Family Film Friday: The Gold Rush

It's Friday, so it's time for another family movie installment.  This week, I am going to cover one of the all time classics, Charlie Chaplin's, "The Gold Rush."  Silent movies are great for kids.  At first, I was amazed at how engaged they were with the stories.  But when I stop and think about it, it doesn't surprise me.  Let me use a story to illustrate why it is not surprising. 

When I was in college, I took a 6 week trip to Romania.  One of the things I did there was help out in an orphanage.  We did many things with the young boys at the orphanage.  We played soccer, basketball, took them to the park, and helped out around the orphanage.  Another thing we did was watch TV.  The number one thing that we watched was "Tom and Jerry".  We could watch it with them because "Tom and Jerry" has no dialogue.  Instead, it has bangs, gags and pounds, things that can be understood by anyone.  In a nutshell, that is the genius of Chaplin's work, and it is on display in this film.

The plot is somewhat minimal, mainly because it serves as a set up for the genius situations in which Chaplin finds himself.  It follows Chaplin's Tramp as he makes his way to Alaska to search for gold and riches.  Along the way, he is met by a bear, severe hunger, a lovely girl, and almost more danger than he can handle.  The film has one of Chaplin's signature moments (something referenced below in the interview), and it stands as one of the great works of cinema.  I watched it last Friday with my kids.  Here's what they thought: 


 Joel: "Who starred in Gold Rush?"
Corrie-"Charlie Chaplin."
Joel- "What was your favorite part?"
Jack- "When he was holding the bear's leg, and then ROAR-RAH-ROAR!"
Wes- "I like how the bear was following him."
Corrie- "When he ties himself on to the dog's rope, and then he led the dog out onto the dance floor, and then the cat came onto the dance floor and the dog saw it and started chasing it."
Jack- "You know another part that I really like is when the guy imagines him as a chicken."
Joel- "That was one of the very first special effects in movies-when they make something look like something that doesn't really exist."
Wes- "He was hungry because he was a chicken."
Jack- "Because Charles Chaplin played a pretty funny person!"
Joel- "Remember what my favorite part was?"
All 3- "What?"
Joel- "At the very beginning, when he has his cane, and he puts his cane in the snow and he falls in."
All three laugh
Joel- "So what other Chaplin movies have you seen?
Corrie- "Modern Times!"
Joel- "What was the other one called?"
Jack- "The Kid"
Corrie- "City Lights"
Joel- "So you've seen 3 others.  What's unique about Charlie Chaplin's movies?"
Corrie- "They're funny and they're old."
Wes- "Yeah, they're funny and old."
Joel- "Did you like the part where he ate the shoe?"
All 3- "Yeah!!!"
Joel- "What's the name of the girl in the movie?"
Corrie- "Georgia."
Jack- "GEORGIA, GEORGIA GEORGIA"
Joel- "What does he think about Georgia?"
Corrie- "He likes her."
Joel- "Remember what happens in the scene when he is imagining what happens New Year's Eve?  The little dance that he does?"
Corrie- "He uses the potatoes"
Joel- "Did you know that is one of the most famous scenes in all the movies?"
Wes- "They didn't come over except Geogia"
Jack- "So he was dreaming about what he was doing New Year's Eve?"
Joel- "What else do you like about it."
Corrie (quietly)- "Romantic."
Joel- "I always like his facial expressions a lot.  Does it bother you at all that there was no talking in the movie?"
Corrie- "It's like with "Fantasia".  I usually like it talking, but in "Fantasia" it seems like the music is doing the job, but in Charlie Chaplin I feel like the actions are doing the job."
Joel- "That's a good point."
Jack- "I really like the end."
Joel- "Why?"
Jack- "At the end, Charlie Chaplin and Georgia meet up."
Joel- "That makes you happy?"
Jack- "Yeah."
Joel- "Thank you my little movie critics."