Movie Review - 1925 The Gold Rush

 

 Today you'll see some of my 1920's research. Partly because I need content and partly because I need to watch more of these movies for speech patterns and reference. I'm hitting two birds with one stone, in other words. Sit back and enjoy my review of the silent film The Gold Rush starring Charlie Chaplin, released in 1925. 

Courtesy of Letterboxd

The Gold Rush is a silent film, starring Charlie Chaplin, about the Great Gold Rush of Alaska. Below is my review of it, mostly because I need to watch it for research and partly because I want to watch it and need an excuse. The movie begins with a card talking about the gold rush. It is mostly visual comedy, cards with words, and piano music. You can't watch it with your ears while working. Visuals are the film. You miss everything by not looking up at the screen. Keep this in mind with all silent films. 

Storytelling

As usual, they use music, cards with text, and silent acting to get all of it across. It proves you don't necessarily need words to get meaning to your audience. I honestly think we need to come back to this and revisit the talent of silent actors. 

It tells the clear story of a hard winter for three prospectors out in the wilderness, then a return to get the gold. It has action and comedy. Oh, and a cute dog. It's mostly antics. The antics were mostly physical. The acting clearly tells the story. 

Courtesy of IMDB.com

Later on, we see a woman come into play named Georgia, who lives in the town. Chaplin's character comes into the dance hall to see her. She has an unwanted admirer who gets really aggressive. She has no interest. She uses Chaplin to get away from the unwanted admirer. This is where the comedy gets a bit more ramped up, as his pants nearly fall down while they dance. A dog gets attached to him by a leash, then chases a kitten. The charming awkward protagonist gets the girl over the aggressive man at the end, when he is now wealthy. 

Never once was I confused. Never did I question what was going on. I knew what happened purely on visuals. The comedy gags were all good. 

Quality

Here we have the quality of the acting and the music. I'll also speak to the overall quality of the film and if I enjoyed it. The short answer is yes, I enjoyed myself. There was no moment that the acting wasn't on point. It was on point at every moment of the film. The action sequences were fantastic and the music always matched. 

I need to take a moment and praise the action sequences. The fight scenes were excellent in the cabin. I loved those. They kept it interesting. It held my attention fully. 

The music matched every single scene. It was impressive. Given this was often live music in theatres I'd like to see this live and not from a YouTube upload. I'd pay money to watch it. 

I never got tired of the movie, not once. I was all in. Chaplin was so adorably sweet. His comedic antics hit the bullseye every time. I'd watch another any day of the week. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. 

Courtesy of virtual-history.com

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