review of the film kid

1. Charlie Chaplin was perhaps the most innovative auteur of the
silent era and certainly the most famous. His character, the
Tramp, is now a cultural icon and will forever be a symbol of
poverty and travesty that was American society in the early
20th century, but something all of us can overcome.
In one of his first roles with this character, he played opposite
a very young Jackie Coogan, who would go on to play Uncle
Fester in the cult TV series The Addams Family. Taking himself
and this very talented young boy, Chaplin made a masterwork;
one that he truly could call his own as he wrote, directed,
starred in and composed the score for this film.
Here, Chaplin feeds to one of the most basic of all human
desires: to care for a child and be needed and loved by one
another. The Tramp finds an abandoned baby in an alley and in
order to not be caught by a policeman he takes the child in as
his own. He hasn't got much but he does have love, which is
more than can be said for the child's mother.
Flash forward five years, and now the mother wants her son
back. Circumstances arise and soon the Tramp is fighting for
the right to keep his little companion. Even so, the story is thin
but I believe Chaplin was going for something more deep and
meaningful. This also gave him a chance to work on some
different visual styles and comedic gimmicks, things not used
much at the time in the movies. Using these little tricks and
ideas, Chaplin creates a real persona not just for himself but
also the supporting cast and involving us in the story.
However, at the heart of the story are the emotions about
fighting for the right to be a parent/guardian; someone the kid
can look up to and sleep beside and confide in. It tugs at your
heart all while making you laugh, sometimes in the same
scene. This shows the work of a true genius; someone who

2. knew what he wanted to create and the style in which he
wanted to portray it.