The series follows the adventures of desperate gold diggers in northern Canada in the late 19th century. The event to search for the “treasure of nature” turns out to be another adventure.
Heroes have not only to extract gold from the bowels of nature, but also to survive in dangerous conditions. And there are enough dangers in these parts: the harsh climate of the extreme north, wild animals and no less wild people, maddened by the thirst for profit, the lack of civilization, the epidemic of typhus, the lack of money, morals and laws. All this breaks and stops someone, and someone, on the contrary, tempers and stimulates in achieving the goal. Step by step, overcoming one challenge after another, Bill Haskell goes to his dream. And it seems that he succeeds precisely because he has a goal.
The most complete image of the picture was Belinda Mulroney (Abbie Cornish) – this is who the Queen of Dawson. A beautiful, strong, intelligent woman who, it would seem, has no place in this God-forgotten place, passionately loves her city, her work and proves that she is in her place. The actors magnificently, with a shine in the eyes and flaming excitement conveyed the spirit of that time.
And in the series did not forget to mention, in those years unknown to anyone, but in the future famous writer Jack London. His episodic role is a pleasant accent from the creators.
The series is full of intrigues: it will not work, who is the villain, who will help, who loves whom, who will be with whom? In addition - these are incredible views of wild, unbridled nature - the spirit is breathtaking.
Since the series is based not only on the book by Charlotte Gray, but also on the history of the lives of real people, for me the question remains open. How did it happen that the gold, with the mining of which several friends were associated, went to one single, absolutely positive (according to the director’s version) character? How much, this positive image of the lucky one of fate corresponded to the original will forever remain a mystery of the past, which you can not ask.
People with empty pockets. And with hearts full of hope.
So, at the very end of the nineteenth century, in developed countries, trains carry trains along the railways, steamships plow the oceans, progress is in leaps and bounds.
But there are still places forgotten by God, where people continue to knead dirt with shovels, live warming up by the fires, fear the local natives, and dream of hope for great wealth.
This place is Yukon. The gold rush brings thousands of daredevils to these harsh, not knowing really warm days, edges. People are ready to break away from their native places to go to these inhospitable lands, not even for the sake of getting rich, but in order to have a chance to do so. Here it seems to everyone that it is his plot of dirty raw land - and is the gold mine that will bring him wealth. That it is enough to dig another day, another half a day, maybe make only three moves with a shovel, and out of the ground will appear hidden in her millions of years of nuggets.
So are two young friends. Putting together their rather meager savings, they go in search of gold, completely unaware of the place where they will go.
The Klondike series is about the best traditions of Jack London, about pioneers and gold diggers, huge money and typhoid. Yukon is a place where some lucky people make a jackpot, and others lose everything, including their lives. And the second is always more than the first. Yukon is also a place where there is a lot of money, and money naturally attracts a variety of vultures. Yukon reveals the true nature in people, and only the strong can survive in these conditions, Yukon changes people.
A great series, which should not be taken as a documentary description of the life of gold diggers, but rather as a filmed novel. Here is everything that is dear to connoisseurs of this genre: beautiful in its severity nature, coarse in this dirt human characters, under which sometimes the most terrible vices of our nature are hidden, and sometimes people with a huge kind heart. It's the laws of those places, the good and the weak don't survive more than a couple of weeks. Even the Christian faith in the Yukon acquires a completely different, unusual interpretation. It's very difficult to come back from Yukon. Some people come back with gold in their pockets and hearts empty, and some come back with the opposite. Others are willingly staying there. It all depends on the person and, of course, on his luck.
The life and life of gold prospectors are shown quite plausibly, while the event line is not prolonged. Dynamic series can not be called, but it looks easy, not prolonged, the desire to pause and go for coffee does not cause. It seems to me that the middle ground has been found between the descriptions and the presentation of events. Anyone who has read books about the gold rush can definitely recommend ' Klondike'.
The series “Klndyke” tells us about the difficult fate of gold prospectors who moved during the “Gold Rush” to the northwest of Canada. Throughout the 6 episodes, we alternately see the youthful maximalism of yesterday’s students, the difficulties of the way to the Yukon, the difficulties of the gold mining process itself, the breakdown of the characters (both main and secondary) in an aggressive social environment, the maturation of the key character and the outcome. In general, “Klondike” shows the viewer exactly what he expects to see in a series with a similar name – and this is good, since the extra “branch” did not disturb the atmosphere, and in 6 episodes and the listed events for a rhythmic narrative is quite enough.
