8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The Tramp and an abandoned child triumph over life's hard knocks in the landmark film that changed the notion of what a screen comedy could be.
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Carl Miller, Edna Purviance, Albert AustinDrama | 100% |
Family | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Music: LPCM 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" (1921) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus. The supplemental features on the disc include a short introduction by Chaplin biographer David Robinson; the documentary feature "Chaplin Today: The Kid"; deleted scenes; the silent short "Nice And Friendly" (1922); photo gallery; trailer reel; and more. Region-B "locked".
The Greatest
Presented in its original 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 Park Circus.
There are some good and some not so good news about this high-definition transfer.
The good news is that The Kid looks surprisingly fresh for a film of its age. There are occasional scratches, marks, and cuts that pop up here and there, but, generally speaking, the film looks healthy and stable. Detail is also substantially stronger than what I expected it to be.
The relatively bad news is that there are traces of minor filtering throughout the entire film. Additionally, there is extra sharpening that has been applied - hence the edge-enhancement that is easy to see during many of the outdoor scenes. On smaller than 50' screens the effect is not overly distracting, but on larger screens, it often is. On the positive side, the are a variety of different blacks and whites that look notably healthy, especially during the darker, indoor scenes.
The back cover of this Blu-ray release states that The Kid runs at approximately 60 minutes. The version of the film found on this disc runs at exactly 52:48 minutes.
I don't know whether or not The Kid would surface on Blu-ray in the U.S. If it does, and if it is Criterion that release it, I assume that it would probably look different. I have a feeling that it would look slightly darker, with adjusted sharpness levels, and grainier.
(Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 (Dual Mono). Obviously, the film contains English intertitles.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track sounds terrific. It has an excellent dynamic amplitude that allows the orchestral score to shine. The strings, in particular, sound outstanding. The winds, and specifically the clarinets, and brass are also a lot more prominent on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track than they are on the LPCM 2.0 track. Of course, this is not to say that the LPCM 2.0 track is inferior. In fact, there are scenes in The Kid that I felt work better with the condensed and slightly less fluid LPCM 2.0 track. So, my advice is, experiment with both, and see which one you prefer. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hiss to report in this review.
Note: All of the supplemental features are placed on a separate DVD. They are encoded in PAL.
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).
Chaplin Today: The Kid - a wonderful documentary feature focusing on 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. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).
Deleted scenes - three scenes that were deleted in 1971. (6 min).
Recording the new score - a short segment with the aged Chaplin conducting the new score for The Kid. (2 min).
Jackie Coogan dances (1920) - a short segment in which the young actor who would play the kid in Chaplin's film dances in front of the film's sponsors. (2 min).
Nice And Friendly (1922) - a silent short, starring Chaplin and Coogan, dedicated to Lord and Lady Mountbatten. (11 min).
Photo gallery - a collection of stills from the film.
Trailer reel - trailers for The Kid, A Woman in Paris, The Gold Rush, City Lights, The Circus, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, Limelight, A King in New York, etc.
I am very excited to see British distributors Park Circus releasing on Blu-ray. They have a tremendous catalog, and I have to assume that serious film aficionados will follow their output closely. Charlie Chaplin's The Kid, Park Circus' first Blu-ray release, arrives with a few issues, but it is step in the right direction. The disc is Region-B "locked".
(Still not reliable for this title)
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