The Gold Rush

1925
Approved
1h 35m

IMDb RATING

8.1/10

121K

YOUR RATING

Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for The Gold Rush

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Farce Feel-Good Romance Romantic Comedy Slapstick Adventure Comedy Drama Romance Western

A prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.A prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.A prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.1/10

121K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Top rated movie #196

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 5 wins & 3 nominations total

Eskimo Child
(uncredited)

Leona Aderias

Eskimo Child
(uncredited)

Lillian Adrian

Woman in Dance Hall
(uncredited)

Sam Allen

Man in Dance Hall
(uncredited)

Claude Anderson

Man in Dance Hall
(uncredited)

Harry Arras

Man in Dance Hall
(uncredited)

Albert Austin

Prospector
(uncredited)

F.J. Beauregard

Man in Dance Hall
(uncredited)

Marta Belfort

Woman in Dance Hall
(uncredited)

William Bell

Man in Dance Hall
(uncredited)

Vedat Örfi Bengü

Dr. Pro Smith Jackson
(uncredited)

Director
- Charles Chaplin
Writer
- Charles Chaplin
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Sir Charles Chaplin stated that this was the film by which he most wanted to be remembered.

Goofs
When Big Jim is delirious and 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.

Quotes
Georgia: You see, I'm very particular who I dance with.

Alternate versions
There is a 1942 re-issue version, prepared by Charles Chaplin himself, which uses his own narration, music score, and editing (running time: 72 minutes). This version is the only one which has its copyright owned by the Chaplin Film company. Many scenes of the 1942 version derived from an alternate camera that was shooting simultaneously. This explains some of the very slight differences in camera angle, although Chaplin also deleted some footage in order to tighten the pacing (such as Big Jim and the Tramp's near-encounter in the Gold Rush town and the shot of a woman comforting another woman during the singing of "Auld Lang Syne".

Connections
Edited into Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980)

User reviews288

Review

Featured review

9/10

Chaplin classic

One of the great Chaplin movies is 'The Gold Rush' and although it is not his best it contains one of the best known Chaplin-sequences. The sequence with the dancing rolls is one of the best I have seen in any Chaplin, whether it is a feature film or a two-reeler. For me this alone makes 'The Gold Rush' worth watching.

There are other great moments in this story where Chaplin is the Lone Prospector who falls in love with a girl named Georgia (Georgia Hale). When Chaplin has to find some gold (the movie isn't name 'The Gold Rush' for nothing) together with Hank (Henry Bergman) they stay in a cottage in the mountains. The sequence with this cottage after a blizzard is another that belongs to the greatest sequences in a Chaplin movie.

Of course we know from the start how things will end with the girl and the gold but the way that leads to that point is a nice one. Personally I think it is not great all the time, some sequences make it great, and sometimes even a little too simple. Because of the sequences described above (and some others) and because of the artist that Chaplin is this still belongs to the better silent movies I have seen.