Early Hollywood and the Globalization of Cinema (1910’s-20’s)
FOCUS: Looking At Movies
Films for discussion and exploration…
The Kid (Charlie Chaplin, 1921)
Readings
Flashback - Chapter 3
Short Guide - Chapter 3
Looking at Movies - Chapter 1
Week 02 Notes
Week 02 Screening Report Journal
Film: THE KID
Screening Date: 2011-09-19
IMDB Link: http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0012349/
A. Briefly describe what your expectations for the film were? What did you already know about the film and from what source? What did you know about the country and historical period/style of its origin? Did you know anything about the director? What was the most important feature of the film you were looking for?
I was looking forward to watching Charlie Chaplin’s first hour long feature length silent film, released in 1921, The Kid, as I had never seen this specific film before. Prior to watching The Kid, I had seen a number of Chaplin’s short films (which I own), that he had made while he worked for the Keystone Film Company. And although I own the two Warner Bros. sets titled “the Chaplin Collection”, prior to this course I had only watched Gold Rush and The Great Dictator.
I knew that the film was one of Chaplin’s most enduring features and from watching Richard Attenborough’s 1992 film Chaplin the night before our class screening, I knew that:
The Kid was made shortly after the death of Chaplin’s first child (who only lived for three days);
Chaplin began working on The Kid at the same time that he was going through a separation and divorce from his first wife, Mildred Harris;
During the divorce proceedings, Chaplin was editing The Kid and had to do the work in secret as he was afraid his wife and her lawyer would confiscate the film (which is portrayed in a unique and funny way during the 1992 film, ending in a “chase” scene that could have played out in any of Chaplin’s own films); and
In 1919, Chaplin had co-founded the United Artists film production company with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffiths, who all wanted more flexibility and creative control over the films they produced.
I also knew that Chaplin re-cut The Kid in 1971, axing a number of scenes and compose a new musical score to accompany his film. During the time Chaplin made The Kid, World War I had just ended in November 1918, which the United States had been involved. Following the Great War, America would attempt to again retreat into itself under government policies that favored isolationism and self-reliance from the rest of the world. Financially, America was on fairly stable ground even though Europe was rebuilding from the devastation of World War 1. I believe America at this time was referred to as the “Roaring 20s,” with the great stock market collapse and effects of the Great Depression being just over a decade away. Finally, I also knew that Chaplin worked in Hollywood, California, where filmmaking, as a fairly new art form, was just beginning. At this time, due to the limitations of the technology, films were silent and shot on black & white film stock. But movie theatres were replacing vaudeville houses as a place Americans went to for escape and entertainment.
In terms of comedian, director and writer Charlie Chaplin, I knew that he started as a comedic vaudeville performer who travelled and performed with various groups across a number of countries including Canada. In fact, when Chaplin was in his early 20s, he appeared on the stage of Vancouver’s Pantages Theatre on Hastings Street [as seen in Artifact 01 below, which had been constructed in 1907 and until its recent and unfortunate demolition in 2011 (despite efforts to restore and revive the theatre) had been the oldest remaining Pantages Theatre in North America]. Finally, I knew that Chaplin was a pioneer filmmaker who worked hard and always strove to top himself and push the limits of his creativity even further with each successive film. Overall, I looked forward to seeing how Chaplin would tell his story visually, without the use of sound.
Instructor’s Feedback: Don’t use bullet points, try to keep the information in paragraph form… I didn’t know that - great information (about Chaplin performing in Vancouver).
ARTIFACT 01 > Photographer Unknown. “The Pantages Theatre, 1912.”
B. Using Chapter 3 of Corrigan’s Short Guide to Writing About Film as a guide, describe and outline some of the main themes explored in the film, the primary narrative, the main characters, and discuss the point of view the film takes.
The Kid is Charlie Chaplin’s attempt to create a story that seamlessly balances both aspects of dramatic and comedic storytelling. This is made clear by the film’s first main title card when it states: “A picture with a smile – and perhaps, a tear.” Structurally, Chaplin has very clearly broken down the film into acts of drama followed by “acts” of comedy, as follows:
Act 1 – Introduction to the Woman’s dilemma;
Act 2 – Introduction to the Tramp and how he becomes a surrogate father;
Act 3 – Misadventure: Smashing Windows;
Act 4 – Drama: Scenes of Bonding;
Act 5 – Misadventure: Kids Fighting;
Act 6 – Drama: The Kid’s Malady, State Intervention & The Chase;
Act 7 – Misadventure: Scenes at the Shelter; and
Final Act – The Dream Sequence and Reunion of the Woman, the Kid & the Tramp.
And within each of these “acts,” the line between drama and comedy is broken down further as each scene contains a fine mix of both. All of this serves as a means to lay down his narrative and explore the ideas he is interested in. Across each of these acts, The Kid explores a number of ideas thru its characters, there interactions and the situations they are involved in.
The main protagonist of the Woman faces the dilemma of being a young mother who is single and alone. Chaplin places a very strong emphasis on her point of view and her dilemma, going as far as relating her burden to that of Christ’s by even showing viewers an image of Christ carrying the cross. Without a doubt, during the time period in which the film was made, a woman did not enjoy the freedoms women enjoy today. First and foremost, women did not lead a single life. There was no access to birth control. Religious and societal constraints would have demanded that upon becoming a young adult, a woman was likely expected to remain virgins until they married a husband who would care and provide for the woman and any children they had. Should a woman become pregnant outside of the bonds of marriage, she (and her child) more than likely faced a bleak future.
