The Gold Rush & Modern Times

Charles Chaplin is definitely one of the most talented comedians of the 20th century. His immense talent has seen his films remain favorites many years after his departure. Ideally, watching Chaplin's films is guaranteed to bring a smile into your face. Of the many movies that Charles Chaplin has produced, the ones that stand out above the rest are The Gold Rush (1925) and Modern Times (1936). Although produced in different periods, these two films bring Chaplin out as an astute producer and actor.

For anyone who has watched The Gold Rush, one thing that is almost clear is that it has a better plot than all Chaplin's previous films. In this film, Charlie has expertly created dramatic situations that are at times nearly tragic. These scenes are clear examples of the finesse and mastery that have been applied in the movie. Apart from bringing a guaranteed laughter to viewers, another thing that is unique about The Gold Rush is that there is no chance of losing the plot since all the story lines are tied around the theme of the movie. This means that the producer does not reproduce plots that are not a part of the main theme just to make people laugh.

Ideally, the setting of the movie is built around the city of Alaska. Although this movie was produced nearly a century ago, watching it today takes the viewer back in time and brings out life as it was back then. Through the movie, one is able to get a clear picture of the dangers, vulnerabilities, poverty and the riches that characterized people's lives in Alaska during this period. From the beginning of the movie, there is a continuous thread of prospectors trying to make a deal for the complex Chilcoot Pass. This is done in very nice scenery although this tends to become monotonous as the movie progresses or after watching it repeatedly.

Basically, the movie centers around Charlie, a tramp prospector who while trying to escape the Arctic storm ends up in the backyard of Larson's (Tom Murray) cabin. Larson who is an outlaw allows Charlie to stay and the two become fast friends. At the same time, Big Jim McKay, (Mack Swain) another prospector discovers a vein of gold on his stake but the storm somehow uproots his tent and he ends up with Charlie and Larson. However, Larson objects to McKay's presence but he is finally allowed to stay on condition that he will leave once the storm is over. As fate would have it, the storm continues for a long time and Larson decides to go and look for provisions.

While he is gone, the pangs of hunger bite Charlie and MacKay and they end up cooking one of Charlie's shoes and they are amazed at how sweet it tastes. Apart from the idea of cooking the shoe being weird, it is amazing how it sets the course of the events that follow since it makes the two realize that they are actually able to go out and look for provisions themselves. In this case, the producer of the movie has used an amazing style to progress the storyline.

Just like The Gold Rush, Charles Chaplin has demonstrated great mastery in the production of Modern Times. Just like the name suggests, Modern Times shows the transition from the