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Charles Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Edna Purviance, Carl Miller, Tom Wilson ... see more see more... , Phyllis Allen , Nellie Bly Baker , Henry Bergman , Kitty Bradbury , Frank Campeau , Rupert Franklin , Lita Grey , Jules Hanft , Walter Lynch , Esther Ralston , Albert Austin , Henry Berman , Raymond Lee , Charles "Chuck" Riesner , Robert Dunbar , Jack Coogan Sr. , Beulah Bains , John McKinnon , Edgar Sherrod

The Kid was Charles Chaplin's first self-produced and directed feature film; 1914's 6-reel Tillie's Punctured Romance was a Mack Sennett production in which Chaplin merely co-starred.The story "with a... read more read more... smile and perhaps a tear," begins with unwed mother Edna Purviance leaving the Charity Hospital, babe in arms. Her burden is illustrated with a title card showing Christ bearing the cross. The father of the child is a poor artist who cares little for of his former lover, carelessly knocking her photo into his garret fireplace and cooly returning it there when he sees it is too badly damaged to keep. The mother sorrowfully leaves her baby in the back seat of a millionaire's limousine, with a note imploring whoever finds it to care for and love the child. But thieves steal the limo, and, upon discovering the baby, ditch the tot in an alleyway trash can. Enter Chaplin, out for his morning stroll, carefully selecting a choice cigarette butt from his well used tin. He stumbles upon the squalling infant and, after trying to palm it off on a lady with another baby in a carriage, decides to adopt the kid himself. Meanwhile Purviance has relented, but when she returns to the mansion and is told that the car has been stolen, she collapses in despair. Chaplin outfits his flat for the baby as best he can, using an old coffee pot with a nipple on the spout as a baby bottle and a cane chair with the seat cut out as a potty seat. Chaplin's attic apartment is a representation of the garret he had shared with his mother and brother in London, just as the slum neighborhood is a recreation of the ones he knew as a boy.Five years later, Chaplin has become a glazier, while his adopted son (the remarkable Jackie Coogan) drums up business for his old man by cheerfully breaking windows in the neighborhood. Purviance meanwhile has become a world famous opera singer, still haunted by the memory of her child, who does charity work in the very slums in which he now lives. Ironically, she gives a toy dog to little Coogan. Chaplin and Coogan's close calls with the law and fights with street toughs are easily overcome, but when Coogan falls ill, the attending doctor learns of the illegal adoption and summons the Orphan Asylum social workers who try to separate Chaplin from his foster son. In one of the most moving scenes in all of Chaplin's films, Chaplin and Coogan try to fight the officials, but Chaplin is subdued by the cop they have summoned. Coogan is roughly thrown into the back of the Asylum van, pleading to the welfare official and to God not to be separated from his father. Chaplin, freeing himself from the cop, pursues the orphanage van over the rooftops and, descending into the back of the truck, dispatches the official and tearfully reunites with his "son". Returning to check on the sick boy, Purviance encounters the doctor and is shown the note which she had attached to her baby five years earlier. Chaplin and Coogan, not daring to return home, settle in a flophouse for the night. The proprietor sees a newspaper ad offering a reward for Coogan's return and kidnaps the sleeping boy. After hunting fruitlessly, a grieving Chaplin falls asleep on his tenement doorstep and dreams that he has been reunited with the boy in Heaven (that "flirtatious angel" is Lita Grey, later Chaplin's second wife). Woken from his dream by the cop, he is taken via limousine to Purviance's mansion where he is welcomed by Coogan and Purviance, presumably to stay. Chaplin had difficulties getting The Kid produced. His inspiration, it is suggested was the death of his own first son, Norman Spencer Chaplin a few days after birth in 1919. His determination to make a serio-comic feature was challenged by First National who preferred two reel films, which were more quickly produced and released. Chaplin wisely gained his distributors' approval by inviting them to the studio, where he trotted out the delightful Coogan to entertain them. Chaplin's divorce case from his first wife Mildred Harris also played a part; fearing seizure of the negatives Chaplin and crew escaped to Salt Lake City and later to New York to complete the editing of the film. Chaplin's excellent and moving score for The Kid was composed in 1971 for a theatrical re-release, but used themes that Chaplin had composed in 1921. Chaplin re-edited the film somewhat for the re-release, cutting scenes that he felt were overly sentimental, such as Purviance's observing of a May-December wedding and her portrayal as a saint, outlined by a church's stained glass window. ~ Phil Posner, Rovi

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94% liked it

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100% liked it

19 critics

Unrated, 1 hr.

