Watch it at Amazon
32 out of 38 people found the following review useful: Charlie Finds a Son, 22 October 2004 Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida
THE KID (First National Pictures, 1921), a comedy-drama written, directed and starring Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), plays an important part his screen career. Aside from Chaplin being cast opposite Marie Dressler in TILLIE'S PUNCTURED ROMANCE (1914), a Mack Sennett production hailed as the first feature length comedy, THE KID starts off Chaplin with a whole new cycle of feature length comedies, but releases coming once every two to three years. A comic genius who got his start appearing in comedy shorts (ranging from 10 to 20 minutes time frames) beginning in 1914, first under the direction of Mack Sennett, and shortly thereafter, under the supervision and direction of himself, Chaplin's methods in movie making would improve with each passing film. Like himself, Jackie Coogan, Chaplin's littlest co-star and title character, made such an impression with his initial performance, nearly upstaging his impresario, that he immediately found himself starring in movies on his own, becoming Hollywood's first important child star. According to sources, Chaplin, who discovered little Jackie, was so impressed by him that he originated this story dedicated entirely to both their characters. In fact, this was not Coogan's movie debut. He earlier appeared opposite Chaplin in a 20 minute comedy, A DAY'S PLEASURE (1919), before putting this youngster to the test. THE KID starts off with intertitles, "A picture with a smile and perhaps a tear," followed by "The woman whose sin was motherhood," titles much to the liking of a D.W. Griffith directorial tearjerker starring Lillian Gish, yet, in fact, might have seemed more logical for a Griffith film than Chaplin's, whose very name means comedy, but in this instance, opens in a dramatic sense. An young girl (Edna Purviance) leaves a charity hospital with a baby in her arms. It is revealed that she is an unwed mother whose father is young artist (Carl Miller) who never returns to her life. The mother places her baby in the back of a limousine and walks away. After sitting alone on a park bench thinking things over, she decides to return to the limousine and retrieve her baby, but arrives too late. During that time, crooks have entered the scene, stealing the car, unaware of the infant in the back seat until the sounds of a baby crying draws to their attention. They abandon the child between some trash bins in a poor district of town where along comes a tramp (Charlie Chaplin) walking by. Noticing the infant on the ground wrapped in a blanket, Charlie tries to pass it off to someone else, including a mother with her baby carriage, but after numerous tries, he stumbles upon a note which reads, "Please love and care for this orphan child," and decides to take him home. Five years have passed. The kid (whose name is believed to be John), now Charlie's adopted son and sidekick, begin a brand new day at work. The kid's job is to break the neighborhood windows so that Charlie could conveniently arrive with his selection of window glass, only to be hired to have them replaced. As for the kid's mother, with the help of the wealthy people whose limousine had been stolen, she has become "a star of great prominence," and devotes her spare time with charitable work by handing out gifts to the children living in poor neighborhoods, where lives the kid. The paths of the kid and his mother meet on numerous occasions, being unaware of each other's identities. Following a funny scene involving the kid winning defeat over a neighborhood bully (Raymond Lee), and Charlie encountering the bully's muscular big brother (Chuck Reisner), the routine of their daily lives takes a dramatic turn when the kid becomes seriously ill and in need of immediate medical attention. When the middle-aged country doctor learns that Charlie is not the true father of the boy, he sends for the authorities from the County Orphan Asylum to take the child away.The supporting cast, featuring an assortment of Chaplin staff players, includes Tom Wilson as The Policeman; Albert Austin as The Crook; Nellie Bly Baker, and Lita Grey, who would later become Chaplin's second wife in 1924 (but not until death do them part), appearing briefly as one of the angel children in the dream sequence. Henry