A Tramp and Uncle Fester share a special bond in this timeless classic from Charlie Chaplin. Burned photograph. Crying babies scare gangstas. Pimpin' cigarette box. The way Charlie Chaplin tips his hat. Umbrella beatdown. The letter. Bootleg baby bottle. Street hustling like a boss. Rocks break windows. Charlie's giggle. The little kid runs faster than a jaguar. Smooth lobby boy. Charlie Chaplin's mustache is crooked. Booger picker. I'm still cracking the fuck up because the little kid grew up to be Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. Bully beatdown. The even bigger badder bully's muscles. Brick knockout. Ass kick. Quack doctor. The way Charlie Chaplin pushes a motherfucker. The kid is crying and I want to cry. Such passion. Such…

Charlie Chaplin's first feature-length theatrical is one of the greatest achievements of silent era of filmmaking that paints one of the most heartfelt portrait of father-son relationship on the silver screen, presents the gifted talent at the prime of his creativity, and despite being nearly a century old classic, can still put most comedies of today to shame.

A comedy with a smile & perhaps a tear, The Kid tells the story of a tramp who after coming across an abandoned baby takes him under his care after which the film jumps five years in the span of which the grown child now works as his father's sidekick, helping his glazing business by breaking windows around the town. But an unfortunate…

Insert Here: Standard opening about how I don't deal well with silent films and how impressive it is that my fascination with Chaplin's comedies continues. These films are a great access point for audiences looking to broaden their horizons beyond sound film.

The Kid is easily the most melodramatic of Charlie Chaplin's work. This isn't particularly strange since despite their roots in slapstick comedy, Chaplin's films have always had a deeper side grounded in sympathetic emotionalism. But The Kid has a sad side which is darker than most.

It opens with a young mother abandoning her newborn baby played over a melancholic string arrangement that will make your heart wrench before you even know what's happening. The Tramp takes the…

"A comedy with a smile--and perhaps a tear"

Charlie Chaplin's first self-produced feature film, The Kid, is a tender and sweet tale that once again manages to balance those emotional moments with a great amount of slapstick comedy. The master of pantomime surprised me here by taking a step out of the spotlight and letting it shine on the young newcomer, Jackie Coogan, who steals every scene he is in. Coogan is extremely cute and he held his own next to Chaplin in the comedic department as well. As the title suggests, the main character in this film is the kid who has given the character of the tramp something to live and fight for. The scene that stands out…

Criterion Collection Spine #799

If your looking for something to smile about, you can always turn to Chaplin!

The Kid is one of writer and director Charlie Chaplin's earlier feature films, and is a delightful story about his famous character the tramp finding and raising an orphan.

There are plenty of memorable moments throughout like when the young boy gets in a fight and Chaplin wants him to loose so he does not get beat up. Or simpler moments like the two sharing a large meal of pancakes together. The kid played by Jackie Coogan really lights up the screen with his range of emotions that come across so well. It's fascinating to see special effects they pulled off during…

Film #1 of Project 20

”A film of small smiles... and perhaps a tear."

The Kid is so beautiful, fresh, goodhearted, comically rich and emotionally striking that it’s hard to believe it’s 93 years old. Charlie Chaplin designs a very simple yet incredibly joyous film about love, emotional attachments and small glories of life which never stops amusing its viewers, the child actor, Jackie Coogan – who later became involved in a lawsuit trying to retain his earnings from his parents which resulted in Coogan Act or Child Actor’s Bill – gives an unbelievably fascinating performance and it’s fair to say that sometimes he even steals the show from Chaplin himself. The score is written by Chaplin himself, it is…