The Kid

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Nick M Chaplin as his Tramp character is sauntering down a back alley, only occasionally being pelted by refuse from second floor windows, when he happens upon a discarded baby. Concluding that it was accidentally dropped, he attempts to return it to its mother, but circumstances conspire to prevent him from dislodging himself of the kid long enough that the little guy grows on him. Thus develops a heartwarming, harrowing, and hilarious tale of found family. Chaplin has been breaking with the standard comedic form and layering his films with pathos since at least The Vagabond in 1916, but this took things to a new level. There was a genuinely meaningful, rather than tongue-in-cheek relationship between the two main characters, and while comedy takes a starring role, for the first time I think I have to say that the film is first and foremost a drama. The most memorable scene for me is when John (played by a sensational young Jackie Coogan) is forcibly taken from Charlie and is crying out to him from the orphanage wagon. All Charlie can do is listen, and you can see his heart breaking in what is genuinely one of the most affecting scenes I've seen in silent film. Now, there are some rough edges here; considering the reverent tones with which people have written about it, I think The Kid gets a little more credit than it deserves. Immediately following that moving scene, Chaplin is seen engaging in a slapstick chase sequence across the rooftops. That doesn't naturally follow for me. I also didn't care for the dream sequence toward the end. Why was it necessary in the first place, and why were the devils harassing the angels? Regardless, it is a wonderful picture that I am sure I will revisit in the future. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/11/24 Full Review William B Must-see film. Beautiful storyline. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/22/24 Full Review Gorptholemew T 🍅 7.6/10 It was pretty chuckle worthy, especially that scene with the windows. This isn’t really my genre, but watching it it’s surprisingly heartwarming and pretty funny at times. Even with no dialogue, the characters are charming in their own ways. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/26/24 Full Review Andrew M Fun Fact The kid grew up and tied the nooses used to hang a couple of kidnappers in San Jose, California. Thirty years after the lynching, nooses were used on the set of the Addams Family where the grown up kid, Jackie Coogan, played as Uncle Fester. The Governor of California spoke live on the radio and offered pardons to rioters that dare break into the county jail and hang the suspects. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/11/24 Full Review Dan O People talk about Citizen Kane as the old tired of cliche of when film became an important art form but when films like this were being made, what a stupid thing to say. I’ve watched this film over a hundred years later with both my children and they’re entranced, and I’m crying and laughing. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/28/24 Full Review Dani G Beautiful and emotive dramedy from the master Charlie, in his first feature film. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Kid

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