The Gold Rush

1. Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class, we were told that Charlie Chaplin was born into entertainment. His father was an actor and his mother was a famous opera singer. He had entertainment in his blood and it shows through the film. The fact that he created everything on the screen is epic. Talent like Chaplin's can not be taught. It was hereditary. 

2. Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.

The article that I found is a movie review. The article explains the synopsis of the movie and then it proceeds to talk about what Chaplin did after the movie came out. He decided to renew the movie by adding sound effects and also a voice-over done by Chaplin himself. The article then talks about how The Gold Rush was Chaplin's first starring role as a collaborator in the United Artists company. The article also speaks of the inspiration for the film. Chaplin also got Lita Grey pregnant at only the age of 16 so he married her and hired another young lady named Georgia Hale. 

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/5779/The-Gold-Rush/articles.html

3. Apply the article to the film screened in class.


"Chaplin was also fascinated by the tragic events of the Donner party, who in 1846, while traversing the United States in the snow, had to resort to cannibalism to keep from starving to death (reportedly the survivors ate the flesh of their dead companions)." When the tramp is in the cabin and his associate starts to envision him as a chicken it all makes sense. They were starving just like at the Donner Party in 1846. They would've resorted to cannibalism. Also, they were trapped in the snow just like the Donner Party.


4. Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the 

The Gold Rush is known to be one of the greatest films in history and that is because for that era, it was amazing. Charlie Chaplin's, the Tramp character is one of the best character's known and the fact that a character had so much depth even back then is interesting. Personally, I found the movie to be boring. However, I do have a great appreciation for it and how evolved it is. The historical influences just pieces the film completely together. It was funny, yet intriguing.