The Kid (1921)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

6 February 1921 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family

Tagline:

This is the great film he has been working on for a whole year

Plot:

The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy.

Plot Keywords:

Baby | Orphan | Foundling | Broken Window | Angel

Cast

Carl Miller	...	The Man
Edna Purviance	...	The Woman
Jackie Coogan	...	The Kid (as Jack Coogan)
Charles Chaplin	...	A Tramp (as Charlie Chaplin)

Runtime:

68 min | 50 min (1971 edit with new Chaplin score) | Germany:54 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (new music score) (1971) | Silent

Certification:

Spain:T | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Denmark:7 (2003) | Norway:A | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

The main theme from Charles Chaplin's score is based on a theme from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony.

Goofs:

Continuity: When The Tramp finds the baby while sitting in the sidewalk, he leaves his stick by his right side. After the shot of the baby's mother's letter, there is no stick by Tramp's side, and after another shot, it appears again and in a different position.

Movie Connections:

Featured in L'appartement (1996)

A Must-See Silent Comedy

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.