Old Films’ Review: ‘The Kid’ (1921)

photo edited by Laura Lai 

by Laura Lai/ Review

Director & Producer – Charlie Chaplin

Main Actors – Edna Purviance (the mother), Jackie Coogan (the kid), Charlie Chaplin (the tramp)

Instead of continuing to review old movies from where I last stopped – meaning, the year 1934 – I preferred to pause and return to the silent movie, The Kid (1921). The reason I find it justified and joyful is the celebration of 100 years since Chaplin’s first directed and produced movie.

The Kid is a captivating comedy about the story of an orphan child, John (Jackie Coogan) abandoned by his helpless mother in a beautiful car in front of a beautiful house. The car got stolen by two villains, with the child inside. Then, the villains abandoned the child – that is the second time he’s abandoned the same day – in a poor neighborhood where he was found and raised by a tramp (Charlie Chaplin). In the meantime, his mother who discovered that the car was stolen never gave up looking for her child. Five years later, following an illness of the child and a doctor consultation, the whole truth about John is discovered.

The story unfolds with lots of funny and captivating scenes – it would be hard for me to choose a favorite one. However, an interesting detail that transcends all scenes of this silent movie is evident: a series of religious symbols.

When the child was abandoned, the movie showed Jesus carrying his cross; when the mother carried her child helplessly, the image of St. Mary with the child was suggested; in the same line of ideas, there was also a quote (‘If he smites you on one cheek, offer him the other one’); and I guess an even more subtle one is when the mother and the child accidentally met without knowing that they were mother and child. This scene is an allusion to the religious quote from John, 19:26 – ‘Woman, here is your son!’ Last, but not least, was the ‘dreamland’ scene. In this scene, the tramp was an angel and so was John. Here, there were love and understanding, and harmony with other neighbor angels until the devil got into his poor paradise and took the child away, and broke the wings of the tramp.

            This scene is visually very beautiful and symbolically very powerful – it concentrates the substance of the entire movie. Indeed, it is one of my favorites. I also loved the scenes in which the tramp appears with the kid because Chaplin’s smile is more generous than ever and his eyes and face are more shining than ever. He must have loved to have such a talented kid as a scene partner!

Edna Purviance and Charlie Chaplin are two actors with a long collaboration – the viewers are familiar with their acting talent. But the kid (Jackie Coogan) was a great surprise: his beauty transcends the simplicity of the black and white screen; his expressiveness in a silent movie is outstanding for a five-year-old child.

            If Charlie Chaplin would have included me in his ‘Dreamland’ scene, I would not be either an angel or a devil, but the president of the Oscar Awards – meaning God himself .J  And I would award this child the Oscar for the best actor. But the reality is no dreamland, I am neither God nor the president of any awards commission and I can award this beautiful and talented kid, the Oscar of my heart for the best actor.

For the story, plot, cast, and the way this movie was directed and produced by Charlie Chaplin, I rate the movie The Kid with 5/5 stars and I wish everybody to … ENJOY THE MOVIE!