Bergman can be seen playing two different roles, one as Professor Guido and the other as the bearded lodging house attendant. As for Edna Purviance, a frequent Chaplin co-star since 1915, was as good as any actress assuming such a role, but sadly, never became a major box office attraction, in spite of the help and encouragement by Chaplin himself. To see what Purviance is capable of accomplishing as both actress and performer, simply watch her in a rare leading role in A WOMAN OF Paris (1923), a straight dramatic story written and directed by none other than her impresario, Charlie Chaplin. THE KID contains many ingredients to make this an everlasting product, especially for a silent movie made so long ago. Chaplin constructs his gags to perfection, as indicated in documentaries about this filmmaker and his movies that center upon his endless retakes and revisions. One in particular being the brief little scene where Charlie is cutting out diapers from a sheet for the infant seen lying beside him in a miniature hammock as he cries out for his milk. The baby immediately stops crying after Charlie directs the nipple attached to a coffee pot (a substitute for a baby bottle) back into his mouth. Another classic moment, on a serious nature, is when Charlie is being held back by the authorities as he is forced to watch his boy being taken away from him. Charlie breaks loose and chases after the truck as he is being chased by a policeman from the slanted roof-tops in order to catch up to the truck and regain his "son." The close-up scene where father and son tearfully reunite is as touching as anything ever enacted on film. (The part where they kiss on the mouth is also something quite commonly found in D.W. Griffith films). The duration of the story involves Charlie seeking a place to sleep, finding it in a flophouse, and hiding the boy under the blankets to avoid being discovered and having to pay an extra fee, while the mother, who has learned Charlie's boy to be her very own after locating her note in his residence, stops at nothing to find them.Chaplin as well as little Jackie (billed Jack Coogan in the opening credits) display their talents as both funny characters and dramatic actors. Little Jackie is especially cute acting like a miniature sized Chaplin, right down to his baggy pants. Chaplin giving one of his most sensitive performances, is so convincing that it doesn't take away his screen persona as the lovable funny tramp. From this point onward, he would become less characteristic as a slapstick comedian and more agreeable as an serious actor, at the same time, adding more plot and turning out some good laugh-out-loud comedies. As much as the present showing of THE KID barely reaches the one hour mark, Chaplin includes enough gags and pathos to make it work. The dream sequence where he finds himself in Heaven surrounded by angels might appear trite and unnecessary, but actually makes it essential to the plot which fits into the scene that is to follow. THE KID, which had been unavailable for public viewing for many years, was resurrected in the 1970s in revival movie houses with a brand new and wonderful orchestral score conducted by Chaplin himself in 1971. It would be nearly another decade for many to fully get to see and appreciate this little masterpiece when distributed to video cassette in 1989 as part of the Charlie Chaplin centennial collection, double billed along with a comedy short titled THE IDLE CLASS (1921). In the DVD format, the two disc set includes rare outtakes and deleted scenes. Turner Classic Movies has brought forth THE KID as part of its movie library, where it made its debut December 15, 2003, during its weekly Silent Sunday Nights, hosted by Robert Osborne, and later in March 2004 when Charlie Chaplin was tributed as its "Star of the Month." As old as this film is, it holds up extremely well, with comedy timing it's main factor, thanks to both Chaplin and Coogan. It's no wonder Jackie Coogan (1914-1984) became an overnight star with this one film. He was such a natural. This also set the pattern for his future film works which was to at least include one crying scene. In fact, a pattern to many future child stars. Remember Margaret O'Brien in the 1940s? But while the paths of Chaplin and Coogan would never meet again, on screen anyway, without them, there would never have been such a true classic silent comedy-drama as THE KID.
