Silent Era Home Page > DVD > The Kid DVD Review
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Reviews of silent film releases on DVD home video.
Copyright © 1999-2008 by Carl Bennett. All Rights Reserved.
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The Kid
(1921)
on
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The Kid (1921) is among Charles Chaplin’s best-known films, and the one that made a star of little Jackie Coogan. Coogan, Chaplin and Edna Purviance all give sterling performances this film which is one of Chaplin’s finest productions, a film that strikes an impressive balance between comedy and pathos. Who is not effected by the separation scene, with Coogan wrenching the audience’s heart with his performance? Only the callous. The Kid is necessary for any serious silent film collection. — Carl Bennett
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 2004 Warner Home Video edition
The Kid (1921), black & white, 50 minutes, not rated, with My Boy (1922), black & white, 55 minutes, not rated.
Warner Home Video, 37645,
UPC 0-85393-76452-4, ISBN 0-7907-7162-4.
Full-frame 4:3 NTSC, two single-sided, dual-layered DVD discs, Region 1, ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and 2.0 mono sound, English, Spanish and Portuguese language menus, English language intertitles, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese, Korean and Thai language subtitles, chapter stops, cardboard wrap case with plastic trays in cardboard slipcase, $29.95.
DVD release date: 2 March 2004.
Country of origin: USA
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 This new edition of The Kid, sanctioned by the Estate of Charles Chaplin, has been digitally restored from the original Chaplin negative and is very likely to be the best available edition of the film on home video.
This set is highly recommended for both its artistic content and for its superb visual quality.
A wonderful viewing experience.
USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase
a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com. |
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Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase
a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca. |
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 2000 CBS/Fox Home Video edition
The Kid (1921), black & white, 68 minutes, not rated, with A Dog’s Life (1918), black & white, 35 minutes, not rated.
CBS/Fox Home Video, ID9178CUDVD, UPC 0-14381-91782-6.
Full-frame 4:3 NTSC, one single-sided, single-layered DVD disc, Region 1, ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 1.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops, snapper case, $29.99.
DVD release date: 8 February 2000.
Country of origin: USA
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 This edition of Chaplin’s second feature film, his first self-produced and self-directed feature, also presents the Chaplin short film A Dog’s Life (1918). It appears that the masters from the 1993 Chaplin: A Legacy of Laughter laserdisc series will be utilized for this and other year 2000 Chaplin DVD releases.
USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase
a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com. |
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Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase
a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca. |
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 2002 Navarre Corporation edition
The Kid (1921), black & white, 68 minutes, not rated, with The Joyless Street (1925), color-toned black & white, 61 minutes, not rated, and The Extra Girl (1923), color-toned black & white, 69 minutes, not rated.
Navarre Corporation, 1630, UPC 7-41027-16309-4.
Full-frame 4:3 NTSC, one single-sided, dual-layered DVD disc, Region 1, 3 Mbps average video bit rate, 192 kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 6 chapter stops, keep case, $9.98.
DVD release date: 16 April 2002.
Country of origin: USA
Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 4 / additional content: 7 / overall: 6.
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 The quality of this edition of The Kid is a pleasant surprise. The video transfer utilizes an excellent 35mm print that is only marred by very light speckling and a few examples of emulsion damage. The film opens without a main title, however the remainder of the print appears to be complete. The transfer is generously cropped, and the print features a broad range of graytones with very good image detail. Despite the relatively low video bit rate, the picture is acceptably smooth and is very watchable. The Kid has previously appeared on DVD in a high-quality edition from CBS/Fox Home Video, produced by David Shepard.
USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase
a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com. |
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Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase
a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca. |
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200? Reel Classics edition
The Kid (1921), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with Pay Day (1922), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, and Charlie on the Ocean (1921), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.
Reel Classics, unknown catalog number, no UPC number.
Full-frame 4:3 NTSC, one single-sided, single-layered DVD-R disc, Region 0, ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? kbps audio bit rate, PCM 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops, keep case, $20.00.
DVD release date: 200?
Country of origin: USA
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This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print, which is thought to be closer to the original release version, with two of the films accompanied by a music score performed by Matthew John Marshall.
This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc is available directly from Reel Classic.
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Other silent era Charles Chaplin films available on DVD home video:
Chaplin’s Essanay Comedies Volume 1
Chaplin’s Essanay Comedies Volume 2
Chaplin’s Essanay Comedies Volume 3
The Chaplin Mutual Comedies, 90th Anniversary Edition (1916-1917)
The Chaplin Revue (1918-1923)
The Circus (1928)
City Lights (1931)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914)
A Woman of Paris (1923)
Chaplin-related films available on DVD home video:
Chaplin’s Goliath (1996)
Unknown Chaplin (1983)
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| Charles Chaplin filmography in The Progressive Silent Film List |
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