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Charles Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman ... see more see more... , Malcolm Waite , Betty Morrissey , Sam Allen , Harry Arras , Allan Garcia , Jack Herrick , Harry Jones , John "Dusty" King , Chris-Pin Martin , John Rand , Frank Rice , Joe Smith , Albert Austin , William Bell , William Bradford , George Brock , Ben R. Hart , John P. McGrath , Betty Pierce , Joan Lowell , Kay Desleys , John Tully , George Holt , Cecile Cameron , Leland Carr , J.C. Fowler , Inez Gomez , Geraldine Leslie , John Millerta , Barbara Pierce , Jane Sherman , Margaret Martin , William Butler , Tom Wood , Jack Adams , John Wallace

He may be called "The Lone Prospector" in The Gold Rush, but the character played by Charlie Chaplin is the same wistful, resourceful Little Tramp that had been entertaining the world and its brother ... read more read more...since 1914. A most unlikely participant in the 1898 Yukon gold rush, Charlie finds himself sharing a remote cabin with two much larger and more menacing-looking prospectors: Big Jim McKay (Mack Swain) and Black Larsen (Tom Murray). Big Jim isn't really a bad sort, but Larsen is a murderer and thief. When the food supply runs out, Larsen heads out in the snowy wastes to hunt, leaving Charlie to prepare a delicious Thanksgiving dinner for Big Jim, consisting of roasted shoe. The days pass: in a delirium, Big Jim imagines that Charlie is a huge chicken, and voraciously takes after him with an axe; Charlie saves himself by inadvertently shooting a bear, thereby providing enough food for ten men (Chaplin's inspiration for this episode was the cannibalistic activities of the Donner Party). When the winds subside, Charlie and Big Jim part company. Charlie heads off to seek his fortune in a nearby gold-rush community, while Big Jim lucks upon a "mountain of gold" -- just before he is ambushed and knocked unconscious by Black Larsen. Larsen himself is then killed by an avalanche, leaving Big Jim to wander aimlessly, his memory gone. Meanwhile, Charlie has fallen in love, from afar, with self-reliant saloon girl Georgia (Georgia Hale) who doesn't know that he exists. By a fluke, Charlie and Georgia meet, whereupon Charlie invites the girl to New Year's Eve dinner in the cabin that he is tending for a local prospector. While preparing for dinner, Charlie imagines that Georgia has arrived with her friends; he entertains the girls by jabbing two forks in two rolls, then performing a captivating little "dance" with the pastries. Awakening from his dream, Charlie disconsolately realizes that Georgia has forgotten all about his little party, and isn't going to show up. The next day, Big Jim arrives in town and is shaken out of his amnesia when he spots Charlie. Hoping that the little prospector will help him find his mountain of gold, Big Jim heads back to the mountains with Charlie in tow. The two men nearly come to grief when their cabin, blown by the wind to a mountain precipice, leans precariously over the edge--a peril intensified when Charlie, clinging to the floor, develops a sudden case of hiccups! Luck of luck, the cabin slides safely down the side of the mountain, landing directly upon Big Jim's gold strike. Now fabulously wealthy, Charlie and Big Jim head back to the States on a freighter. Also on board is Georgia, who is unaware that Charlie has struck it rich and thinks that he's a stowaway. She offers to hide him from the authorities, and it is at this point that Charlie and Georgia discover that they're truly in love with one another. The Gold Rush was the longest (it ran nine reels, cut down from its ten-reel preview length) and most elaborately produced of Chaplin's silent comedies (it took him fourteen months to complete). Even so, critics of the era chastised Chaplin for permitting the Little Tramp to win the girl at the end, arguing that the character's "integrity" was damaged by so happy an ending. Evidently, Chaplin took this criticism to heart: in his 1942 reissue of The Gold Rush, for which he wrote a narration and musical score, Chaplin removed the final embrace between the Lone Prospector and Georgia, fading out on a wealthy -- but still unattached -- Charlie strolling about the deck. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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91% liked it

18,193 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

33 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Charles Chaplin

Release Date: June 26, 1925

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DVD Release Date: May 16, 2000

Stats: 969 reviews

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The Gold Rush The Gold Rush Chaplin and Swain Chaplin freezes Chaplin and Georgia Hale The classic scene Chaplin and Swain A fight! Things are not going as well as expected Chaplin eats a boot Where has the tramp's cabin gone? Original release movie poster Chaplin and Swain
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Flixster Reviews (969)

