The Gold Rush [1925]

Gold Rush was the movie that Charlie Chaplin wanted to be remembered by. And, considering that Chaplin was perhaps the greatest filmmaker to have walked on this planet, you realize that you are on to something very special even before you actually begin watching this movie. Based on the gold hunt in 1898 Alaska, the movie is arguably the greatest adventure of the iconic Little Tramp. Filled with acid humour, slapstick, gut-wrenching pathos, burning social satire and searing human drama, gold rush presents loneliness, desperation, heart break and even madness in a bitter-sweet sugar coated pill. The movie comprises of some of the greatest sequences in cinematic history – shoe-lace feast, bread roll dance et al. Brilliant performances by the inimitable Chaplin as the Lone Prospector, along with a motley of superb characters like Big Jim and Georgia, mesmeric narrative flow, brilliant set pieces – these have ensured that of all the amazing movies that Chaplin made in his prolific career, this would bloody well remain the movie that every moviegoer worth his salt will always remember this little man, albeit a huge genius, by. Incidentally, this was also the favourite Chaplin movie of Satyajit Ray, who too was a huge admirer of cinema's greatest screen comedian.









Director: Charlie Chaplin
Genre: Social Satire/Slapstick/Black Comedy/Adventure
Language: Silent
Country: US