right.  It feels good to finally review Chaplin.  His features and better shorts actually give plenty to discuss so there is some depth to my reviews.  Compare this review to my upcoming review of Abbott and Costello’s MEXICAN HAYRIDE, which I’m posting Friday, and you’ll notice the difference.

All of Chaplin’s features and a healthy dose of shorts will be reviewed eventually.  One of the advantages of doing this random review thing is I can review Chaplin without doing nine consecutive months of Keystone shorts.

Umbrella Sam:
It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen this film. My memory was that it was a mostly good one, and looking back, it still is. It’s so interesting because, with such a limited setting, you’d think that this would be so difficult to pull off, but they manage to do so through some really atmospheric set design and a blend of both comedy and sadness.

Chaplin’s films are interesting to look at because of how different his style was to most comedians of the time. It often seemed as though he stressed the dramatic elements a lot more than most other comedians of the time, which isn’t a bad thing. Personally, I do prefer Keaton’s and Lloyd’s style of blending the comedy and drama, but Chaplin’s way certainly stands out a lot more and works in its own way.

Chaplin’s films often deal with his character’s loneliness and separation from the rest of the world, and that aspect is certainly present in this film, but what I find interesting about THE GOLD RUSH specifically is that when we first see Chaplin interacting with others, it’s not with society, but rather with two other people forced to stay together due to the weather. It’s an interesting idea for Chaplin and he does take advantage of the comic opportunities, especially when it comes to the food related gags. I always like the scene where Mack Swain is chasing after him, first thinking that he’s a chicken and then continuing even when he recognizes him. I’ve seen this kind of gag done in some other later films, but this one usually is the one I tend to remember the best, thanks to the good pacing and, like metaldams mentions, Swain’s expressions.

It’s after those early cabin scenes where he goes more into the loneliness aspect of his character. Everyone at the bar seems to treat him with disregard, even Georgia, the woman who’s supposed to be his love interest. It’s handled really well, and it seems very fitting considering the depressing subject matter of being someone mining for gold.

There are certainly still good comedy bits to be found among this sad subject matter, such as the dancing scene with the dog, Chaplin tearing up the pillow and when Chaplin is shoveling snow. I’ll also mention the dancing rolls gag. I remember previously when I reviewed THE ROUGH HOUSE, I said that I didn’t really find that particular gag funny, even here. Well, either I didn’t get it the first time or my memory of that must have been pretty bad, because this time I was laughing at it. Chaplin’s movements and expressions are what really help the gag work so well. Chaplin’s movements in general are just so fascinating to watch. He just has such a distinct style when it comes to that it’s either fascinating or has the intended effect of making me laugh.

It’s all topped off with a reunion with Swain and an excellent climax, probably the closest Chaplin got to a Keaton or Lloyd style climax. The only problem I have with this movie is the ending and how the letter ties into it. I believe we’ve discussed this before, but just in case, I’ll repeat it. In the original version, after Georgia discovers how she played with the tramp’s feelings, she writes a letter apologizing to her boyfriend and he makes the tramp think it’s for him. I always felt like that scene was a bit too cruel, especially considering that right before that, Georgia does feel bad and rightfully gives her boyfriend what he deserves. Metaldams makes a good point about how the ending is technically one where it’s indicated that life wouldn’t be happy, especially with the way Georgia Hale acts all awkward around him, but at the same time, she does offer to pay his fare and does seem genuinely happy to see him at first. It’s a bit too confusing, and I think it would have worked better had they simply just had the ending being him imagining a life with Georgia rather than this one.

So, yeah, not crazy about the ending, but otherwise, it’s still a great movie. Swain and Hale provide good performances, the atmosphere is interesting and overall it provides an entertaining yet also heavily dramatic story. The 1942 version does solve the issues with the letter and ending, but that narration is incredibly annoying, and I’d still recommend the original over it.

9.5 out of 10

Dr. Mabuse:
Despite my preference for "Modern Times," the original release of Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" remains the best structured of his feature-length films. Everything works beautifully in this epic comedy-drama, with the pathos and humor perfectly integrated. The comic setpieces are too numerous to mention, but a personal favorite is the classic "Dance of the Rolls." The restored 1925 silent version remains far superior to Chaplin's mutilated 1942 reissue.

10/10

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