  • FrizzDrop
    March 21, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    The first film Chaplin was given creative control over with his founding of United Artists, Gold Rush is a masterpiece of slapstick. Though City Lights is my personal favorite, Gold Rush is certainly manically hilarious, sweet as a baby kitten, and never boring. The setting was o... read moreriginal in that it was set in the obtrusive Alaskan wilderness. The Tramp is always so goofy, lovable, and dorky, you want him to win the girl and the money in the end. Even in the Tramp's chaotic world he wins out, and that's the draw to Chaplin's well thought out comedy.
  • kenstachnik
    February 26, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Classic Chaplin
  • Redlats
    October 12, 2008
    Redlats
    I watched the first version - with no dialogue, only a piano score. I have only seen two or three of Chaplin's movies. It is an indication of the quality of his films that an 80 year old silent black and white movie competes favourably with today's movies with all the technolog... read morey they have now.
  • rubystevens
    August 3, 2008
    rubystevens
    this is the 'revival' version with new music and chaplin's narration. i understand cuts were made and i'd like to see the original at some point, but it's still pretty clever and charming. said to be inspired by chaplin's reading about the donner party!
  • jennifxu
    November 14, 2007
    jennifxu
    Oh man. So fun. There will never be another man like Charlie Chaplin.
  • deano
    April 27, 2007
    deano
    This Charlie Chaplin silent movie makes me laugh and cry. This beautifully film combines Chaplin's ability to express pathos, tenderness, humour, and social awareness and many critics consider it his finest work.
  • mjgildea
    October 31, 2006
    mjgildea
    This movie is what physical comedy is all about.
  • juliomendez19941
    December 26, 2011
    juliomendez19941
    There's a reason why classical humor is more appealing to me, unlike modern comedies that focus on sex jokes, the silent era humor is more about character humor. No doubt Charlie Chaplin's, The Gold Rush, is one of the best example of this.

    The story is actually more entertain... read moreing and heartfelt than most of the modern comedies in recent years. Charlie Chaplin plays the Tramp and goes to the Klondike in search of gold and finds himself some humorous situations. Chaplin alway plays his characters with such grace that imitating him is just impossible. The jokes are actually funny, the characters are worth caring about, and since it's a Chaplin film, prepare yourself for some of the most hilarious moments ever filmed.

    What else can I say about this movie, it helds up really well. Unlike most comedies where the humor dies off with passing years, this film has only gotten better. I have to say the best thing about this is the production value. Every characters is worth watching, every shot captures the scene perfectly, the pacing is just terrific in every way possible, and it's just a joy to watch. I honestly can't remember the last time a movie has made me laugh as much of this.

    The Gold Rush proves that comedy can timeless if done correctly. Even though the current state of the comedy genre is not so good, it's great that a talented artist like Chaplin made this movie for generations to smile, laugh, and bring them an unforgettable experience.
  • fb1619601747
    July 9, 2011
    fb1619601747
    A silent era masterpiece, easily Chaplin's best film (that I've seen). It kind of reminded me of Buster Keaton's The General, in terms of quality.
  • staindslaved
    July 15, 2011
    staindslaved
    An absolute classic! A very good introductory film for anyone with the slightest interest in silent films due to the narration by Chaplin. It doesn't have the emotion of City Lights or the zanniness of Modern Times but it tells a very enjoyable story with arguably some of the be... read morest supporting characters in a tramp film.

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
June 27, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The blend of slapstick and pathos is seamless, although the cynicism of the final scene is still surprising. Chaplin's later films are quirkier and more personal, but this is quintessential Charlie, a... Full Review

Variety Staff
June 27, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

The Gold Rush is a distinct triumph for Charlie Chaplin from both the artistic and commercial standpoints, and is a picture certain to create a veritable riot at theatre box offices. Full Review

Mordaunt Hall
March 25, 2006
Mordaunt Hall, New York Times

Here is a comedy with streaks of poetry, pathos, tenderness, linked with brusqueness and boisterousness. Full Review

Glenn Abel
July 26, 2003
Glenn Abel, Hollywood Reporter

The Gold Rush has been delighting audiences for almost 80 years -- it's one of the flat-out funniest films made in the silent era or any other.

Brian Gibson
May 10, 2012
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

When it hit cinemas in the summer of 1925, the Berlin-premiere audience applauded Chaplin's 'dance of the dinner rolls' for so long that the film was rewound and replayed, while the BBC recorded 10 st... Full Review

Jaime N. Christley
December 20, 2011
Jaime N. Christley, Slant Magazine

What's surprising when one takes a fresh look at The Gold Rush is how much else there is, too, not just in terms of set pieces. Full Review

Phil Hall
December 16, 2011
Phil Hall, Film Threat

Chaplin's Klondike masterpiece. Full Review

Eric Kohn
October 11, 2010
Eric Kohn, indieWIRE

Eighty-five years young, "The Gold Rush" is still an effective tear-jerker. Full Review

Richard Luck
April 20, 2009
Richard Luck, Film4

Perhaps the defining Chaplin film, and certainly his funniest. Full Review

Mark Bourne
April 14, 2006
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com

Chaplin said that it was the movie he most wanted to be remembered for, and damn if he didn't get his wish. Full Review

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The Gold Rush Trivia

  • The scene in Benny and Joon where Johnny Depp does a dance with dinner rolls was a re-enactment of a scene originally made famous in which silent film?  Answer »
  • Who directed "The Gold Rush", "City Lights", "The Kid", "The Circus", "Limelight" and "A Woman of Paris"?  Answer »
  • i starred in the movie Gold rush and the tv show Charmed...  Answer »
  • Who starred in the 1925 version of The Gold Rush?  Answer »
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