The Gold Rush

Chaplin is a marvel in many ways, but he wasn't always the masterful director people claim he was. In Gold Rush he clings to a small story but it is so misguided in execution and direction that it is almost impossible to follow all of the action. Chaplin realized this and in 1940 he added a narration (done by him) to the film just so the audience could keep up with the story. It made the movie watchable, but a silent film shouldn't need to be saved by a narration to make sense. There are some good moments in Gold Rush, but the film is too problematic.