Movies in Print: The Gold Rush

Movie posters serve as the first teaser or trailer to any movie. The movie poster can lead the way to a box office hit if the design is truly effective. Some movie poster designs have really set themselves apart from the rest. Some have followed through with the actual film and some don't. Nevertheless, an effective poster still does its job of attracting people's attention to see the film. Whether the graphic design is executed well or the imagery provokes the mood of the film, poster prints can be considered as great artistic and marketing print mediums.

One movie whose poster serves as an example of this is Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush. Written and directed by Charlie Chaplin in 1925, the film is written as one of the greatest comedies of all time and possibly the greatest of Chaplin's work. The film is about the misadventures of the hero, The Lone Prospector; played by Charlie Chaplin, as he tries to gain his fortune by finding gold in Alaska. He meets all sorts of characters along the way including a wanted criminal and a wealthy fellow prospector. He also falls in love with the most beautiful girl in town and has to win her heart amidst heavy competition from a handsome playboy. Charlie Chaplin as the hero plays the role well as he in the end, triumphs over his misfortunes to win the gold and the girl's heart.

The film's poster can be considered a comic classic. Executed in the iconic, cartoonish, poster printing style of the 1920's, it features the hilarious Chaplin with his walking stick and bowler hat, sitting on top of an old fashioned heater, freezing in an Alaskan cabin. The poster works as Charlie Chaplin does the work of looking miserable but funny with his classically comic gaze and square moustache.