24 out of 26 people found the following review useful: A Must-See Silent Comedy, 4 March 2002 Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio
While perhaps not as celebrated now as some of Chaplin's later features, "The Kid" is an excellent achievement and a thoroughly enjoyable film. Charlie and young Jackie Coogan make an entertaining and unforgettable pair, and there is a lot of good slapstick plus a story that moves quickly and makes you want to know what will happen. Chaplin also wrote a particularly good score for this one, and most of the time the music sets off the action very nicely.While it's a fairly simple story, this is one of Chaplin's most efficiently designed movies. Every scene either is necessary to the plot, or is very funny for its own sake, or both. Except for Chaplin and Coogan, most of the other characters (even frequent Chaplin leading lady Edna Purviance) are just there to advance the plot when needed, and the two leads are allowed to carry the show, which they both do extremely well."The Kid" is also impressive in that, while the story is a sentimental one, it strikes an ideal balance, maintaining sympathy for the characters while never overdoing it with the pathos, which Chaplin occasionally lapsed into even in some of his greatest movies. Here, the careful balance makes the few moments of real emotion all the more effective and memorable.This is one of Chaplin's very best movies by any measure. If you enjoy silent comedies, don't miss it.
24 out of 27 people found the following review useful: One Of The Most Memorable Silent Films Ever, 24 November 2005 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
Wow, is this a memorable film! It is one of the most famous silent movies ever and justifiably so. That fact that it still entertains over 80 years after it was made is quite a testimony. It is a wonderful blend of humor and drama. Charlie Chaplin's unique humor, combined with an involving storyline and strong sentimentality make this one to remember. Chaplin's humor ranges from pure slapstick to some clever stunts.The "kid" - Jackie Coogan - is just as memorable, maybe even more so. He is unbelievably cute, especially in those old-time clothes he wore. Watching the expressions on his face, even as a baby, are fascinating and facial expressions certainly were a trademark of the silent era.So, between Chaplin and Coogan, and a very involving story that can break your heart one minute and have you laughing out loud the next, it's an amazing piece of work. This is a very fast-paced story which lasts less than an hour.The special edition two-disc DVD has a restored version of the print so the picture is very clear, actually astounding for its age. Excellent entertainment.
26 out of 32 people found the following review useful: There are no words to phraise this movie enough, 13 January 2003 Author: talking_tree from Finland
It is hard to find such delightful and adorable movies these days as "The Kid". It is a silent movie but so rich, winning and beautiful that you don´t nead words. Chaplin and 6-year old Coogan are possibly the most charming pair I have ever seen in my life. The film succees to be nicely light and full of joy but also overwhelmingly sad and sentimental. I always get my eyes full with tears of saddness and happiness. And I really never cry in movies. And the music...its simply Oscar-level! The movie is sympathetic, full of feeling, touchingly funny moments. It is truly a masterpiece showing how extraordinary talented person Charlie Chaplin was considering this film is respectively over 80 years old! So don´t you miss it because of it´s age, don´t miss it.
14 out of 18 people found the following review useful: the greatest, 26 September 2003 Author: vladymirror from Japan
Is there a way to name the greatest filmmaker of all time? Probably not, to different people it's gonna be different person, so I can speak only for myself. Let me try to describe my favorite contestant for this award:This man is the true embodiment of the "American Dream": Having grown up in poverty and misery and virtually without parents (without a father and with insane mother), moving to America with basically nothing but his ability to speak English (in the era of the silent movies), this man manages to establish his own film company (United Artists) and becomes one of the creators of Hollywood. He produces, directs, writes, plays the leading role and composes the music for his movies. He is the creator of the most famous movie image on the earth-the Little Tramp. As you all probably know I am talking about sir Charles Spencer Chaplin. There are attempts, sometimes I read, to make Buster Keaton candidate for the Chaplin's throne. Well, I won't comment on that for I am not familiar with Keaton's work; I grew up with Chaplin so you could say I am being biased, however I would mention only one fact here: the only time the two meet on the screen is in a Chaplin's movie "Limelight." I think this says a lot.Why did I choose the movie "The Kid" as a podium for my tribute to the great Charlie? I have to say I like all of his movies, mistake, I love all of his movies, but this one is the true purl in his work to me. I don't think of any other movie, not only Chaplin's, that made me cry, I mean really cry, and laugh, I mean really laugh, like "The Kid." The closest I can think of now is another Chaplin's masterpiece "City Lights" but unlike the later one in the former one that is only him, the tramp, and the kid; and everything is silent. Think about it: the movie making at its purest.I don't know whether I could make my point with this review-probably not. There are not enough words to describe the respect and gratitude I feel towards Chaplin. To me he is simply the greatest filmmaker of all time.
