If it were
possibly to adequately convey emotion on page as they are within our living
flesh, I would have pages upon pages to pour out for Charlie Chaplin’s crucial classic,
The Kid. This was the vaudeville
performer’s transition from short films to features, but it also conveyed his
signature ability to combine pathos with humor, blending the melodrama of a
‘woman’s pictures’ with the silliness of ‘slapstick.’ But The Kid is much more than historically relevant; it also carries deep
personal significance for me.
I honestly don’t
even remember the first time I saw The
Kid, but it was a defining experience in my movie-loving career. I had
enjoyed the slightly mischievous slapstick humor of Chaplin’s shorts, but in
this lengthier film I found myself moved by the relationship between father and
adopted son. I must have been around 10-years-old, the first time I watched The
Kid. Ever since that early addiction, few filmmakers or movie characters have
come close to meaning as much to me as Charlie Chaplin and his Little Tramp
persona.
The Tramp was
already well established for film audiences, though he was given a new
curveball in the narrative of The Kid.
After a series of unfortunate events brings an abandoned baby to an alley near his
humble abode, The Tramp stumbles upon the child. After comically attempting to
pass the responsibility onto others around him, our reluctant hero takes the
child in as his own. Five years later the young boy (played by Jackie Coogan)
and The Tramp have made a simple but effective life for themselves, until a
series of events threaten to separate them.
This
beloved classic has been brought to Blu-ray with painstaking attention to
detail, including a new 4K digital restoration of the film from the 1972
rerelease cut of the film and Charlie Chaplin’s original film score in
uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Along with a spectacularly well restored
presentation of the 1921 film, there is also an assortment of extras. This
includes a new audio commentary featuring Chaplin historian Charles Maland, as
well as a new video essay from another Chaplin historian, Lisa Haven. Also
included are a handful of deleted scenes, many of which were removed by Chaplin
in order to keep the film’s focus on the relationship between The Tramp and his
adopted child.
Other additional material includes
newsreel footage and a 1922 silent short which appears to simply be a side
project made amongst friends. The short includes an appearance from both
Chaplin and Coogan, with a new score from composer Timothy Brock. This is only
the beginning of the special features, with behind-the-scenes footage,
interviews, and a featurette about the film effect of undercranking which
created unique effects in Chaplin’s film. There is also an insert with a
written essay from film scholar Tom Gunning.
Entertainment Value:
10/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 10/10
Historical
Significance: 10/10
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