IMDb > The Kid (1921)
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Overview

User Rating:
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Director:
Writer:
Charles Chaplin (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Kid on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 February 1921 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
This is the great film he has been working on for a whole year more
Plot:
The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Reviews:
A Must-See Silent Comedy more (52 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Carl Miller ... The Man
Edna Purviance ... The Woman
Jackie Coogan ... The Kid (as Jack Coogan)

Charles Chaplin ... A Tramp (as Charlie Chaplin)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
68 min | 50 min (1971 edit with new Chaplin score) | Germany:54 min
Country:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (new music score) (1971) | Silent

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The main theme from Charles Chaplin's score is based on a theme from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony. more
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. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in L'appartement (1996) more

FAQ

A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
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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.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
First Silent Masterpiece... zhmaqot
Is this available ANYWHERE??? elf_gurl3021
Seen all Chaplins famous film now... and this is the best! henrik-1988
The Kid, anybody know where... ?? freakyfelix
What does the note say? elf_gurl3021
Asian Movie Based on The Kid absameen
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