From a technical point of view, the series is executed competently, but without luxury: the harsh beauty of the North, although it turned out to be presented to the viewer, but each series does not permeate the splendor of its landscapes. Decorations depicting a mining town, built lovingly, unsightly life of gold diggers they fully reflect and immersion in the atmosphere of the "gold rush" contribute.
The acting ensemble coped with its task. In one of the supporting roles, it was nice to see Tim Roth, another secondary hero is Jack London.
As it turned out at the end of the film, not only the outstanding writer, but also many other characters of the series existed in reality, and this adds another “plus” to the treasury of the show.
8 out of 10
This story, which really existed and fits into six episodes, will tell us about the young gold prospector Bill Haskell, about the faithfulness of friendship and the power of love, cold cynicism and calculation, about the adaptation of a person to any conditions of life, about the Gold Rush, about the Klundike gold.
Because the truth is that we need nothing but hope. (c)
How many young seekers did they go for easy wealth? I guess a lot. It is about these two young heroes that the story begins. Fascinated by one of the stories about gold, the friends by the will of fate fall on Klundaik. Having survived along the way not the easiest descents and ascents, storms and even an avalanche, they get to the goal, buy out the site and launch a kaleidoscope of events. Life values change polarities at once, and what once seemed unimportant immediately makes sense. Hot water and a bunch of firewood can often be more useful than a bar of gold. Luck and wealth that go hand in hand with hunger and death are striking in their closeness. Incredible landscapes of mountains and icy lakes conveying all the cold and grandeur of the place, complement the integrity of the picture we observe. The well-transmitted atmosphere of the gold rush in tandem with despair also plays a big plus.
I would like to add that this is the moment when the performance of roles does not cause any complaints in principle. The young wolf of the north, who lost the throne in a difficult game of thrones, played the role of Bill Haskellé, and coped with the role perfectly, looking at him, I did not see past merits, a young seeker and fighter for justice appeared before me.
The second one I admired for the entire length of his time was of course Tim Roth. The role of a cynical and ironic speculator caused a smile. A master's game. So did Belinda and Mickey, who made the story complete. And of course, a small comeo of young Jack London.
A story in one breath, a magnificent performance of actors and really spectacular landscapes, that’s the reason why I definitely advise you to look at it.
The Klondike mini-series was the first experience of the world-famous popular science channel Discovery Channel in the field of feature films. The first pancake did not come out in a lump, although a particularly exquisite dish did not work out.
The era of “Gold Rush” with all its inherent color was a great choice for the first art series in the history of Discovery. The creators of the series perfectly reproduce the atmosphere of that time, scrupulously reproduce the situation, scenery, saturate the picture with bright landscapes and populate Dawson with many bright heroes. And from the point of view of historical reliability, the product from Discovery is trustworthy.
The action of “Klondike” takes place in 1897 in the Yukon, where hundreds of gold diggers rushed in pursuit of a dream. Among them are two young guys, Bill Haskell and Byron Epstein. In addition to them, we are told about the vicissitudes of the fates of about half a dozen heroes, among whom there is even a young adventurer and writer named Jack London. Alas, but such a number of secondary characters is not always good for the case. The narrative turns out to be rather uneven, jumping from one hero to another, as if trying to cover as many of them as possible and keep up with everyone at once. The credits indicate that the script is based on a novel by Charlotte Gray. However, with all due respect, it would be better for the first cinematic experience Discovery took as a basis something from the same Jack London. And so it turned out a somewhat indistinct story against the background of beautiful landscapes, good shooting quality (and it would be strange if it turned out differently – in the ability to choose good locations and “delicious” to present Discovery will not refuse) and charismatic heroes.
