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Gold Rush

Comedy / Silent (sort of)
1925 / 96 min
RATING: 7/10

It’s been 100 years now, since Charlie Chaplin crafted his most famous film. He had tw goes at this, actually, with the first, silent version, coming out in 1925. Then, in 1942 he decided to re-release it, but this time with sound effects, music, and narration, garnering this version a couple of Oscar nominations in the score and musical score and sound categories.

If you are ever going to do a dive into silent films then you can stop without watching Chaplin’s best and most iconic go at his Tramp character. It is a classic (even if there are a few even better silent films by Buster Keaton), making it onto the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 best films of the last 100 years.

It begins with the Tramp, heading to the Yukon to prospect for gold. The Tramp has the worst of luck – Chaplin’s films always have a good mix of tragedy thrown in with the comedy – so before too long the Tramp gets mixed up with a couple tough characters, gets lost in a snowstorm, becomes so hungry he eats his shoe, and then, after all that, he falls in love with a beautiful girl who barely notices he’s alive. Of course, in the end the girl can’t resist the Tramp’s simple charms – Chaplin’s films all do have happy endings.

Cautions

None to really note.

Conclusion

If you’ve never watched a silent film before, this should not be your first. Give the shorter and quicker-paced Buster Keaton movies Seven Chances, or Sherlock Jr. a go instead.

Afterwards, if you’ve enjoyed those, then consider this all-time classic. Find a full restored version, and think of it as a time-travel experiment, looking back at not just another era, but almost another world. The actual Alaskan Gold Rush took place just 25 years before this film was made, so while I’m not pitching this as a realistic look, it is intriguing as a comedic take on what was then, pretty recent history.

Check out the trailer for a restored 1942 version (it says 1925, but that’s wrong) of the film below.

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Movie Reviews, Watch for free

Sherlock Jr.

Comedy / Family 1924 / 44 minutes RATING: 8/10 If you want to get your kids interested in the golden oldies, Sherlock Jr. may be the perfect introduction. This is a black-and-white classic with the frenetic pace of a Saturday morning cartoon – the action never stops! Buster Keaton plays the part of a movie theater janitor/projectionist who has ambitions about becoming a great detective and winning the hand of a certain beautiful girl. But he's not the only fellow interested in the lass. Standing in his way is a tall, dark, and handsome rival who, we quickly find out, has no scruples – when no one's looking this scoundrel steals a watch from the girl's dad. But wait, there's a theft? Isn't this an opportunity for a detective wannabe to show his stuff? Buster offers to do an investigation, but he is humiliated twice over when the clever scoundrel frames him for the theft, and then the girl's father asks Buster to leave and never come back. Things are looking bad for Buster, but the story just keeps getting better and better. Dejected, Buster returns to the theater in time for the afternoon showing and gets the movie started. But as it's playing, he falls asleep, and in his dream he joins in on the action. It just so happens to be a detective story. And it just so happens that Buster dreams himself in as the suave and savvy star detective. In this film within the film it goes a lot better for Buster, as he brilliantly tricks and evades a whole horde of villains. The best action scene in the movie is when Buster, in hot pursuit of the villains, hops on the front handlebars of a motorbike being driven by his trusted sidekick. But, unbeknownst to Buster, just as the motorbike started off, his sidekick fell off – Buster is on it alone, up front on the handlebars of the speeding bike, urging the absent driver to be a little more careful about the way he's driving! But what's going to happen when Buster wakes up? Well, even as he's solving mysteries in his dream world, his beautiful girl is figuring out things in the real one. CAUTIONS There are moments of peril, and a brief occasion or two of fisticuffs that might be a bit scary for the very young. CONCLUSION At just 44 minutes, and jammed pack with action, this might be the best silent film to share with modern audiences. And – added bonus! – this film is so old it is in the public domain, and can be watched for free in the video below or by clicking here. ...