Chaplin Today: The Gold Rush

Charlie Chaplin's silent black and white film "The Gold Rush" was a very interesting as well as entertaining creation. It was the first silent all black and white film that I ever watched before and i have to say that i was very impressed. Chaplin's movements, actions, and gestures all throughout the film provide a great sense of humor that i would have never expected possible without being able to hear the voices of the actors themselves. i also found it interesting how the entire movie almost seemed to be broken up into several different stories all playing out into one ending. Some of the movies most important characters weren't even introduced until at least half way through the film.

Chaplin Today: The Gold Rush (2003)

*** (out of 4)

This here is a very entertaining 27-minute look at the making of Charles Chaplin's THE GOLD RUSH. The documentary starts off talking about the state of Chaplin's career when he decided to make the film and then we get more details about its production, the lavish sets, the brutal shooting conditions and of course the eventual release of the film. Also discussed is its re-release version from 1942 as well as the impact that the film had on other filmmakers. If you're a fan of the film in question then you'll certainly want to check this out as it contains a lot of nice information on the production and the release of the film. The second half of the film deals with its impact on other filmmakers and this here wasn't quite as interesting but on the whole this is very much worth watching.

The DVD set Warner Brothers released for THE GOLD RUSH was fantastic--giving both the original release, the re-release (including narration by Chaplin) and this documentary about the making of the film. It gives a lot of amazing inside information and greatly enhances the film--unlike the "extras" in most DVDs (that often seemed more like a tacked-on element at best).

In particular, I liked how it discussed the creation of the huge sets as well as the extreme difficulties they faced filming the on-site shots in the Sierra Nevadas.

This movie is a must for film buffs and lovers of the work of Chaplin. Watch the movie then be sure to watch this featurette--it helps bring the movie alive. Sadly, I have seen a few other of the "Chaplin Today" featurettes and they are very poor--especially for "The Circus" and "The Kid".