The ragged plot is compensated to some extent by a good casting. Richard Madden and Abby Cornish can definitely make Klondike one of their cinematic successes. Very successfully played his albeit small, but memorable and important (especially for the final) role of Tim Blake Nelson, whom you do not even immediately recognize in makeup and with a tube in your teeth. Sam Shepard perfectly played the priest – Judge’s father, but his character, appearing spectacularly at the beginning, gradually took less and less part in the events, appearing in each subsequent series less and less. Although the last scene with his participation in the final series, when the residents of the city hold a ceremony in his honor, somewhat peculiarly trying to thank Father Judge for his work, turned out to be very bright and, in my opinion, became one of the most memorable in the series. However, it’s a bit of a shame that such a non-trivial character ended up getting so little time. But the main scoundrel in the performance of the wonderful Tim Roth time got plenty. However, the storyline with this hero ended just quite crumpled - for 5 episodes we regularly saw his villainous squint, but in the end everything came to naught. He seems to be a villain, but he doesn’t. However, this can be partly explained by the authors’ attempt to show that everyone is equal in the Yukon. The same truth, by the way, demonstrates the fate of another of the heroes, who, having found a gold mine and gaining wealth, is powerless in the face of the elements. After all, for the forces of nature, neither the thickness of the wallet, nor social status and position in society, nor the ability to make money from nothing matters.
7 out of 10
A person by nature is very ambitious. The ambitions of some are not so great and sometimes barely noticeable, while those of others push for truly grandiose deeds. The second category of people can safely include those madmen who succumbed to the gold rush and their actions made almost one of the most cruel and bright pages in the history of America.
Thus, this series created by Ridley Scott and the once famous creator of the hit "Escape from Prison" Paul Shayring rather not about gold per se, but about the time when people were hardened like steel. After all, as one of the heroes of the tape said, “This is the time when a complete moron can become rich, and a rich moron.” So, having created a decent number of different characters, the creators of the series fully revealed the concepts of loyalty, betrayal, zeal, perseverance and courage. What matters is what all these people have earned. What matters is what they did, how they got it and what they sacrificed for it.
Some by their actions turned into real beasts, and others into real men who built their fate from scratch and achieved much. So what's the moral of this series? It may sound silly and ironic, but we all heard this phrase when we were children. “It is not easy to take fish out of the pond.”
The director of this miniseries Simon Cellan Jones tried to fame. The series turned out to be very intriguing, atmospheric and insanely interesting. The director perfectly conveyed the spirit and atmosphere of that time in no way uses material things on the example of costumes and scenery, but rather due to the indescribable atmosphere and emotions that the series is so filled with.
In fact, as pulls his magnificent acting. Known almost all over the world due to the popularity of "Game of Thrones" Richard Madden here is damn good. Richard created a completely untypical character who makes mistakes and good deeds. He is noticeably far from the cardboard image of a good guy and this definitely bribes. A very vague impression was left by Abby Cornish. Throughout the six episodes, she played between weak and strong. Yes, and slightly gained weight, Abby alas a little sunk itself.
The strongest impression was made by Tim Blake Nelson, Tim Roth and Sam Shepard. Here they got, though secondary, but the most tasty characters, which these actors brought to almost the brightest characters of the series.
8 out of 10
Klondike is a damn interesting and authentic dive into one of the brightest pages of American history. When people shaped their own destiny. Some blood, some sweat. It’s an amazing sight that looks in one breath.
The idea is good, the implementation has been pumped up.
I haven’t fully grasped the existence of miniseries as such, and so far I’ve settled on the simple and accessible idea that a miniseries is more creative than a commercial project. Was “Klondike” originally planned as a mini-series, or was it still a “rod” abandoned by the creators for further development? Never mind. But, in my opinion, the idea of diluting the “blurred-up” serial market with an action-packed “a la” western with a deep meaning was initially bought up.
Simon Cellan Jones participated in the creation of TV series known to the Russian audience. "Klondike" he directed alone. And why it so happened that this series became popular, and his other solo projects (by the way, quite highly appreciated by our viewers, but with which I, unfortunately, personally do not know) were not widely distributed and not advertised – I do not know. It's probably about the target audience and the cast.
