Filmsite Movie Review 100 Greatest Films
The Gold Rush (1925)
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Plot Synopsis (continued)

The next day, a dazed Big Jim wanders about in town, and ends up at the recorder's office. He has "a mountain of gold," but he can't remember the location of his gold mine claim. He suddenly gets a bright idea: "The cabin! That's it! If I only knew the way to the cabin, I could find the mine." Stepping outside the office, Big Jim just misses noticing the Tramp.

In the dance saloon that night, Georgia writes a note to Jack, apologizing for the previous night: "I'm sorry for what I did last night. Please forgive me. I love you. Georgia." Jack receives the note as Georgia watches from the second floor balcony. When the Tramp walks by, Jack asks the waiter: "Give that bum this note, and don't tell him I sent it." Obviously, the Tramp immediately wishes to find Georgia and speak to her, asking: "Where's Georgia?" But Big Jim spots the Tramp in the saloon and cries out: "THE CABIN!" - he eagerly wishes to renew acquaintances. The Tramp is surprised by Big Jim, shouting that if they locate the cabin, they will also find the claim:

The Cabin! The Cabin! Take me to the cabin...Take me to the cabin and I'll make you a millionaire in less than a month!

The Tramp notices Georgia, rushes to her on the second floor, hugs her, and kisses her hand. He is placated after reading the note, and declares his love for her. "...And now I'm going to make good --," he promises her. Kicking and protesting, the Tramp is lead by Big Jim out of the saloon to his gold strike.

"After a long and tedious journey," they locate their old cabin and plan to set out for the mine in the morning. The subtitle reads, "Man proposes, but a storm disposes." While the heroes slumber during the night, the wind begins to blow hard and a blizzard develops. The cabin in which they are sleeping is swept away -- "fate guided them to a spot where all was calm." The cabin ends up hanging halfway on the edge of an abyss. In the morning when they wake up, they are blissfully ignorant.

The cabin dangerously tips and shifts, teetering back and forth on the edge of the cliff. The Tramp walks from one side of the cabin to the other while preparing for breakfast, causing it to rock up and down - precariously balanced. The funny sensations are attributed to their stomachs. The Tramp opens the door to investigate and see what's outside and almost falls, but clambers back in, the floor tipping up. After hair-raising adventures in the cabin, it totally tips over, but a pick axe roped to it and stuck in a rock prevents its tumble into the precipice. The two must scramble up the floor's steep incline to safety. Big Jim climbs out first, and finds that his lost gold claim is located right where the pick axe is stuck in the mountainous ground. Then he helps pull the Tramp out too just as the cabin falls into the abyss. They embrace and Jim tells them: "Look! We're rich! We're millionaires."

As a result of their gold-mine windfall, they become elegant, well-dressed multi-millionaires on board a ship returning home from Alaska. Press photographers who are publishing a story on the Tramp's rags-to-riches career persuade the ex-Tramp to pose for photographs in his original, ragged mining clothes. The ex-Tramp wistfully looks at his picture of Georgia and thinks: "Everything but Georgia." Georgia, in fact, is on the same boat, one of the steerage passengers.

Accidently falling off the deck during the picture taking, tumbling off to the steerage level, the tattered-looking Tramp lands in a coil of rope and emerges to see Georgia's face. Georgia mistakenly thinks he is a stowaway that is being sought by ship officials. She promises to protect him from the officers and pay his passage's fare, without knowing his good fortune. The misunderstanding is explained and the truth is revealed that he is Big Jim's partner, the Multi-millionaire. The ex-Tramp orders: "James. Make arrangements for another guest."

He takes Georgia in his arms implying that she is his fiancee, and invites the photographers to take an engagement picture of them. The photographers are pleased: "Gee! This will make a wonderful story." The couple cannot restrain themselves and stand still any longer for the photos - they move their lips together to kiss. The photographer shouts at them: "Oh! You've spoilt the picture," as the final image fades out on their loving kiss.


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