Gold Gold Gold

The Gold Rush (C. Chaplin, 1925)

When I started watching this movie, I was expecting a slapstick comedy, with hilariously stupid sketches and Charlie getting himself in ridiculous situation. Instead, I found a very layered movie where comedy is never gratuitous and always has a dramatic element to it. I actually found this movie to be deep and articulate. Unlike other chaplin movies I’ve seen (not too many), this one had a very strong dramatic soul. Charlie Chaplin is simply a comedic genius and don’t get me wrong : this is a comedy. But, as we’ve all come to notice, comedy is tragedy plus time. A though very well illustrated here. On a technical aspect, this movie is stunningly advanced. I read that it was mostly shot in a studio which, frankly, I didn’t notice at all. The use of intelligent camera movement also replaces a lot of what we would normally CGI today. Also, I can very well smell that his movie, in its time, touched upon some sensitive subject and taboos : cannibalism is hinted at, survival skills, the power of money, corruption, greed…. but I also felt some political mood that I didn’t quite get the specifics of (because of my restricted knowledge on that period’s politics). Anyway, this was an amazing film and made me want to get into more chaplin.