But back to the project. I had the opportunity to evaluate Klondike. To say that Mr. Jones managed to achieve a harmonious combination of the development of the plot, the acting and the embodiment of all that he wanted to convey to the audience I can not. Individual motives and themes can slip into the series as a background and take up time, distracting from the main goal. For example, I don’t quite understand the necessity of having episodes with the Tlingit Indian tribe in the series. It would seem a very important aspect of the time: the white man, in order to please his greed, invades the native Indian lands. But for sufficient implementation of the theme in the series is given little space. This offshoot of the plot looks detached from the overall picture and seems to be drawn "behind the ears", perhaps to link the storyline by the intersection of two characters - Bill Haskell and Superintendent. The relationship between these two characters looks somewhat confused and far-fetched. And wise Indians against the background of the rabble that came for gold, look small.
I suppose that if "Klondike" a little more stretched in series, the viewer would get more satisfaction from the designated characters of the series, because they said enough: magnificent Miss Mulroney; A superintendent rising from the abyss of self-dissatisfaction; a found Sabine; a young writer, Jack London. Almost every character that more or less often appears on the screen is an amazing acting game, squeezed in a small number of series. In order to show the depth of what is happening to the creators in a short time, along with limiting the disclosure (the language does not turn to say “secondary”) of the characters, it was necessary to increase the pathos of speeches of key characters too much. And this, you will agree, does not look quite appropriate in Dawson City, and especially in the precincts.
Incomprehensible was the approach to some characters who at the first appearance presented to the viewer as key (for example, the same Sabine). It seems that at first it was intended, and then part of the script was abandoned and the hero remained slightly sideways.
I think it was a pleasure to see Tim Roth. His acting talent I can describe as universal, his image is amazingly harmonious for a greedy scoundrel, and for a cynical intellectual, and for a two-faced “mad dog”, and even for a good fairy-tale creature. One of the few characters that in Klondike are implemented at a very high level and fit into the picture of the world.
And yet, regardless of the feeling of some understatement, a sense of loss from the unseen and unfeeled together with the characters, I understand that the desire to talk, write, just discuss or fervently argue about this project is not just there, it is very great. Yes, somewhere “not finished”, and somewhere “outplayed”, some of the characters showed little, and someone too much – the main thing that “Klondike” touched, hooked, made me think with pleasure.
Don’t expect a perfectly planned picture. Forgive the unwritten characters. Just immerse yourself in what "Klondike" will move you.
The six-part mini-series Klondike at the same time resembles two other famous series: Deadwood and Hell on Wheels. Before "Deadwood" he does not reach the magnificent black humor, to "Hell on wheels" - the fascinating plot. In addition, “Klondike” is a very strange screenwriter – he can’t stand any pretty characters, so they all certainly die, and – as soon as possible, not having time to properly manifest themselves. But as for the main villain, he will live long. The writer is clearly the villain himself, since he prefers villains to good people. This obviously doesn’t belong on Klondike, so they should all be killed. With the above-mentioned series "Klondike" is related built right in the mud wooden and tent town, where all the action unfolds. Well, of course, cruel times - revolvers, knives, brothels and saloons, shooting and stabbing, and the endless human struggle for survival and profit.
What I really liked about Klondike was the casting. But! Actors are not allowed to turn to full. There are very few witty replicas (the scriptwriter got unimportant, although they worked on the film a lot) and clearly lacks action – the series is very long, and the characters are a little like sleepy chickens. It would be better to do not 6, but 4 series. There's someone to look at. Tim Roth as Count's villain, Sam Shepard as Judge's father, the charming Tim Blake Nelson as Meeker's pipe smoker, Marton Chokash as Superintendent of the Canadian Police. And the main role was taken by Richard Maddon, Robb Stark from Game of Thrones. It would seem that he had just led the army of the north, and here he is, right here, looking for gold in the Yukon valley. I loved the way Maddon played this character – he is a purely positive hero, dreaming of avenging the death of a friend, with whom he came for easy money on Klondike. He has the most expressions and the most expressions.
By the way, for the first time in my memory, a bad man's name is Goodman. I appreciate the irony of the creators of the series.
The funniest part of the film is the funeral of Father Judge. They bury him still alive, under a brass band, sprinkling coins and a variety of tinsel, which is usually thrown into the coffin. It is known that he will still die of typhus, so they decided to have fun for the last time. Honestly, this is the only bright moment in all this impenetrable “Klondike”, where death awaits around every corner, and “time does not wait.”