9 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Smiling and Tearing, 29 August 2005 Author: Cineanalyst
'The Kid' is a powerfully emotive and wonderfully hilarious motion picture and a tremendous breakthrough in Charlie Chaplin's oeuvre. Chaplin hadn't filled a film so fully with pathos since 'The Vagabond' (1916), and then it was in a very limited way, subject to the confines of two-reel length. Additionally, 'Sunnyside' (1919) was a failure. The feature length of 'The Kid' also allows Chaplin to elaborate and refine the gags, pranks and set pieces, and with the support of Jackie Coogan, it's one of his funniest comedies.The parent-child relationship has proved potential as sentimental entertainment, and, for me, not many have neared Chaplin in exploiting that formula in 'The Kid.' The sequence where they take the kid, for a workhouse, away from the tramp is probably the most powerful and endearing tearjerker moment in the film--or of all film. In addition to Chaplin and Coogan, Edna Purviance is also quite effective in the dramatic side of the picture. Furthermore, Chaplin and cinematographer Roland Totheroh's photography had by now improved vastly over their work at Mutual, and Chaplin was already an eccentric perfectionist, but the musical score added to the 1971 release, composed by Chaplin, taken from Tchaikovsky, gives the emotive parts its most verve.Of the slapstick, one of my favourite scenes involves the tramp in fear of a bully. It's reminiscent of his Mutual short 'Easy Street' (1917), which is made especially clear when the bully bends a lamppost with one punch. There are many other great moments of humorous pantomime and farce in this film. Yet, 'The Kid' is much more than that, which makes it such a breakthrough; the slapstick fills the plot, and there is more of a developed plot here than in Chaplin's previous work. This was the beginning of the tramp as the sympathetic, pitiful hero, as well as clown, that's so recognizable and beloved to this day.Moreover, the dream sequence is an ingenious plot device; it adds dimensionally to the narrative and asserts its themes while delaying the inevitable conclusion of the outer narrative to poignant effect. It's also funny in a silly way. It's somewhat analogous to the outer reality story, although with much ambiguity. I wasn't always sure Chaplin was making any clear point, such as with the Christ image earlier in the film, but that seems unimportant; 'The Kid' affects the emotions and isn't aimed at engaging the mind. At six reels, with more sets and a developed plot, this film was already an expansion compared to Chaplin's previous films; the dream sequence satisfyingly expands the narrative depth, thus making 'The Kid' Chaplin's first complete feature.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Chaplin and Coogan team for a classic, 18 October 2003 Author: didi-5 from United Kingdom
Charlie Chaplin's study of a tramp teaming up with a street kid (the cute little Jackie Coogan) has a fine line to tread between humour and pathos, and true to what you would expect of his best work, does it superbly. The tramp always manages to wring the hearts of his viewers and adding a little boy to the mix was the finishing touch. Look out too for little Lita Grey in the angel sequence, who would become Chaplin's 2nd wife four years after this film was made.
