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A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Kid -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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Criterion's latest offering from their contract representing the Charles Chaplin films, is The Kid, a 1921 production, released here in its 1972 re-issue version, with the deleted 1921 material offered among the myriad of extras.

The best word that I can come up with to describe the imagery as seen on this new Blu-ray, is "otherworldly."

It's a rarity to have access to original elements going on toward the century mark, but as with the other Chaplin films, curatorship has been of prime importance.

Gray scale, grain structure, black levels, stability and overall resolution will seem unattainable to those whose experience with 100 year old films are scratched, jerky antiques.

The Kid is simply one more meticulously produced Criterion / Chaplin offering, that sets Blu-ray standards.

For those studying Mr. Chaplin's works, and with the latest Blu-rays available on the his shorts and two-reelers, Criterion is down to the last remaining productions, with some of the latest and earliest yet to be released -- A King in New York, The Circus, A Woman of Paris, as well as a group of 3 and 4 reelers from the early 1920s. Universal is holding the last film -- A Countess from Hong Kong, and hopefully will make that available in short order.

My advice is to just buy this one, and be amazed at the quality.

Image - 5

Audio - N/A

4k Up-rez - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Very Highly Recommended


RAH
 

PMF

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Betcha it'll be "The Circus" that gets released last. And why not? Marketing is everything and a sure fire way of ensuring Criterion sales with "A King in New York" and "A Woman of Paris"; as we whet our appetites and fill the void, in anticipations for that final feast.
For those who don't know, "The Circus" won Chaplin a "Special Award" Oscar in 1927/28 for acting, writing, directing and producing.
And that was in the year of "Wings" and "Sunrise".

Anyway...I am thrilled that "The Kid" got a 5 from RAH.
Phone orders, here we come.
 
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Dick

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My next and final Chaplin Blu-ray purchase will be THE CIRCUS. The high wire sequence with the monkey is about as frigging funny as anything Chaplin ever did. I dislike A KING IN NEW YORK, and only bought LIMELIGHT because of the climactic performance of Chaplin with Buster Keaton.
 

titch

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Looking forward to this one, absolutely one of my favourites. It has been a joy to see the Criterion blu-ray Chaplin classics projected, far outshining the region "B" transfers prepared by MK2. The MK2 masters were not restored and were riddled with digital artefacts. I still have the gatefold Fox Chaplin Legacy Of Laughter laserdisc presentations which were released back in the 1990's. The Kid was paired with A Dog's Life and the retail price was $69.98 plus shipping to Europe in 1993 (and laserdiscs were certainly not cheap to ship)! Now we get a version of The Kid, in a print quality not previously experienced by any cinema-going member of the public, for a pre-release price of $22.99 plus shipping - these are good times!

Not that many silent film classics have been as lovingly restored in High Definition. Buster Keaton's films on Kino are pretty good transfers, but not complete restorative overhauls of the films. However, the three Harold Lloyd films on Criterion, are restored and are outstanding presentations. Metropolis was a jaw-dropping restoration, as was Sunrise. Trip To The Moon is also fantastic. I posted a couple of days back on the thread of Birth Of A Nation on the recent British Film Institute's restoration of Birth Of A Nation for their centenary version, released November 2015. That restoration is on par with the Chaplin restorations. It is region "B" locked but I expect enthusiasts will have region-free players. Maybe one day we will be treated to a 4K restoration of Greed?
 

David_B_K

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Posted by titch:

I still have the gatefold Fox Chaplin Legacy Of Laughter laserdisc presentations which were released back in the 1990's. The Kid was paired with A Dog's Life and the retail price was $69.98 plus shipping to Europe in 1993 (and laserdiscs were certainly not cheap to ship)! Now we get a version of The Kid, in a print quality not previously experienced by any cinema-going member of the public, for a pre-release price of $22.99 plus shipping - these are good times!

I still have those laserdiscs as well. An advantage to holding onto them is that they have the versions of Chaplin's films that were released before Chaplin re-edited them. The laserdisc version of The Kid contains some extra footage (I cannot remember what was cut). Also, I think (but am not positive) that recent releases of Chaplin's 1st National shorts (such as A Dog's Life) are those slowed-down re-released versions (someone correct me if I am wrong). At least I think that is what MK2 released; not sure about Criterion.[/quote]
 

titch

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The version on the LaserDisc runs for 68 minutes (probably difficult to compare various versions because of the varying camera speeds at which the original negative was shot). The liner notes state that "five minutes of original material not seen in release since 1970" was restored. The restored footage in the LaserDisc version consists of several scenes in the first half of the film. A scene almost at the beginning of the film, when The man (Carl Miller), an artist, burns his memories was restored - much of this scene was deleted in 1970. A wedding scene, appearing immediately afterwards was also restored. The mother with a "halo" around her head appears in this scene. An entire scene, which appears after the woman brings toys to the slums, portraying the reunion of The Kid's mother and father after they's both become famous, was deleted in 1970 and restored for the LaserDisc. On Criterion's website, the running time for the film is listed as only 53 minutes - considerably shorter than on the LaserDisc. Criterion's is the 1972 rerelease version, so I doubt the deleted scenes are included - is Mr. Harris able to confirm this?
 