This phrase “time does not wait” is often repeated by another hero of the film – young Jack London, who invented it. He wanders around Klondike drunk and collects stories. He does not dig gold, he has another task - to drink more and remember more.
But in the end, all the characters of this seemingly staged film suddenly come to life, and they are told as real characters who lived in that distant era. If you consider that among them is Jack London, you have to believe the filmmakers that all these people were in fact, but on the other hand – all this is so similar to the fiction of the author of the best-selling book “Gold Diggers: Get Rich in Klondike” Charlotte Gray. Maybe that is why there is so little action in the picture and everything dies so ridiculously - that it is based on real events. I didn't have enough action. But the genre suggests it.
If anyone is interested, there are three versions of the translation. Choose whichever you want.
The series "Klondike" is truly a golden nugget, which is safely hidden in the ever-growing sea of cinema (in which sea of cinema is hidden gold, you can see at the end of the series) and finding which, you understand the value of real cinema.
This is a well-thought-out and staged work, watching which, as if you plunge into the events of that era and take part in them. The gold rush is represented by all kinds of human vices: in the film there is cruelty, but there is no sadism, there is love and violence, but there is no vulgarity, there is both courage and weakness, both friendship and betrayal. And everything is shown so whole, harmonious and believable that it becomes absolutely unusual to watch it against the background of modern TV series, from which you expect more naked those, carnal pleasures and bloody fights mixed with flat jokes.
But, unfortunately, the film clearly does not claim to be an Oscar, and therefore it was shot really qualitatively and with a soul.
I ran into him by accident. I had no idea to see anything about the gold rush. But it so happened that I watched the first series and could not break away from the next ones.
American historical series from the Discovery Channel. The plot of the series “Klondike” is based on the famous bestseller Charlotte Gray called “Gold Diggers: Get Rich in Klondike”. The main characters of the series “Klondike” – Bill Haskell and Byron Epstein – in search of gold go to Alaska, unaware of the danger waiting there.
The series drags with its filth, disgust, uncleanness of human souls. At every turn, betrayal, murder, deadly diseases and the stench of everyday life. But it also attracts other things... in addition to the nastyness in it you will see great feelings such as friendship, faith, love and last hope. Faith that turns out to be true, and hope does not die to the last.
The story is about Klondike and the people who tried to survive there in 1897.
Klondike is a region located in the Yukon territory, in northwestern Canada, east of the border with Alaska. Klondike stretches along a small river of the same name, which flows into the Yukon River, which is located east of the city of Dawson.
Klondike became famous for the famous Klondike Gold Rush, which began in 1897 and ended the following year. Despite the fact that the fever is over, gold is mined here to this day (the only suspension of work occurred in the late 1960s - early 1970s).
Below are approximate statistical numbers:
About 1 million people intend to go to Klondike for gold.
About 100,000 actually followed him.
About 60 thousand people died on the road or returned back;
About 40,000 people reached Dawson.
Only 4,000 of them actually found gold.
The heroes of the series “Klondike” will face extreme weather conditions, bloodthirsty predators, bandits, cunning courtesans and bounty hunters. In search of gold, friends will often encounter Indians whose views on the world are so strikingly different from their own. But the greatest danger for them is still human greed: for the sake of gold, people are ready to deceive, betray, kill.
When you watch it, you begin to draw an analogy with the works of Jack London. And the most interesting thing is that his character is also present in the series.
In his youth, London had to travel a lot. Wandering from ocean to ocean, he had time to see and feel a lot, but as a writer found himself on Klondike, where the romance of adventure and dreams of the gold rush, intertwined, ruled the fate of people. The famous northern stories were born here, which amazed readers with the novelty and brightness of the worldview and the depth of characters that unfold in truly dramatic situations. Admiring the greatness of the northern nature and the inhabitants of this harsh land, Jack London dedicated one of his best works to a wolf nicknamed White Fang: his full of dangers of life, incredible courage and deep devotion, often inaccessible to man.
This is an interesting northern area. This is an interesting series about this place.
Recommended for viewing! After all, even I am not a big fan of historical dramas in full delight.
It's just impossible to come off.