Director
Charlie Chaplin
Cast
Charlie Chaplin - The Tramp
Jackie Coogan - The Kid "John"
Edna Purviance - The mother
Carl Miller - The father
Tom Wilson - The policeman
Charles Reisner - The bully
Twice have I claimed on this blog that I consider myself a great admirer of Charlie Chaplin, praising his genius and theatrical mastery all while criticizing two of his films - "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) and "A King in New York" (1957).
How impudent of me, but not really.
Chaplin's movie "The Kid" from 1921 is a film I've wanted to post my thoughts on for quite some time.
I'm willing to bet all my DVDs that the majority of people alive have at least one movie they'll watch again and again, and never grow tired of. For me, "The Kid" is one of those movies.
There are several Chaplin movie I love as I find his artistic creativity and careful dedication to telling a relatable story, with an almost flawless balance of comedy and drama, truly inspiring.
How impudent of me, but not really.
Chaplin's movie "The Kid" from 1921 is a film I've wanted to post my thoughts on for quite some time.
I'm willing to bet all my DVDs that the majority of people alive have at least one movie they'll watch again and again, and never grow tired of. For me, "The Kid" is one of those movies.
There are several Chaplin movie I love as I find his artistic creativity and careful dedication to telling a relatable story, with an almost flawless balance of comedy and drama, truly inspiring.
Chaplin wrote, produced, directed, composed, and acted in a majority of his films. Most importantly, he thought the stories through scene by scene, line by line.
Directors like Chaplin, who have the sharpest eye for detail, don't come around often. Stanley Kubrick is the only other director that comes to mind whom I would put on the same level as Chaplin.
Directors like Chaplin, who have the sharpest eye for detail, don't come around often. Stanley Kubrick is the only other director that comes to mind whom I would put on the same level as Chaplin.
His first full-length movie "The Kid" is a film about family bond above all else, forgiveness, and repentance.
It brings to mind a quote from the 2000 movie "Finding Forrester." In that film, Sean Connery's character "William Forrester" gives a speech in which he discusses family.
"Losing family obliges us to find our family," Forrester says. "Not always the family that is our blood, but the family that can become our blood. Should we have the wisdom to open our door to this new family, we will find that the wishes we had for the father who once guided us, and for the brother who once inspired us, are not merely wishes at all. A family is not what you always imagine it will be."
The movie opens with a woman (Edna Purviance - Chaplin's leading lady in several of his pictures), unwed and alone, leaving a hospital with a baby in her arms. "Whose sin was motherhood," the title card reads.
It brings to mind a quote from the 2000 movie "Finding Forrester." In that film, Sean Connery's character "William Forrester" gives a speech in which he discusses family.
"Losing family obliges us to find our family," Forrester says. "Not always the family that is our blood, but the family that can become our blood. Should we have the wisdom to open our door to this new family, we will find that the wishes we had for the father who once guided us, and for the brother who once inspired us, are not merely wishes at all. A family is not what you always imagine it will be."
The movie opens with a woman (Edna Purviance - Chaplin's leading lady in several of his pictures), unwed and alone, leaving a hospital with a baby in her arms. "Whose sin was motherhood," the title card reads.
There's no one to greet her at the hospital. She walks with her newborn baby, lost, through the streets wondering where to go and what to do next.
As she goes from one place to another, her life now changed, an image of Christ carrying His cross to Calvary slowly fades into frame, and then fades out.
The mother passes by a large house with a limousine parked out front. An idea comes into her head.
She thinks about it for a moment, and then places the baby in the back seat of the limo with a note attached asking that whoever finds the child to please take care of him.
After she runs off, two thieves approach the car making sure the coast is clear.
Once they think no one is looking, the steal the limo without noticing the baby in the back.
They drive to a dirty alley way in the slum part of town. When they park, they hear the kid crying. So, they place him by some garbage cans, and drive off as quick as they can.
Charlie comes along, unaware of everything going on, and finds the abandoned baby. There's a carriage nearby with another baby inside. He thinks who ever that carriage belongs to must have dropped their other kid. So, he puts the baby inside.
