This classic short film depicts the Klondike gold rush at its peak, when would-be prospectors struggled through harsh conditions to reach the fabled gold fields over 3000 km north of civilization. Using a collection of still photographs, the film juxtaposes the Dawson City at the height of the gold rush with its bustling taverns and dance halls with the more tranquil Dawson City of the present.
The first few scenes illustrate a town that little resembles the famed towns of the gold rush. Dawson City as it now is has a restaurant where people drink coffee with saucers under their cups under the gaze of a picture of The Queen on the wall. Now, all of the frenzy has gone and much of this place is abandoned and derelict. Nature is reclaiming the land so hastily claimed from it seven decades earlier - even the old railway engines and steam boats lie abandoned and untouched. Back in the 1890s, though, over one hundred thousand opportunists turned up expecting to make it rich - and the variety of photographs shown here remind us of just how ill-equipped many were for the wintery conditions this terrain could generate. 70 feet of snow fell in just one year whilst the would-be pan-handlers lived in huge tented villages building handmade boats. What was even more remarkable was the lack of violence. Apparently not one single murder took place during the whole excavation period! There is not a lot of moving imagery here, but the lively score and informed narration, as well as the diverse selection of pristine and informative images shows us just how tough life was for those looking for that all-important "paystreak", and of just how many left with nothing, bankrupt and broken. At $5 for a glass of milk, it's not hard to understand why.
