The Lone Prospector—better known as “The Tramp” character—gets lost in a blizzard. He winds up in a cabin with Big Jim (a prospector who just struck gold) and Black Larsen, a cold-blooded killer. The three are going hungry, so Black Larsen goes looking for food. Larsen finds Big Jim’s claim, knocks out Big Jim, and tries to steal the gold—before dying in an avalanche. After the storm, The Lone Prospector ends up in town and falls in love with Georgia, a dance hall girl. He tries to woo her but, meek and poor, is made fun of by her friends. Eventually, Georgia notices how sincere the Prospector is but by then, he has left town with Big Jim. Jim’s memory was affected by his knockout and he needs the Prospector to lead him to his claim. In doing so, the Prospector gets a share of the gold and is made a millionaire. On the boat ride back to civilization, the prospector runs into Georgia and they (presumably) live happily ever after.
I love Charlie Chaplin’s particular brand of heartfelt slapstick comedy, and this film was no exception. I didn’t realize it when I clicked “play”, but I watched the 1942 rerelease of this film. In this version, the original title-cards had been removed and Chaplin wrote and voiced original narration for the film. I found it distracting at first, but soon warmed up to it; he reminded me of the narrator in the “how to” Goofy shorts, a formula I love. This film was definitely more simple and of a less social critique than the other Chaplin films I’ve seen (although, there’s commentary about how money helps with courting). I continue to love the earnest clumsiness of the Tramp and the use of miniatures was pretty clever and surprising.