The mother comes out and catches him. She starts beating on him for messing with her child. After a few more attempts to give someone else the baby, he sits down and tries to come up with a plan. Charlie finds the note and then chooses to take care of the child himself.
As she goes from one place to another, her life now changed, an image of Christ carrying His cross to Calvary slowly fades into frame, and then fades out.
The mother passes by a large house with a limousine parked out front. An idea comes into her head.
She thinks about it for a moment, and then places the baby in the back seat of the limo with a note attached asking that whoever finds the child to please take care of him.
After she runs off, two thieves approach the car making sure the coast is clear.
Once they think no one is looking, the steal the limo without noticing the baby in the back.
They drive to a dirty alley way in the slum part of town. When they park, they hear the kid crying. So, they place him by some garbage cans, and drive off as quick as they can.
Charlie comes along, unaware of everything going on, and finds the abandoned baby. There's a carriage nearby with another baby inside. He thinks who ever that carriage belongs to must have dropped their other kid. So, he puts the baby inside.
The mother comes out and catches him. She starts beating on him for messing with her child. After a few more attempts to give someone else the baby, he sits down and tries to come up with a plan. Charlie finds the note and then chooses to take care of the child himself.
Despite living in a ramshackle home in the slums, with no money and very little possession, he still cares for the baby.
Five years go by. Not only has the bond between the Tramp and the kid become as strong as a father and son relationship, they also have a working partnership. He and the kid work together repairing windows.
The kid's job is to throw rocks at random windows without getting caught. Charlie's job is to coincidentally walk by after the damage is done, and offer to repair them.
Meanwhile, the mother has since become a renowned singer. Despite the attention and fame, she still carries the guilt of abandoning her son. To make some kind of penance for her sin, she spends her free time helping the poor living in the slums where Charlie and the kid live.
During a visit, the woman sees the kid watching her as she hands out toys to other children. She doesn't realize who he is as she gives him a toy, which he accepts fondly.
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| Jackie Coogan and Charlie Chaplin. |
The kid chases him and, in no time, they're engaged in a fist fight out in the street.
The bully's big brother comes on scene, as does Charlie to break up the fight. But the big brother insists the kids fight. Not necessarily keen on the idea, Charlie interferes. In no time, Charlie and the older brother are fighting.
The mother returns, breaks up their fight, and offers counsel to Charlie and the bully's brother.
When the ruckus is settled, the kid isn't looking too good. The mother advises the Tramp to call a doctor.
After the doctor arrives and examines the bedridden kid, he learns Charlie isn't the boy's father. He shows the doctor the note he found with the kid five years ago.
The doctor reports this to welfare workers who show up later with a police officer to take the child away.
Charlie, however, doesn't let them take the kid so easily. He fights back, rescues the kid, and runs away.
After he's gone, the mother comes by Charlie's home to see how the boy is fairing. She bumps into the doctor who tells her they're gone, and shows her the note. She recognizes that it's the same note she left with her baby years ago.
Hiding from the authorities doesn't last long. The law soon catches up with Charlie, but all is not lost for him. His care in raising and loving this orphan child despite his poverty when no one else would doesn't remain unappreciated.
The drama cuts deep in this comedy.
Chaplin's method of storytelling is so delicate, precise, and masterful. Without saying a word, he controls the audience's emotions like a child holds a balloon. It's his true medium.
"The Kid" is a perfect example of how well Chaplin can tell not only a great story, but an emotionally compelling one and still make room for humor that's neither out of place nor inappropriate for the subject at hand.
The acting is absolutely accomplished in this silent film.
In one scene, Edna chats with a woman on the sidewalk outside the Tramp's home. She asks if she can hold this woman's newborn baby. As Edna holds the baby, her smile begins to fade. The pain and regret of the past creeps onto her face as she looks in the camera. No words are spoken. Her expression speaks volumes. At the same time, the kid walks out of the house behind here, unaware that his true mother is standing right there. And Edna is just as unaware that her child whom she's thinking about is standing behind her.
