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The Kid
1921 · Film · 68 min
Directed by Charlie Chaplin
A tramp cares for a boy after he's abandoned as a newborn by his mother. Later the mother has a change of heart and aches to be reunited with her son.
5 positivefrom 5 commenters
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5 comments on Hacker News
If you get the chance, it can be quite the experience to watch a screening of a silent movie where the music is played live, like they did back in the day. Sometimes they are played with newly-composed scores.
Some directors/movies that can be worth checking out are:
Victor Sjöström – The Phantom Carriage
Mauritz Stiller – The Saga of Gösta Berling
Charlie Chaplin – The Kid
Fritz Lang – The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
M by Fritz Lang, 1931. It does have a soundtrack but very minimal. Music is an essential part of this movie. Metropolis.
1 o’clock in the morning with Charlie Chaplin. Also his: the Gold Rush, the Kid, the Great Dictator.
Anyone looking to get into silent film, I'd strongly recommend comedies (including, and perhaps especially, Chaplin and Keaton) as a good starting point. I've gotten to the point that I can truly enjoy a lot of silent dramas, but IMO the comedies are far more approachable for a modern audience. Good gateway drug.
Just off the more famous films (The Great Dictator and Modern Times and maybe City Lights for Chaplin, or The General for Keaton, say) I'd recommend The Kid for Chaplin, and Sherlock, Jr. for Keaton. And of course both made numerous short films, in addition to their features. Though the very-famous ones are all great, too—I especially love City Lights, personally.
Been meaning to check out Harold Lloyd (responsible for one of the most enduring and imitated images in Hollowood, the guy hanging on the clock on the side of a building, featured in Safety Last) but haven't made it to him yet. I bet he "reads" pretty well to a modern viewer, too.
[EDIT] Some beginner drama recommendations, for those who feel ready:
Metropolis (duh... though it's a bit on the long side, maybe skip if you can't tolerate longer movies, and it's maybe a bit belabored for modern sensibilities)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (just... damn. This is a perfect movie.)
L'Âge D'or (The Golden Age—but, uh, maybe just if you appreciate things a bit more art house)
Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon—it's short, and, if one plays with various accompanying soundtrack options, including some more modern ones, one may find it transcendently good)
M (yes Fritz Lang made this very short list twice, because fuck you this movie is amazing, this is maybe the most modern-feeling of this whole bunch)
The Kid is a powerful film depicting Lee Chaplin's childhood experiences. Chaplin, who lived in small rooms in Kennington Road, which turned from darkness to darkness in London, suffered in many ways with his mother and brother Sidney. He has managed to create most of these characteristics in the roles of the kid and the small child in the movie Kid.
Just watched "The Kid" for the first time expecting a silent "Three Stooges" sort of film. I was captivated by the depth of Chaplin's work, and of silent films in general.
I'm not a connosieur of cinema, and my initial expectations for silent films must have been set by those GIFs of Buster Keaton regularly posted on Reddit.
All in all a very pleasant surprise.