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…

It's a rugged, filthy, hard-knock life for Charlie Chaplin's Tramp, who barely has the means to keep himself fed and under a roof at night, much less to provide for the abandoned infant he's just stumbled across in an alleyway. Circumstance has put the two together, though, and after using his wit to get through the child's early years, the Tramp's put him to work as part of a slightly-shady window replacement scheme. They aren't exactly living above the board, and the policeman always seems to stumble by at precisely the wrong moment, but they're happy and the care they have for one another shines bright despite the absence of a voice track. Chaplin, of course, was already an expert…

In many ways, perhaps the sweetest film ever made. But The Kid still, like all of Chaplin's films, is a very sad one. There's still barely enough to eat, authorities still antagonize only the proletarian classes, the "proper care and attention" of an orphanage only causes social disruption. Even as charming as the window breaking sequence is, the Tramp and the Kid have to resort to illegal work in order to make enough money to afford to eat. The Welfare Officer refuses to even speak to the Tramp, and speaks to him through a surrogate, in the Tramp's own home.

The ending is a deus-ex machina; the Tramp's look of bewilderment towards the camera as he's put incredulously into a…

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…

95%
Happy 100th anniversary The Kid! 

The Kid is such a charming and sweet silent comedy/drama from Charlie Chaplin. This is just a delight. It’s funny. It’s a bit sad. It’s heartwarming. It’s fun. It’s so adorable. Might be my favorite Chaplin film not sure. Contemplating giving this 5 stars. Not sure I will though. I liked it a lot more on rewatch I must say. I’m really glad I watched it for it’s 100th anniversary which is crazy by the way. I can’t believe this is that old. Like wow. The comedy really works well. Not all of it lands but a lot. I guess I’m a sucker for silent humor. Chaplin is a great silent actor. He is…

Truly An Enduring Work

This one sort of surprised me at how much I enjoyed it.  There’s something to be said about how lasting Chaplin’s legacy is.  Initially I watched this a bit skeptical, as it was a silent film - worried if I would be able to connect and empathize with the characters.  I’m glad my reservations were wrong.

As someone who loved Chaplin as a child, I wondered whether or not these fond memories would still hold.  There’s always the films that we can only enjoy at a certain stage and mindset in our lives, but I now truly understand why Chaplin is one of the greats, seeing this as an adult: it can be enjoyed at any…

Yesterday I watched and commented on Chaplin's The Gold Rush, saying that it displayed Chaplin's blooming, unique talent for blending slapstick with the sentimental. I was part right. Gold Rush does illustrate Charlie's ability to give us something heartwarming and funny, but it wasn't a blooming talent since with The Kid he was already nailing it.

I love that the film shows it age with the stage-center, front-facing actions on screen and the frequent glances at us, the audience. Although it's a dated format now, it's also a very charming experience. Jackie Coogan's performance and the musical score are 10/10. Criterion's restorations are so beautiful and this one is no exception -- I feel like I'm never going to stop…