Chaplin balances her point of view with that of the film’s second protagonist, a Tramp, who is forced to change the course of his life when he becomes a surrogate father to the child the Woman ultimately abandons early on. This Tramp names the baby John (a name of Hebrew origin which means “God is gracious” – and with that name Chaplin is certainly suggesting that God has been gracious with his gift of a child to this Tramp). Many scenes illustrate the close bond that develop between this Tramp and John.
Another key theme explored by The Kid deals with how each character deals with a loss of innocence. The Woman’s innocence is lost when she gives birth to the Kid – her future is bleak. This Tramp is forced to take on the serious role of surrogate father and the Kid’s innocence is lost thru no fault of his own as he and this Tramp have to work together to survive the urban squalor in which they live.
Ultimately we are unsure of how things will play out as the ending is left open to interpretation. The Woman has been reunited with John, and this Tramp is also reunited with John. But whether this Tramp will have visitation rights or further involvement with the raising of John remains unanswered.
C. Please pinpoint one memorable scene of the film and describe its mise-en-scène (elements and techniques of visual style—that is, both elements on the set and/or aspects of the camera movement and editing choices—see Corrigan pp. 51-57 for help with this aspect).
Chaplin sets his camera up as a silent observer, one that smoothly records and follows the action of each scene as it plays out. In the film’s first act, Chaplin introduces us to one of the film’s three protagonists as well as to her dilemma with a title card that reads: “The Woman – whose sin was motherhood.” Actress Edna Purviance’s array of emotional facial expressions portrays the Woman as being very sad, dour and somber as she leaves a Charity Hospital with the film’s second protagonist, a small baby cradled in her arms. With this, another title card that reads: “Alone.” Chaplin shows his female protagonist isolated and alone in a park as she cradles her baby.
Then, Chaplin cross-cuts to another scene which shows her suitor, the father of her child, a young artist who, in his own way appears to be working hard to make it on his own. The Man has the tools of his trade on display in this scene, with a work in progress painting sitting on an easel. The scene clearly shows how he has abandoned the Woman when he accidentally knocks a photograph of the Woman into the fireplace. Upon discovering his accident, the artist at first tries to save the photograph, but upon quick reflection decides to let her burn in the fire as he moves on with selling his work to a gentleman in the room. As such, there can be no doubt that the encounter between this Man and Woman was nothing more than a one night stand of lust and passion, as opposed to a serious romance with the prospect of a solid future together.
Ultimately, all of these early scenes illustrate the turmoil the Woman is faced with. Throughout all of these opening scenes, the music is slow, dramatic and melodious and functions to highlight the drama in the life of the Woman as she struggles to deal with her dilemma. And like the mother of Moses, who set Moses adrift on the Nile River when she could no longer keep him; the Woman in The Kid parts ways with her child by placing the child in the back seat of a fancy car parked in front of a mansion. Finally, the last scene of this dramatic opening act ends with the child being stolen and left in an ally way by a pair of gangster like thieves.
Instructor’s Feedback: Great dense details!
D. Overall, what were your impressions of the film? Describe one way that the film met your expectations and one way that the film surprised and/or exceeded your expectations.
Overall, I found The Kid to be surprisingly moving and light hearted at the same time. I enjoyed how the actor’s portrayed their emotions without the use of dialogue and I also like how Chaplin limited the use of title cards in his films. He let the visuals and the actors speak instead. For example, when the woman leaves the hospital, thru their actions and facial expressions, you can sense the attendant is asking the nurse “do you think she will be okay?” and you can sense the nurse replies in the affirmative. Finally, I liked how the film moved along at a surprisingly fast pace. Even with the absence of dialogue, each scene serves to move the plot and the relationships between its characters forward.
E. Describe elements of the film’s formal aspects (how the film looks visually on the screen independent of meaning), and the content (the story or stories of the film).
Chaplin is a skilled storyteller and he sets his camera up as a silent observer, one that smoothly records and follows the action of each scene as it plays out. The film’s final act is a fanciful dream sequence in which this Tramp relives what he has experienced over the course of the film as the sequence closely mirrors the story of the film that has just played out. The main set has been redressed. Gone is the dingy squalor and urban decay of the street he lives on – replaced with a clean street and new apartments complete with the lush greenery of vines and other plants. It’s a beautiful set representative of an idealized world in which all the characters are dressed as angels – innocent, kind and loving towards one another – able to fly high above and thru the world in which they live. But over the course of this dream, Chaplin reinforces the idea that innocence can be lost and that even the most idealized situation can be infringed upon and altered by outside forces. And this Tramp ultimately ends up alone at the end of this dream turned nightmare, as he was when he first fell asleep.
INSTRUCTOR’S FEEDBACK
I can see your passion and interest in film well exemplified in your journals. Fantastic detail and attention to the nuances of camera work and mis-en-scene. You also spent some time discussing contextual elements to - all great additions to your reflections!
POSITIVES: Great detail and attention to visuals. Historical context. Thoughtful Reflections
WORK ON: Your final 2-3 reviews lacked the same attention and detail as your first few reviews. Add more detail to questions D and E, even if it means less detail is given to questions A and B.
GRADE: A / A+
A pdf copy of this assignment can be found here.