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The Gold Rush (2 Disc Special Edition)

The Gold Rush (2 Disc Special Edition)

List Price: $29.95
Your Price: $26.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: classic Chaplin
Review: The Gold Rush is a silent Charlie Chaplin film from 1925. The version that I watched on this DVD was a reissue of the film where Chaplin himself adds narration to the film. Not having seen the unaltered original, I can't make any comparisons to that. However, for the film that I saw the narration mostly helps the story. The acting is done well enough that you would know exactly what is happening without any narration (the mark of a good silent film), but the narration does not take anything away from the film and it does not run through every scene. According to what I've read, the silent version is almost 30 minutes longer, but the 69 minute length of the film I saw was just right for The Gold Rush. The new DVD in the Chaplin Collection includes both versions.

The story is that the Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) is a prospector heading to the Yukon Territory during the Gold Rush. He meets up with two other prospectors and during a storm they get stuck in one cabin. Here The Tramp cooks his own shoe and he and another man eat the shoe. The hunger scenes are actually quite funny. Later on in the film we see Chaplin do the little dance with dinner rolls that is later revisited in the film Benny and Joon. This is absolutely classic. The Tramp also falls for a dance hall girl (Georgia Hale) and throughout the film there is a definite air of loneliness.

This is a fun movie and there is something intriguing about watching classic Chaplin films. Even 80 years later, it is easy to see why Charlie Chaplin was one of the masters of early film and why he is still considered a comic genius. To top it all off, Chaplin usually wrote, directed, and starred in all of his movies. You can't get much better than that.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Chaplin's best.
Review: The only main reason I see reviews that hurt The Gold Rush's rating is because this is the 1942 rerelease version with narration by Charlie Chaplin and some sound effects and not the silent 1925 picture with the old diolauge cards. Nevertheless, this is one of the greates movies ever made, no matter what version you see. Chaplin stars flawlessley as a lone prospector ( whom in which is refferred to as "the little fellow" throughout the whole movie ) doing all sorts of funny things. The musical score matches with every single event ( especially the classic "hunger scene" ) and the sound effects are really good, even in today's standards. If you want to see one of the greates ( and funniest ) movies ever created, see Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece, The Gold Rush.

PS: The kids will love it too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The clown that can make you cry.
Review: The person who introduced this film to me said the test of a truly great comedic actor is not the clown that can make you laugh, but the clown that can make you cry. By this standard, Chaplin is overflowing with talent in this film. The well-known shoelaces spaghetti, teetering cabin, and roll dance are hilarious - my favorite was the huge dog tied to his makeshift belt! But the scene in which the little tramp hears the solemn "Aude Lang Syne" coming from the dance hall, and knows Georgia is there instead of with him - the single tear is charmingly heartbreaking. As funny as he had been to that point, I was surprised to see he was so effective at being sad. (Don't worry-it gets better!) However, the re-release by Chaplin in the 1940's is AWFUL. The change in music ruins the movie-especially the New Year's Eve scene. Also a couple of scenes are edited in such a way that it changes the story. Watch this movie, but definitely watch the original. You'll remember it for a long time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: At last, the REAL Gold Rush is on DVD
Review: The real news here isn't the second video release of Chaplin's 1942 talkie reissue of the 1925 film, with narration in his plummy later voice detracting from much of the fun. What's significant here is on Disc 2-- the first video release of a definitive version of the original silent classic, which has been restored by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill from Chaplin family material and is about 14 minutes longer and noticeably better quality than the best previous version, the Killiam print which had seen assorted releases on tape and laserdisc. The Chaplin family had previously refused to release that version, believing that the 1942 version represented Chaplin's final thoughts on the film, when what it in fact represented was Chaplin's best idea of how to make an old silent film seem relevant to Casablanca-era audiences. Now it's the '42 version which seems old fashioned, while the '25 one is timeless as ever. Be sure you get this new Warner/MK2 version.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rush to get
Review: This 2003 release of The Gold Rush, part of "The Chaplin Collection," is a wonderful package and a good deal besides! The original 1925 version is here, beautifully restored and scored. The "newer" 1942 version is on the other disc, likewise wonderfully restored (both are so clean they look like they were filmed last week). The extra materials are well done and well chosen. Chaplin fan, film historian, comedy fan, all-of-the-above, you gotta have this.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It is worth the Gold!
Review: This is among the greatest of Chaplin's film. A satire on the gold rush, the 'little tramp' gets caught in many misadventures. Some unforgettable scenes are the Oceana Roll, the cabin on the cliff, shoe eating from starvation, and many more. I greatly enjoyed this film as much as Chaplin's other films, City Lights and Modern Times. Chaplin is simply the best!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Original Version
Review: This is of course one of the all time Chaplin classics and I agree, I prefer the original 82 minute version to this altered 72 minute version currently on DVD. I fortunately acquired an Asian import of the original 82 minute version on DVD. The picture is good, not great, but I am glad to have it in it's original state. It truly does stand the comedy test of time!! "I thought you was a chicken."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Still makes me cry! and i am 13!
Review: This movie is beautiful! The dvd is great! I read other reviews and they do not talk about the dvds that much (thank you for those who have) but the dvd is outstanding! Breathtaking transfer i have two versions of this movie this one and the ... version from koch and this is simply beautiful. almost made me cry! the transfer well i have no speaker system but on HEADPHONES it was wicked good! and the extras well there is alot on there and it took me a weekend to watch all of them and i am an extra freak! One bad note though: The 1940's version ah how do i put it... is not that good aside from the original score it was worthless to me. and the "good" version is on the 2nd disc! what! it would have got a better transfer on the first disc oh well! sad that some people might overlook it! Well if u r wondering y i cry it is in the scene well..you'l have to see the movie yourself! sorry i did not talk about the movie much! one word describes it:brilliant. and beautiful. the two b's well see ya! can't wait for city lights! p.s. you know what i mean...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not normally a Chaplin-ite....
Review: To be honest, I've never really been a fan of Chaplin. Too much pathos, too mush sentiment, too clever by half.I've always fallen on the Laurel and Hardy side of the fence as we much prefer to watch "Fresh fish! HONK!" to a tramp eating his shoes. However, The Gold Rush I can make an exception for. The sentiment is there but the gags work well and the impression for once is that this is a comedy and not a tragedy with the odd falling over scene. There's no doubting it's technical brilliance either and its originality and innovation, which don't matter much to us without the laughs, but there's plenty of those as well so, in it goes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: quite good for that time
Review: veary funny basicly a man with no clue about liveing in that area tries to live there and encountures prolbems with competers. no words only music. black and white too.


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