Directed by: Charles Chaplin

Release Date: January 21, 1921

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DVD Release Date: March 2, 2004

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The Kid Charles Chaplin and Jackie Coogan The Kid
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Flixster Reviews (799)

  • blacksheepboy
    November 10, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    Although I find unnecessary the dream sequence near the end, this is a great 6-reeler that finds the perfect balance between funny and touching - and the highlight is sweet little co-star Jackie Coogan, who steals every scene he is in.
  • bathshebamonk
    October 2, 2012
    bathshebamonk
    Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. The chemistry between Chaplin and Jackie Coogan (The Kid) is so beautifully believable. The choreography of the scenes is sublime. When the cop caught the kid (in collusion with glazier Chaplin) breaking windows and they were runnning away and ... read moreChaplin kept giving the kid the side-kick I almost split. When the kid was beating up the bigger kid,it was to die for. Magical feel--the heaven scene was wickedly good.
  • fb100000883534329
    October 27, 2011
    fb100000883534329
    This film is the perfect example of Chaplin's talent. I'm not big for silent films, even for comedies, but I had a connection to this film. The characters felt real and I felt for them. Deffinetly one of my top favorite films of all time.
  • ajv2688
    November 26, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is the best Chaplin film I've seen so far, it's heartwarming, cute, funny, and it has a simple and sad but brilliant story. I highly recommend this movie.
  • kiriyamakazou
    January 10, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Chaplin was a man of many talents and here they can all be seen and heard. The Kid is perfect silent cinema, everything displayed in the images, the scenes short but sweet and the acting is great but never over the top. The Kid manages to be hilarious and heartwarming over 80 yea... read morers since it was released. The attention to detail within scenes is quite extraordinary and Chaplin's music ties everything nicely together. At only 50 minutes this is also the perfect introduction to Chaplin's work and silent cinema in general.
  • rubystevens
    August 10, 2008
    rubystevens
    adorable :D tho i didn't really care for the dream sequence
  • pier007
    May 1, 2008
    pier007
    Another example of Chaplin's maestry to blend great comedic moments with heartwarming sensitivity. Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan are one of the best and most recognizable partners ever in a motion picture. pure silent magic.
  • mjgildea
    December 21, 2006
    mjgildea
    Fight scenes, dream sequences and vandalism are not things you expect to see in a Chaplin film but he makes them work.
  • deano
    October 12, 2006
    deano
    Hysterically silent comedy and a heart-rending story.
  • hypathio7
    April 8, 2013
    hypathio7
    Chaplin breaks free on his first directorial effort, a semi-autobiographical tale. Jackie Coogan is pure mischievous innocence. Edna Purviance is great too. The laughs and the more heart tugging moments are mixed well. The dream sequence with the angels near the end is odd and I ... read moredidn't feel it quite fit.

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Critic Reviews

Jeffrey M. Anderson
July 7, 2010
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Critics at the time praised the film for its effortless combination of comedy and pathos, which is not as easy as it looks. Full Review

Tim Brayton
March 17, 2008
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

Never so sweet that the comedy suffers, and never so funny that the drama comes off as shallow. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 10, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Slapstick funny and sentimental, in equal doses. Full Review

Mark Bourne
April 14, 2006
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com

Beautifully reflecting his growing maturity as a filmmaker as well as his ardor for the work, The Kid stands as a splendid introduction to Chaplin's movies. Full Review

John Esther
November 22, 2004
John Esther, Pasadena Weekly

A beautiful film.

Rob Blackwelder
July 29, 2004
Rob Blackwelder, SPLICEDWire

Projects such emotional veracity while getting such constant giggles that if there ever was a legitimate use of the cliché "you'll laugh, you'll cry," this is it. Full Review

Bob Bloom
May 1, 2004
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Chaplin's first feature shows his undeniable touch and his brilliant mixture of slapstick and sentiment.

John J. Puccio
April 8, 2004
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

It's hard not to like The Kid, with its old-fashioned yet endearing combination of pathos and humor. Full Review

John A. Nesbit
March 11, 2004
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews

for Charlie the people who matter all have pure hearts Full Review

Pablo Villaca
April 22, 2003
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Combinando com perfeição toques comoventes e engraçados, o filme apresenta ao mundo um dos poucos atores que, ao lado de Chaplin, não empalideceram: o garotinho Jackie Coogan.

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