The Gold Rush Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Gold Rush Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 9, 2010

Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus. The disc contains the preferred by Chaplin newly restored 1942 version of the film as well as the restored silent 1925 original version. The supplemental features include a short introduction by Chaplin biographer David Robinson; the documentary feature "Chaplin Today:The Gold Rush"; photo gallery; and trailer reel. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The smell of food

The early days of the Klondike gold rush, 1898. The Tramp is an ambitious prospector wandering around the snowy hills of Alaska, trying to figure out which way to go. Cold and tired, he ends up at the remote cabin of a man with a price on his head, Black Larsen (Tom Murray), who immediately kicks him out. Fortunately for the Tramp, there is a strong blizzard that literally blows him back into the cabin.

Meanwhile, a new prospector, Big Jim (Mack Swain), who has found gold, appears. Like the Tramp, he is cold, tired, and looking for a place to spend the night. Black Larsen attempts to kick him out too, but Big Jim proves stronger. The Tramp, Big Jim and Black Larsen decide to share the cabin until the weather gets better.

Soon, the prospectors agree that one of them must go out and find food. They draw cards and Black Larsen gets the lowest one. While wandering around, he meets and kills two policemen. Later on, Black Larsen stumbles upon Big Jim’s gold stash, which he decides to keep.

Back in the cabin, Big Jim begins hallucinating - his brains tells him that the Tramp as a giant chicken, which he attempts to kill. The Tramp quickly realizes that the most effective way to help Big Jim get rid of the hallucinations is a strong meal - which is why he cooks one of his shoes and serves it to him. Eventually, the weather improves, and the Tramp and Big Jim part ways. Big Jim goes back to his gold stash, but out of nowhere Black Larsen appears and hits him with a shovel, causing him to lose his memory. Black Larsen escapes with a load of Big Jim's gold but dies in an avalanche.

The Tramp ends in a town full of gold diggers. He befriends a mining engineer who allows him to stay in his cabin while he is away on business. While wandering around, the Tramp ends up in the town’s saloon where he sees Georgia (Georgia Hale), a beautiful dancer; he instantly falls in love with her. Georgia is unaware of the Tramp’s existence until an obnoxious bully, Jack, tries to force her to dance with him. The Tramp confronts the bully and earns Georgia’s respect. Later on, Georgia and her girlfriends visit the cabin where the Tramp lives and promise to celebrate New Year’s Eve with him. For the next couple of days, the Tramp works hard to save enough money to buy food and presents for Georgia and her friends. On New Year’s Eve, however, he ends up being alone.

Big Jim reappears looking for the Tramp. When they meet, he tells the Tramp that if he takes him back to his cabin he will make him a rich man. The two embark on a treacherous journey and nearly lose their lives but manage to find Big Jim’s gold. The Tramp and Big Jim become millionaires. On the ship that will take them back home to the land of milk and honey, the Tramp once again meets Georgia.

Written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, The Gold Rush has had a number of different reincarnations – the original silent version (95 min) (1925); the preferred by Chaplin American rerelease version, which is the version included on this Blu-ray disc (72 min) (1942); as well as an edited American version (81 min) (1925).

The rerelease version is also narrated by Chaplin. The overwhelming majority of the lines the legendary actor utters are short descriptions of the conversations the Tramp has with various characters. They are appropriate for some scenes but not all. More often than not, Chaplin and Max Terr’s wonderful music score is a lot more illuminating than the narration.

The Gold Rush contains some of the funniest scenes Chaplin did throughout his career. Yet it remains one of his saddest films - effectively showing the corrosive effects greed could have on people’s lives and personalities.

In 1943, the rerelease version of The Golden Rush earned Oscar nominations for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Max Terr) and Best Sound, Recording (James L. Fields).

The Gold Rush Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus. Please note that this release contains the silent original 1925 version of the film (95 min), restored by Kevin Brownlow, which is placed on a separate DVD, as well as the favored by Chaplin 1942 version of the film (72 min).

1942 version (Blu-ray):

I feel very comfortable stating that The Gold Rush has never looked this good before. Despite some inherited limitations - mostly minor frame transition issues, scratches and small marks - the film looks surprisingly healthy. Fine object detail fluctuates, and contrast levels are not always consistent, but depth and clarity are certainly a lot better than I expected them to be. Also, many of the close-ups, particularly during the second half of the film, look a lot more convincing than those seen on the Warner R1 DVD release of The Gold Rush. During the first 20-30 minutes some mild edge-enhancement occasionally pops up here and there, but it is never overly distracting. I also noticed traces of minor noise reduction. Nevertheless, there is a healthy dose of fine grain throughout the entire film. Lastly, the color-scheme is certainly very pleasing (compare this version to the 1925 version) - there are a variety of rich blacks, grays and gentle whites. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

1925 version (DVD):

Generally speaking, the original 1925 restored (by Photoplay Productions) version looks quite good. Clarity and especially contrast are probably as good as they could be. The color-scheme does not disappoint either - the blacks and grays are surprisingly strong. Contrast levels, however, are weaker than those of the 1942 version; detail is also somewhat compromised. Last but not least, print damage is more prominent on the 1925 version.

The Gold Rush Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0 (dual mono) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Park Circus have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

I don't have any major reservations with the audio treatment. The English LPCM 2.0 track has a somewhat limited dynamic amplitude, but Chaplin and Max Terr's music score sounds surprisingly good. The narration is stable, clean, and easy to follow. Finally, I did not hear any serious pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 has a better dynamic amplitude. For example, the trumpet solos are crisper, the bassoons much more colorful, and the strings a lot more vibrant. Chaplin's narration is once again stable, clean, and easy to follow.

The Gold Rush Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features are placed on a separate DVD. They are encoded in PAL.

Introduction by David Robinson - a short introduction to The Gold Rush by the Chaplin biographer in which he quickly notes a few interesting facts from the film's fascinating history as well as Chaplin's career. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

Chaplin Today: The Gold Rush - an excellent documentary, produced by MK2TV, in which director Idrissa Ouedraogo discusses the impact the Tramp had on him while he was growing up in Burkina Faso. The documentary also focuses on the production history of The Gold Rush. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

Photo gallery - a collection of stills from the film.

Trailer reel - trailers for The Kid, A Woman in Paris, The Gold Rush, City Lights, The Circus, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, Limelight, A King in New York, etc.

The Gold Rush Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some critics have argued that The Gold Rush is Chaplin's funniest film. It is probably true, but I would argue that it is also one of his saddest films, effectively showing how greed can destroy our lives. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Park Circus, looks and sounds very good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.