6 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Pretty Good Sentimental Comedy, 4 March 2004 Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico
They say Chaplain is a cultural icon and all that but I'm not so sure anymore. There has been a generational discontinuity, at least in the USA, that seems to have happened about 20 or 30 years ago. I suspect that most people over the age of 40 could identify Charlie Chaplin, and most people under that age would have to stretch a bit. Just one more item in the cultural data base gurgling its way through the age structure towards extinction.Generally I disapprove of kids in movies as straightforward objects of a particularly putrid kind of manipulation, but Jackie Coogan is an exception.Sentimental manipulation there is, but it's mainly limited to one or two scenes. The comedy is pretty acerbic. Saddled with possession of an abandoned baby, Charlie holds it in his lap and sits on the curb to think about how to get rid of it. He notices a sewer grating in the gutter and lifts the lid thoughtfully for a second before glancing around and lowering it again. That's not what passes for sentimentality.Besides, Coogan is cute when he's 5 or 6 years old, a ragamuffin dressed in floppy over-sized bags of clothing, so that when he runs at high speed he looks like a little football with tiny feet on it. And the kid can act too.Charlie demonstrated every move the kid was supposed to make and Coogan did a good job of imitating him, which was all he had to do. Coogan is also refreshing when compared to all the adult actors in the film because he's too inexperienced to know how to overact. Chaplain is good too, of course. How could one person be so inventive? It's said that TV "eats up" talent because of the constant demand for new material. One of the better series, "Twilight Zone," had about three good years of collaborative effort in it. Chaplain in the same period of time appeared in 62 films and directed something like 28 of them, and he was just getting started.I'll give one example of a joke, without an iota of sentiment in it, to illustrate how well Chaplain and Coogan worked together. Coogan gets into a street fight with another kid, a big bully, who knocks him about. Chaplain spots this, interrupts the fight, and takes Coogan to a neutral corner where he gives him a quick lesson on boxing -- go for the belly, keep your guard up -- and sends him back into the fight. At this point the bully's hugely muscular big brother swaggers over to Chaplain and says, "If your boy beats my boy, I'm going to beat you." Coogan begins beating hell out of the other kid, knocking him down again and again while Chaplain sweats and twitches with fear. Finally Coogan lands a tremendous blow on the bully's chin and flattens him. But he swings with such force that he himself twirls around a couple of times and falls flat on his back. Chaplain dashes over, puts his foot on the Coogan's chest to hold him down, quickly counts to ten, rushes to the befuddled bully and raises his hand -- the winner!A rather tight rein is kept on the pathos and the comic material is edgy. You'll enjoy it. Especially if you're one of those rare folks under 40 with the patience to sit through a movie in black and white that has no dialogue.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Inspiring plot, 23 November 2005 Author: Vishal Agrawal from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
A tramp finds an abandoned kid on the street. He tries to get rid of it in Charlie Chaplin way but ends up raising it with road side values. Child becomes an apple of his eyes in a few years but the mother comes back to claim her son. I had heard that this was the best movie Charlie Chaplin made but I disagree with that statement completely. No doubt it's a fantastic movie with a very strong story and message but it's definitely not his best. I found the last scene of the movie a little contrite and compromising. The story has been adapted and tried in very many forms. Extremely sensitive and though provoking cinema. A must see for all.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Pathos And Comedy, 9 March 2008 Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
Due to an unwed mother abandoning her child in an automobile and said automobile being subsequently hijacked, The Little Tramp winds up with the baby and proceeds to raise it in its first five years.In reading Charlie Chaplin's memoirs I learned two things about the making of The Kid. First he had to get child star Jackie Coogan away from Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle under whom the lad was contracted. Chaplin saw him and was determined to make a film with him. The second thing was Chaplin's determination to make a film that combined both pathos and comedy which many said could not be done.The success of The Kid is due to the chemistry established between Chaplin and Coogan. As Chaplin said in his memoirs young children in their uninhibited way are natural actors. Part of the chemistry though is to make sure they don't totally steal the film from you.The Tramp gets his innings in with The Kid. He's the same rapscallion Tramp we all know, but The Kid showed another side of The Tramp, one of deep feeling and protectiveness. Two people who need and love each other very much. This film couldn't miss.First National Pictures sure thought so as it became part of a three way tug of war between Chaplin, the studio, and his estranged wife Mildred Harris. The Robert Downey, Jr. biographical film Chaplin illustrates that whole bit of business where Charlie smuggled out the negative of The Kid and took it on the lam across state lines. He edited it and was able to get it back to First National as a finished product on his own terms. That whole business probably would make a good movie unto itself.Till that one is made see and enjoy the Tramp and the future Uncle Fester in The Kid.
Add another review
