Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24712 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-09-22
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 69 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Chaplin's personal favourite among his own films, The Gold Rush embodies all the trademarks of his mix of slapstick, satire, social commentary and sentiment--a perfect showcase for his ever-popular Little Tramp. Set during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898, the film features a comic reworking of the gruesome Donner Party story, where a group of snowbound immigrants resorted to eating their clothes and then each other to stay alive.

It opens with a grand shot of gold prospectors snaking up the side of a mountain. We then see the Tramp, typically estranged from the rest of the group, making his own way across the snow. Seeking shelter in a blizzard, he finds the cabin of the dangerous criminal Black Larson (Tom Murray) and when another prospector, Big Jim McKay (Mack Swain), comes along, the two of them take charge of the cabin and eventually drive him out. Starving on Thanksgiving, the pair decide to dine in style when the Tramp cooks one of his shoes, famously acting as if he's cooking a fine piece of meat; twirling the laces up like spaghetti and savouring every last nibble. When he finally escapes, the Tramp ends up in a local town and falls in love, only to be rebuffed on New Year's Eve. When a chance meeting reunites him with Big Jim, the two go back in search of gold hidden near the cabin.

Despite its unlikely origins, the story is shaped into a classic comedy containing many famous set-pieces, including the cabin teetering on the edge of a cliff and the Tramp morphing into a chicken before the starving Big Jim. Ultimately it's Chaplin's endearing and amusing persona that makes this material genuinely enduring.

On the DVD The Gold Rush comes to DVD in a decent transfer with good mono sound and the option of Dolby Digital 5.1. The second disc of bonus features opens with an introduction by David Robinson, who chronicles Chaplin's work on the film, which was interrupted when his clandestine affair with his 15-year-old leading lady meant that, due to her becoming pregnant, the filming had to close for a few months while a new female lead was found. The original 1925 version of the film, before Chaplin updated it with the addition of sound in 1942, appears in full. The Chaplin Today documentary illustrates the influence of the film on director Idrissa Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso, whose own work follows similar themes, as well as going behind the scenes on the original production. Trailers, posters and stills round off this worthy addition to the Chaplin Collection. --Laura Bushell

DVD Description
The Gold Rush, Charles Chaplin famously said, is "The picture I want to be remembered by." In 1998 leading movie critics and experts voted and remembered, choosing this 24-carat comedy as one of the AFI’s Top-100 American films.

Chaplin’s irrepressible Little Tramp seeks riches in the Yukon in this all-time classic presented here in Chaplin’s later sound-era re-release version (Disc 1) and a remastered original silent version (Disc 2). Leave it to the Tramp to turn hard times into hilarity as he savours a thanksgiving feast of boiled shoe, slip-slides inside a house teetering on a cliff, choreographs a whimsical dance of dinner rolls, and faces all manner of perils with pluck and fortitude. The Gold Rush is a cinematic wonder. Remember. And enjoy.

Special Features
Region 2

Customer Reviews

Magnificent, good on yer Chaz !!
Of course your average, everyday 'Joe-Public' knows of Charlie Chaplin. But sadly it seems that a relatively small percentage of those people really appreciate his work. Before I bought this DVD I was one of that small percentage. I bought it, basically on the off chance after watching Richard Attenborough's excellent film about Chaplin, so finely played by Robert Downey Jr. I wondered what made Chaplin so revered around the world, why he was and still is so critically acclaimed. How can you tell such a great story? A story that deals with social, personal and political issues, that warms the heart, brings tears to your eyes and makes you laugh until it hurts, produced with no sound, no colour and the most basic technology?. Simple....you have to be Chaplin. There were other good performers around at the time like Keaton, Langdon and Lloyd. But Charlie was the world's first true Hollywood superstar.
It's a crime for any so-called film fan not to have at least one of Chaplin's masterpieces in their collection.
The Gold Rush was Chaplin's own favourite, and mine.

Superb packaging of a cinema classic
There are many problems with trying to view classic silent films these days, and this pair of discs addresses them all. First, many old movies are now out of copyright, and rogue video' companies released versions made from copies of copies of worn-out prints. Thankfully, this version uses extremely clean prints, re-mastered to give the highest possible contrast. Because the material is presented over two discs, it is possible to put a good deal of content on them without requiring a loss of picture quality.

Another common problem is that revised versions are made of our most famous silent films, introducing narration, different edits, and of course music. This is the case with Chaplin's classic, but Chaplin himself oversaw the production of the revised version in 1942, and included his own narration and music, and his own re-editing of the material. Thus the integrity of the work was preserved, however for those interested, the 1925 original is presented alongside. The music added to the silent version is meticulously performed by Neil Brand, who is something of an expert in silent film music, accompanying silent screenings up and down the country after careful research. This avoids the third pitfall: clumsy or repetitive music.

The film itself is a joy to watch, particularly in the revised form. Chaplin's "little fellow" (he is not really a tramp here, he is just like all the other prospectors) is seeking his fortune in the Wild West at the time of the gold rush, and during his adventures must deal with very big bullies with big beards, hunger, poverty, several feet of snow, and a few beautiful women. That Chaplin eventually finds gold and gets the girl shouldn't be a surprise, after all, he wrote and directed the film, but what is astonishing is the effort put into re-creating the snowy landscapes both in the studio and out on location. The accompanying documentaries and photograph sets show the detailed work of the set builders, and the efforts made to find a suitable location to re-create the image of hundreds of prospectors making their way scross the Chilcoot Pass. The effects used here are exemplary, and the miniature work and editing used here could easily be used in a 2009 film production.

The extras on the disc contain a couple of weak text items, but the aforementioned documentaries are worth watching before the film, together with the photo' sets. The pictures included here are well-compiled, and many interesting images are presented here from the Chaplin archive. Some lack contrast and need a bit of clean up, but this is a small niggle in an otherwise brilliant piece of DVD packaging.

Movies to see before you die!
Only Charlie Chaplin could be inspired to make a comedy after reading a book about the Donner Party disaster. (The Donner party got trapped in the Sierra Nevada and resorted to cannibalism to keep themselves alive.)