The Gold Rush

  • Review Date: June 3, 2011
  • NR
  • Genre: Classic
  • 1925
Review

Common Sense Media says

A great silent comedy classic, with comic gunplay.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this classic silent comedy includes men shot down with guns, some hand-to-hand roughhousing, and a villain falling off a cliff. There is some drinking and smoking among the characters.

  • Educational value1
    Kids can learn about the history of movies by experiencing this silent film. Some historical information that might pique kids' interest.
  • Positive messages3
    This is a classic underdog story where a lonesome little guy, good-hearted and unpretentious, perseveres and finds success against the odds. Also, the idea that true love is more important than money or looks.
  • Positive role models4
    The Lone Prospector is always polite and kind. While Georgia seems as flippant as her party-girl entourage, she comes to recognize the smitten LP's decency (though his newfound millions probably are no deal-breakers either).
  • Violence & scariness2
    Rifles are menacingly pointed, and some men are shot with revolvers -- fatally but bloodlessly. Comical scuffling, as one hallucinating starving guy tries to eat another. The violence hardly makes an impact due to the silent format.
CloseExpand to see more details

What's the story?

During the Yukon Gold Rush a nameless "Lone Prospector" (Charlie Chaplin), small, accident-prone and underprovisioned, is a long-shot among the roughneck maverick miners to strike it rich. In a remote, snowbound cabin he stays with Big Jim (Mack Swain), a prospector who has, in fact, discovered a mountain of gold ore. After the pair survive through a winter with little food, they part as friends, Jim promising to share his fortune. But Jim, beaten by a rival prospector-outlaw, loses his memory. The Lone Prospector spends a lonely New Years in a frontier boomtown, mostly ignored by the populace, including a saloon-girl (Georgia Hale) who has captured his heart. When Jim wanders into town and recognizes the Lone Prospector as his old friend, they embark together to return to the ramshackle cabin and stake their claim on the gold.

Is it any good?

 

Most best-of-all-time lists include The Gold Rush. It enriched young cinema with immortal imagery: The Lone Prospector not noticing he's being followed by a bear; the "little fellow" appearing to the hallucinating, starving Big Jim as a giant chicken; and the New Year's Eve dream where the hero entertains a group of beauties by making a pair of dinner rolls with forks stuck in them into adept dancing feet.

What sets The Gold Rush apart from other slapstick silent masterpieces is emotion and pathos. The Lone Prospector -- pretty identical to Chaplin's emblematic Little Tramp character -- has a wistful, sentimental quality that makes his pratfalls, disappointments, and victories as much human as humor.

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how well the comedy has endured. Some consider The Gold Rush not just the best comedy ever but one of top movies of all time. Do kids agree?

  • Talk about how movies have changed over time. What are some of the latest innovations in the film industry? Can modern kids still appreciate the classics?

  • Use The Gold Rush as a gateway to get young viewers to watch and enjoy other silent classics, including the comedies of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Harry Langdon.

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Adult
March 24, 2012
AGE
11
 
Golden!
This movie was AWESOME! The plot was action packed! The scripts were pretty good as well.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
Flag as inappropriate 
See all user reviews
This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Studio:Image Entertainment
Director:Charlie Chaplin
Cast:Charlie Chaplin
Genre:Classic
Run time:85 minutes
Theatrical release date:June 26, 1925
DVD release date:July 10, 2003
MPAA rating:NR
This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

More Chaplin classics
For kids who love classics
Browse more movies
 

vote now

Will you see The Gold Rush?

Won't miss it
On the fence
No way

Already seen it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it