Gold in the blockbusters

gold-blockbusters

Gold in the blockbusters

January 5, 2012 83 view(s)

The mesmerizing beauty and value of gold has had Hollywood producers making it the starring character in a variety of films. Over the years, the search for gold has been a reoccurring movie theme. It is for this reason that the impact gold has had on pop culture is so obvious.

Perhaps one of the oldest and most famous films on the search of gold is the 1925 slapstick comedy and satire, "The Gold Rush." Set in Alaska during the Great Gold Rush, the starring role is played by the legendary Charlie Chapman. Industry experts like Glenn Abel of the Hollywood Reporter consider the film a classic.

"Road to Utopia" is a 1946 hit about men who travel to Alaska hoping to make their fortune off of a secret gold mine. At the turn of the century, Bing Crosby's character, Duke, and his friend Chester, played by Bob Hope, find themselves in a wild adventure marked by romance and thievery.

A list of Gold Rush movies wouldn't be complete without one about the California Gold Rush. The 1947 film, "California," is a story about the birth of the state amidst the bands of wagons filled with prospectors in search of land and gold.

More recently, the lighthearted romance-adventure movie, "Fool's Gold," stars Hollywood superstars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. Released by Warner Brothers in 2008, "Fool's Gold" is about a married couple who fall in love again while looking for a lost treasure trove of gold.

The big screen is not the only place that displays pop culture's gold obsession. The Discovery Channel has produced a successful television series called "Gold Rush Alaska." The series follows a group of miners led by Oregon native Todd Hoffman. The miners take constant risks in the hopes of striking gold and making it rich.

And of course no list of Hollywood films about gold would be complete without John Huston's classic western, "The Treasure of Sierra Madre. " Starring Tim Holt and Humphery Bogart, this American epic can still give anyone gold rush fever.

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