The Kid was Charlie Chaplin’s first direction of a feature-length film. Film lovers might argue as to which among Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, etc. was the greatest work of the inimitable genius, but this bittersweet comedy sure remains among his most popular films; in fact, one might even make a case for it by stating that this was the movie that made “The Tramp” a part of pop-culture lexicon. A poor woman abandons her newborn son, born out of wedlock, and as luck would have it, he ends up in the arms of the Tramp, an unemployed, smartly-dressed vagabond with a large heart. Five years later, the two have become inseparable companions – he takes care of the kid like a loving foster father, while the kid in turn helps him earn a few bucks (courtesy some ingenious, if crooked, ideation). The film is filled with dollops of sentimentalism. But, instead of that acting as a hindrance to the movie, it actually works for it by being a potent balancing force for Chaplin’s signature slapstick sequences. The movie boasts of a much talked about dream sequence which, though, I felt, seemed a tad incoherent vis-à-vis the rest of the film. Special mention must be made of the performance of “The Kid” – it is impossible to fathom how Chaplin, despite the genius that he was, managed to elicit such an incredible performance from the 7-year old Jackie Coogan. Though largely bereft of the kind of searing socio-political observations present in his later films, The Kid does remain an indelible part of Chaplin’s vaunted oeuvre.
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Slapstick
Language: Silent
Country: US
