The Kid (1921)

Well, this is the third Chaplin movie that I've seen, and man, the guy was really a genius. The Kid's history is beautiful and touching, alongside that classic Chaplin humor. But, I have to say, that this movie doesn't hold on that much as others, for example Shoulder Arms, that is in fact 3/4 years older than The Kid, but in my opinion is more entertaining than the former. But please, don't get me wrong, we are talking about an almost 100 years-old-movie that is still able to touch people's fellings, and this is HUGE. I love the movie, its importance, and the way it influenced cinema moving foward. The fact that isn't better than others Chaplin movies is not a demerit by any means.One thing I start to realize is that Chaplin was not only a comedy genius, but also a storyteller genius, he always try to pass some message within his movies. Talking about the ones I've seen, Shoulder Arms approaches the war, Modern Times the new "tecnologic era" (always with a society approach), and The Kid it's no different, it talks about family and love, but in a deep way. It's almost like what Pixar does nowadays, some can go see their movies and just have fun without think that much about it, but, others can pay more attention to the details and look deeptly at it.To wrap up, The Kid is a cute and beautiful movie, and even though isn't Chaplin greatest work, it's way above 99,9% of the movies that were release in the same time period. Obs: I can't help talking about the "dream" sequence. I really think that it took me out of the movie for some seconds, and, man, the ones who know Chaplin's story know that the girl he kisses ended up being his second wife, but, man... it's weird to see a 30 years something dude kissing a 12 years-old girl, even in 1921. I don't know, it's just weird.

I will begin this review by giving a brief plot summary so you, the reader, have an impression of the goings on in the film if you haven't yet seen it. The film begins with a mother and her infant child. Very early on in the film the mother decides that she simply cannot care for the child, so she abandons it in the rear seat of an unoccupied car. The unoccupied car then because the partially unoccupied car and is subsequently stolen by car thieves. The thieves eventually take notice of the small child in the back seat and, in turn, they abandon it themselves in an alleyway. In this alley is where the iconic figure of Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character is presented and he eventually finds that he will have to be the one to care for the infant. Time lapses five years into the future and we find Chaplin and the child, which can now more accurately be referred to as a "kid", living together in a raggedy one bedroomed apartment. Chaplin's tramp is clearly presented as a surrogate father figure for the kid, and the two of them appear to coexist in a relationship that is both playful and loving. The rest of the movie unfolds after the stage is set as I just did for you. It is mostly instances of how the two paupers have to swindle there way into sources of income, and the misadventures that come along with it. The film was released in the year 1921. Releasing a film in this time period could be considered overly restricting by some individuals, considering that "talkies" had yet to be a staple of the medium. However, Chaplin absolutely encapsulates the melodrama of the story and expertly enables the story to be told through movement and design, rather than through dialogue. Chaplin's tramp character is the iconic image of Charlie Chaplin that everybody knows even if they have never seen one of his movies. Every aspect of the character from his attire (bowler hat, cane, small waist coat, large trousers and shoes) to his over exaggerated gestures make for an expressive performance that is both memorable and inevitably iconic. It is worth noting the charismatic performance of the kid as well. He is an excited young man that is clearly enjoying himself in the filmmaking process, and his relationship with Chaplin is quite endearing. The Kid is an exciting display of creativity that translates into iconic film. A scene that stands out is one in which Chaplin's tramp character is being chased along rooftops by a police officer, and another would be a dream sequence where characters throughout the streets have angel wings that can be purchased at a corner store. It is worth noting the impression that this film must have made upon audiences when it was first released. Even in modern times it comes across and a piece of utterly unique cinema, which is a testament to the acting and filmmaking genius that Charlie Chaplin had. I cannot recommend this movie enough to anyone that is interested in the history and progression of filmmaking as an art, or anyone that wants to lose themselves in a charming story about a man and his kid.

As with every other Chaplin film, this has good story telling, a good start to it, great pacing, hilarious footage and above all, a great contagious ability to communicate emotion and sensitivity with a positive moral.Philosophically one of the best elements of such Chaplins is how he'll downplay what is usually considered pitiful or dramatic; he'll make any desolate condition into something very ordinary and really not so bad while attracting the attention on more important and essential things in life, love being at center and the common denominator of those things. He'll make material decrepitude and a very low social status look funny and a simple fact of daily existence, while developing a strong sentimental bond in the plot between himself and one of the other characters: basically you can be a bum, wear one shoe, and eat dirt all day while living in a can, but that takes nothing away from the subtle humanity you'll always carry with you anywhere or your full, profound ability to love. And wrap this up with hilarious content from start to finish, and you've got a unique winning formula.

This movie reminds me of The Pursuit of Happiness (2006). The only difference is the color of the movie, the duration, 95 years and the switch C. Chaplin/W. Smith. A miserable life for Chaplin here until he finds the baby - his new life. Happiness, in most of the cases, arrives easier to poor people because they know how to enjoy life with less. The trouble is that there are lots of mothers who still abandon their vulnerable children nowadays. And this movie is from 1921! It looks like plenty of parents did not watch this movie so that it could arrive to their hearts or feelings, and think twice the option of abandoning a child. But what kind of life does Chaplin has in the movie? Some dreadful clothes, a miserable room and a few pennies to eat some soup or cupcakes during the day? However, a child could always bring prosperity as it happens in The Kid. They seek for each other constantly and that is true love. It is understandable that a young mother could reach to the point to abandon a child, but what it is valuable in the movie is that after realising what she has committed, she gives charities to the penniless society. Since the encounter with the kid, Chaplin makes it easier to nourish, because we all know that life is better when you are positive, and moreover when you take it as a joke.