| Title: | The Kid |
| Year: | 1921 |
| Producer: | Charlie Chaplin |
| Director: | Charlie Chaplin and First National |
| Distributor: | First National |
| Runtime: | 54 Minutes |
Actors / Actresses:
| Tramp | Charlie Chaplin |
| Mother | Edna Purviance |
| Boy | Jack Coogan |
| Policeman | Tom Wilson |
Summary
The Kid casts Chaplin as window repairman who runs into an orphaned child while on the street. Although Chaplin attempts to get rid of the child, he eventually takes him in and raises the child as his own. Chaplin incorporates his new son into the business of window repair by letting the child use rocks to create business of his father.
Meanwhile, the child's mother has become a show star, rich and successful. While on a charity mission throughout the city, she unwittingly encounters her son on the streets. Telling Chaplin to call the doctor because the boy is sick, she (either knowingly or unknowingly) sets the events in motion that will lead to ...
Importance
Although it did not win any awards, the Kid is often considered Chaplin's best film. The semi-serious storyline and the believable acting is topped off by a plot that plants the institution against two poor individuals. The film gives a modern audience a clear look at Chaplin without an his usual level of comedy and at his acting ability. The fight scences also show a low level of sophistication that movie makers used during the time.
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