the kid

1921 ***** 50 mins.

This classic film finds the Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) in possession of an abandoned child (Jackie Coogan). The mother (wonderfully portrayed by Edna Purviance) has had the child out of wedlock, so she leaves it in the backseat of a car. Later on, she longs to find her child again, but the child has grown to love the Little Tramp. The original release of the film in 1921 was actually 56 minutes in length. A musical score was added and three scenes were cut from the film in 1971. These scenes, simply, delve deeper into the character of the mother. The film does work better without the scenes. I actually have both versions of the film, so I know (!!!).
Charles Chaplin is Number 10 on AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Stars.
Not Rated.