The Gold Rush (1925) Strikes It Rich on the Criterion Collection

July 4, 2020

443 1 minute read

The Criterion Collection released The Gold Rush to Blu-ray on June 12, 2012. Charles Chaplin directed the film starring Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, and Tom Murray.

‘The Gold Rush’ Criterion Synopsis

Charlie Chaplin’s comedic masterwork—which charts a prospector’s search for fortune in the Klondike and his discovery of romance (with the beautiful Georgia Hale)—forever cemented the iconic status of Chaplin and his Little Tramp character. Shot partly on location in the Sierra Nevadas and featuring such timeless gags as the dance of the dinner rolls and the meal of boiled shoe leather, The Gold Rush is an indelible work of heartwarming hilarity. This special edition features both Chaplin’s definitive 1942 version, for which the director added new music and narration, and a new restoration of the original 1925 silent film.

Read the full summary, and listen to our film review.

Special Features

New high-definition digital restoration of the 1942 sound version, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
New 2K digital transfer of the reconstructed original 1925 silent film, restored in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, with a newly recorded adaptation of director Charlie Chaplin’s score, presented in 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
New audio commentary for the 1925 version by Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance
Three new programs: Presenting “The Gold Rush,” which traces the film’s history and features filmmaker Kevin Brownlow and Vance; A Time of Innovation: Visual Effects in “The Gold Rush,” featuring effects specialist Craig Barron and Chaplin cinematographer Roland Totheroh; and Music by Charles Chaplin, featuring conductor and composer Timothy Brock
Chaplin Today: “The Gold Rush” (2002), a short documentary featuring filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo
Four trailers
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: A new essay by critic Luc Sante and James Agee’s review of the 1942 rerelease

New cover by Patrick Leger

Also available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

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