The most emotional scene in the story occurs when the cop and welfare workers hold Charlie down while forcefully snatching the kid out of his arms. One of them takes the kid, whose kicking and screaming, outside and puts him in the back of their truck. Some women are standing by outside the Tramp's home watching this occur.
The child, sobbing profusely, pleads and begs with these women to help him. But there's nothing they can do.
In desperation, he turns his gaze to heaven, and begs God to help.
As the doctor and the police officer restrain Charlie inside, he stares into at the camera with a face full of pain and fear, listening to his boy's cries from outside. But he can't get to him. It's one of the most heart wrenching scenes in silent film history, as far as I've seen.
This is where Jackie Coogan's powerful performance comes in. He was about seven-years old when he appeared in "The Kid." Coogan masters the art of conveying many different emotions in this movie - anguish, joviality, shyness, and feigned innocence. But this scene showcases how truly great a young actor Coogan was. Watching his performance as the kid being ripped from the arms of the only father he's known is exceptional, amazing, and tear-inducing.
Incidentally, Coogan, whom I've heard referred to as "America's first child star" continued his acting career into his adult years. He's well known for playing "Uncle Fester" in the sitcom "The Addams Family."
Each time I watch "The Kid," it leaves me with the same questions.
What happened after the mother meets the Tramp at the end, knowing he indeed loved and cared for her child when she felt she wouldn't be able to?
Also, what did she decide to do with the real father?
What happened after the mother meets the Tramp at the end, knowing he indeed loved and cared for her child when she felt she wouldn't be able to?
Also, what did she decide to do with the real father?
The copy of "The Kid" I have is on VHS, distributed as part of the "Charlie Chaplin Centennial Collection" from MK2 and Warner Home Video. It's packaged with his 1921 film "The Idle Class."
The version I re-watched the other day is on Amazon Prime streaming service.This streamed version didn't have the movie score I'm familiar with. It also has some scenes that aren't included on my VHS copy. One scene in particular, which was new to me, shows the mother attending a suave party. As she walks in, she sees the man with whom she had her child out of wedlock with.
The smiles leave both their faces when their eyes meet. It's an awkward moment, and that sentiment spills into the audience.
The woman politely excuses herself onto the patio. The gentleman follows her without trying to draw attention to himself.
Out on the patio, the two exchange a few words, but then say nothing. They stand there silent, not looking at each other, contemplating their past together, and what became of their son. This scene answered another question I had. What did the woman decide to do in regards to the kid's father?
According to imdb.com, Chaplin decided to release a new version of "The Kid" in 1972. The website claims this new version was given a new music score composed by Chaplin.
He also re-edited the film, and cut a few scenes featuring the kid's mother as he thought they were too sentimental for modern audiences. My guess is that my VHS copy is the 1972 version of the film while the version streaming on Amazon is the original cut.
Chaplin did something similar to his 1925 film "The Gold Rush" but that's, perhaps, another post for another time.
His soundtrack for "The Kid", just like so many of his other soundtracks, fits the film so perfectly. It's almost miraculous. Not very many soundtracks capture the mood of the characters as well as this one. Chaplin's scores the scenes and emotion perfectly. I consider it, hands down, one of the best music scores in film history. Even as I download images from the movie onto this post, the dramatic soundtrack plays in my head. It's a memorable and crucial part of the story.
Still, I wish there was an epilogue to this story. Did the boy stay with Charlie as he was the only father he had? Did the woman give the Tramp a better place to stay, and an opportunity to work an honest job? Did the child stay with his real mother and keep in close contact with the Tramp? I guess it's for the audience to decide. One thing is certain, the Tramp is the true father in this story.
He's not the blood father, but the father that can become such to the child. After all, a family is not what you always imagine it will be.
There are a handful of films I think are such a foundational part of our American cinematic culture. Films like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Citizen Kane", "The Wizard of Oz" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" are among such films. They should be seen by everyone at least once. Chaplin has a few such films, and "The Kid" is without a doubt one of them. It's visual proof of Chaplin's theatrical expertise.
