The Kid (1921)

General Description Charlie "The Tramp" Chaplain happens upon a baby (The Kid) that he ultimately ends up raising. Through a series of events the kid's mother is trying to locate that baby years later.Music: 10/10 -- very bright and colorful sound track, that allowed for the expressions of the character to transcend. From speedy romp music, to slow melancholy, all the way to riveting fight music. This score truly plucks your emotion in a way that makes you feel more into that scene.Story:9/10 -- Premise of the story is sad and somber. Mother has child with a man, he abandons her, she abandons the child. The tramp finds the kid in an alley and tries to ditch him like the plague. The universe has a funny way of showing Chaplain that this is meant to be. Fast forward 5 years. The mother finds herself prominent in the entertainment industry, but longing for the one thing she can never have back -her baby. What will the mother do if she were to know her child is right under her nose this whole time. Watch to find out.Acting: 10/10 -- For me this is a tough category, by my interpretation a lot of acting comes from mannerisms, expressions, and delivery of the message their character has. Each and every character in this movie felt extremely unique (to their world) and had impact. From the nurse and doctor in the opening scene, all the way to dreamland each character is able to convey their role to utmost certainty without a word ever being spoken. You can see that body language truly does speak volumes, when used properly. This is a skill often forgotten in current films.Overall Score: 9.7/10 Explanation of grading. the music being top notch really exemplified what the story was reaching at. Overall the premise of the story is simple which allowed for the comedy, and sadness to be felt all the more while not being convoluted. The cohesion of everything was able to take simple movements, and simple technology from 1920s and turn this into a timeless classic that even a new viewer like myself can enjoy.

This is a wonderful two disc set; the first disc containing the movie itself, restored and with a musical score composed by Chaplin in the early 1970's for the re-release of the film.The story itself concerns an unwed mother who can't keep her child. She writes a note and leaves the child where he might be found. The child is found by the Little Tramp (Charles Chaplin) who tries to find someone to take the baby. Eventually he keeps the child and claims it as his own. He brings up the child in abject poverty, and the affection and caring between the two makes this a very touching film. Probably the most heart-wrenching scene in all Chaplin films, is in "the Kid." The child at one point is being taken away from the Tramp when it is discovered that he is not the child's real father. The child (Jackie Coogan) is crying pitifully and reaching out to the Tramp as he is being taken away from the only home and parent he has ever known. The film includes comedy, of course, but the pathos and sweetness of the film makes it one of my all time favorites.On the second disc, there are many supplementary features, the first is a short documentary by David Robinson, Chaplin's biographer which sets the film in its historical perspective and background. This disc also includes deleted scenes, several shorts starring Jackie Coogan and Chaplin, one is footage of Chaplin recording the new musical score in 1972. A longer feature included is "My Boy," starring Jackie Coogan and running 55 minutes. A feature I truly enjoyed is "How to Make Movies" recorded in 1918 and showing Chaplin's studio and a little bit "behind the scenes" of what went into making movies in that era.One interesting observation on my part, is that I have a hard time believing that this movie was made in 1921! It seems so fresh and timeless. Part of that may be due to the beautiful musical score and restoration of the film, but the story is so touching and well-acted that you forget that it is a silent film.Altogether, this is an excellent DVD set, essential to every Chaplin fan or vintage movie fan.

Every Chaplin film, a masterpiece!This man was a great genius, so much of his work was way before its time &, to this day, unparalleled.From the composition of the accompanying musical score to the moment the celluloid reel was literally in the can, Chaplin obsessed over every aspect, down to the most minuscule detail like a man possessed - and it shows! Once you know that & watch any of his movies, you have an even greater appreciation for the man.He AND his "Little Tramp" tugged at my heartstrings during the first movie I saw him in, & still does to this day!*I sustained extensive burn injuries in an accident June 3 of '06 - and barely survived. When I came out of a drug-induced coma after 10.5 weeks, I faced a long rehabilitation period before I could be released. The hospital staff told my family to bring some things from home that might ease my restlessness & make me feel happier in general. One of the items they brought was my Chaplin DVD Collection.I was still battling the mental fogginess that follows the drugs used to "keep me under", & was unaware of the majority of comings and goings - family OR staff. Unfortunately, someone chose to take advantage of my mental state, & my belongings fell prey to their sticky fingers.The music CD's that "walked away" were no big deal to me, but I was DEVASTATED over the loss of my DVD's (and hurt that someone would stoop so low).That's the best way I know of to illustrate what a HUGE fan I am.I hope more people go back to using his artform as their form of entertainment. I think it might make the world a little bit gentler & a LOT happier!

I was curious to see if a film of this age would look much better on Blu-ray, and I have to say it does. Of course it can't match the quality of later films, but you can see the resolution is still higher than you can get on a DVD. The Blu-ray sticks to the original film format, which I prefer. There's no stretching of the picture or cropping to make it fit a TV screen. Like most of these classic films, it has been well restored. The only flaws you can see are an occasional minor vertical scratch. It gives you a good idea of what this film must have looked like to the original audience. I'm finding films more enjoyable on Blu-ray. There's more detail, more to look at, bringing out things you never noticed before. They seem to have sorted out the problem of the missing DVDs with this series. The Extras are the same as those released on DVD before.

Some scenes were omitted. This was bought for my parents who were not at all happy with it. They have requested tat I purchase another The Kid DVD

This was bought as a gift for an elderly friend & she enjoyed it very much. It's an old silent movie, in black & white, but worth watching.

Exellent 4 k restoration. Picture is superb.

Criterion bluray great transfer brilliant extras .