The Kid Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Kid Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 31, 2015

Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" (1921) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; short introduction by Chaplin biographer David Robinson; the documentary feature "Chaplin Today: The Kid"; deleted scenes; the silent short "Nice And Friendly" (1922); and more. Region-B "locked".

The troublemaker

Charlie Chaplin struggled enormously when he made The Kid. At the time he had compromised himself in a highly publicized relationship with 17-year-old actress Mildred Harris, and was experiencing a creative block, arguably one of the worst in his career. The couple married in 1918, and, in 1919, Harris gave birth to a boy who lived only three days. Chaplin was devastated.

Nevertheless, Chaplin immediately went back to work. He began preparation for a film titled The Waif, in which the Tramp would adopt a child. At the same time, while attending a musical, Chaplin met the young Jackie Coogan, who would become the star of The Kid.

In The Kid, a disillusioned mother (Edna Purviance) decides to commit suicide. She leaves her newly born child in an expensive car with a note urging those who find it to take good care of it; then, she heads to a nearby park. Two men steal the car and discover the child. They leave the child next to a garbage can and run away. The Tramp (Chaplin) discovers the child and decides to keep it.

Five years later, the Tramp and the kid (Coogan) have formed a profitable union – the kid breaks windows, the Tramp mends them. One day, a cop (Tom Wilson) figures out what the two are up to and trouble ensues.

Meanwhile, the mother of the kid has become a successful opera singer. Full of remorse, she is determined to discover the child she once abandoned. While wandering around the city, the mother witnesses a brawl, in which a poorly dressed man, the Tramp, encourages a beautiful kid to fight.

The kid gets sick and the Tramp asks a doctor (Jules Hanft) to examine him. Before he leaves, the doctor asks the Tramp if he is the father of the kid. The Tramp shows him the note he found when he discovered the kid. The doctor takes the note and later on accidentally shows it to the kid's mother.

Representatives of the County Orphanage Asylum arrive and attempt to take the kid from the Tramp. A policeman - and it is the same one who has already seen the kid and the Tramp working the streets - also appears. A fight ensues, and the County Orphanage Asylum representatives take the kid away from the Tramp. He follows them and jumps in their truck. Shortly after, the Tramp runs away with the kid.

The Tramp and the kid decide to spend the night in a fleabag hotel. While reading his newspaper, the owner (Henry Bergman) notices that there is a hefty reward for the kid. While the Tramp is asleep, he takes the kid and runs to the Police. On the following morning, the kid is reunited with his mother.

The Tramp returns home. He is devastated. He falls asleep and dreams of being in Heaven where angels are everywhere. A few teach him how to fly. The Devil (Jack Coogan Sr.) sees the Tramp and decides to play a trick on him. He tells a beautiful angel (Lita Grey) to vamp him. When she begins flirting with the Tramp, her jealous boyfriend arrives (Charles Reisner), ready to deal with him. Before things get messy, a policeman appears…and wakes up the Tramp.

Chaplin’s most personal and arguably his most beloved film, The Kid is the one and only of his films in which he has a formidable partner. Coogan and his mimicking are often as good, if not better, as Chaplin’s.

In The Kid, Chaplin blends comedy and drama to perfection. Many of the film’s funniest scenes, such as the one where the Tramp challenges the representatives of the County Orphanage Asylum, are also its saddest ones. Additionally, there is something enormously poignant about the manner in which the Tramp and the kid communicate with each other; their emotions and feelings feel pure and real.

The Kid Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charlie Chaplin's The Kid arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye.

This release also appears to have been sourced from the MK2 master which Park Circus accessed when they prepared their -- already out-of-print -- release of The Kid in 2010. Naturally, one should not expect to see any improvements.

Generally speaking, the film looks fresher than it does on the old R1 DVD and in many areas also healthier. However, the same filtering and sharpening adjustments that are present on the Park Circus release are also visible here. The sharpening, in particular, could be somewhat distracting if one views the film on a larger screen. Clarity and depth fluctuate, but plenty of the fluctuations are actually inherited. Quite a few of them, for instance, can be seen before and after transitions. The good news here is that even though time has left its mark there is still a good variety of grays, blacks, and whites (see screencapture #3). Also, image stability is good, though occasional shaky transitions, skips, and edge flicker remain. Ultimately, I think that The Kid could look better in high-definition. If the adjustments mentioned earlier are avoided, the film will have a better balanced organic appearance. However, I also think that in quite a few areas clarity and depth will remain fairly underwhelming because there are obvious source limitations. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Kid Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. The film has white English intertitles.

The music is crisp, clean, and well rounded. Balance between the strings and the woodwinds, in particular, is very good. There is a good range of nuanced dynamics as well. Stability is very good. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

The Kid Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by David Robinson - a short introduction to The Kid by the Chaplin biographer in which he quickly notes a few interesting facts from the film's fascinating history. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Deleted Scenes - three scenes that were deleted in 1971. Silent. (6 min).

• Chaplin Today: The Kid - a wonderful documentary feature focusing on Charlie Chaplin's unique relationship with Jackie Coogan as well as his work on The Kid. The documentary also includes a great commentary by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami (The Wind Will Carry Us). In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Nice and Friendly (1922) - a silent short, starring Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan, dedicated to Lord and Lady Mountbatten. (11 min).

• Jackie Coogan at the Chaplin Studios - a short segment in which the young actor who would play the kid in Charlie Chaplin's film dances in front of the film's sponsors. Silent. (2 min).

• Recording the New Score - a short segment with the aged Charlie Chaplin conducting the new score for The Kid. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailers - original trailers for The Kid and The Idle Class. In English and German. (9 min).

• Extracts from the Films in The Charlie Chaplin Collection - (11 min).

The Kid Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Kid is Charlie Chaplin's most personal and arguably most beloved film. It is also the one and only film in which the iconic actor has a formidable partner. This upcoming release of The Kid is sourced from the same master which Park Circus used to produce for their first high-definition release. Clearly, it is more convincing than previous DVD releases of The Kid, but I think that the film could look even better in high-definition. Regardless, at the moment there isn't a better release on the home video market. RECOMMENDED.