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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.