PMF

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Dear RAH,

Is it known if, or when, Kevin Brownlow's "Unknown Chaplin -The Master at Work" will become available on BD?
Currently, it's still available on DVD for a whopping 70 bucks. I say whopping, as I would hate to purchase it, today; and only months later find myself faced with its presence on BD and spending the money twice.
Short of licensing agreements and rights, Mr. Brownlow's "Unknown Chaplin" would be a no-brainer for Criterion to acquire as a BD companion piece offering to their steadfast output of Chaplin's feature films. These films, as offered by Criterion, are the truest of treasures; both as works of genius and works of preservation. A marvel to behold.
 
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Robert Harris

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Dear RAH,

Is it known if, or when, Kevin Brownlow's "Unknown Chaplin -The Master at Work" will become available on BD?
Currently, it's still available on DVD for a whopping 70 bucks. I say whopping, as I would hate to purchase it, today; and only months later find myself faced with its presence on BD and spending the money twice.
Short of licensing agreements and rights, Mr. Brownlow's "Unknown Chaplin" would be a no-brainer for Criterion to acquire as a BD companion piece offering to their steadfast output of Chaplin's feature films. These films, as offered by Criterion, are the truest of treasures; both as works of genius and works of preservation. A marvel to behold.

I doubt that it would become available on BD, as the film was created in SD. They'd have to return to all of the original elements.

My advice would be to seek out a DVD at a reasonable price. Also Cinema Europe.
 

Malcolm Bmoor

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At the risk of being wrapped in Nitrate film and projected skywards Please don't bother with COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG.

It was a disasterous stinker when made and I tried it again some years ago. Everyone is attempting a Chaplin performance because that's what his direction demanded. There were films made from the dawn of film that have more creative filmaking on offer.

But I'll buy THE KID if it has the Carl Davis score.
 

Dick

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At the risk of being wrapped in Nitrate film and projected skywards Please don't bother with COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG.

It was a disasterous stinker when made and I tried it again some years ago. Everyone is attempting a Chaplin performance because that's what his direction demanded. There were films made from the dawn of film that have more creative filmaking on offer.

But I'll buy THE KID if it has the Carl Davis score.
I am with you completely regarding COUNTESS, which I saw in 1967 and again on VHS decades later. Awful film, and perhaps the career lows of Brando (well, maybe not...) Loren and, certainly, Chaplin himself. Unfunny and embarrassing. HUGE pass if it's ever released.

But I'd buy THE KID if it had a score by Queen.
 

PMF

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I doubt that it would become available on BD, as the film was created in SD. They'd have to return to all of the original elements.

My advice would be to seek out a DVD at a reasonable price. Also Cinema Europe.

Dear Robert Harris,

A purchase of "Unknown Chaplin - The Master at Work" (or anything else with Mr. Brownlow's stamp) could never be an expensive or overpriced venture; at least for my cinematic tastes; but now knowing there is doubt of a BD on the horizon makes this DVD purchase a "no-brainer".

Thank you for your guidance.

BTW, I wonder what your takes are on Chaplin's foresights concerning the manner to which he preserved his OCN's. Would it be safe to say that his status as genius is further expanded, where topics of film preservation are concerned? Yes, if memory serves me correctly, Charlie Chaplin had an instinct or vision to preserve his OCN's in Salt Mines. Considering your own life's work and efforts, I wonder what thoughts or observations you might share with the HTF concerning Mr. Chaplin's pioneering contributions towards the world of film preservation.
 
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Jonathan Perregaux

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Both Paramount and Universal stored their silent film negatives in a salt... ocean. Given that trend, it's rather amazing for Chaplin to have done this.
 

battlebeast

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Betcha it'll be "The Circus" that gets released last. And why not? Marketing is everything and a sure fire way of ensuring Criterion sales with "A King in New York" and "A Woman of Paris"; as we whet our appetites and fill the void, in anticipations for that final feast.
For those who don't know, "The Circus" won Chaplin a "Special Award" Oscar in 1927/28 for acting, writing, directing and producing.
And that was in the year of "Wings" and "Sunrise".

Anyway...I am thrilled that "The Kid" got a 5 from RAH.
Phone orders, here we come.
And because it won him an Oscar is specifically why I want this title. If they do release it last I'll be most displeased. I wonder if universal will license the Chaplin film out to Criterion?
 

Cineman

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The version on the LaserDisc runs for 68 minutes (probably difficult to compare various versions because of the varying camera speeds at which the original negative was shot). The liner notes state that "five minutes of original material not seen in release since 1970" was restored. The restored footage in the LaserDisc version consists of several scenes in the first half of the film. A scene almost at the beginning of the film, when The man (Carl Miller), an artist, burns his memories was restored - much of this scene was deleted in 1970. A wedding scene, appearing immediately afterwards was also restored. The mother with a "halo" around her head appears in this scene. An entire scene, which appears after the woman brings toys to the slums, portraying the reunion of The Kid's mother and father after they's both become famous, was deleted in 1970 and restored for the LaserDisc. On Criterion's website, the running time for the film is listed as only 53 minutes - considerably shorter than on the LaserDisc. Criterion's is the 1972 rerelease version, so I doubt the deleted scenes are included - is Mr. Harris able to confirm this?

As I recall, there was a scene deleted where the mother approaches a bridge (still standing and in use in Pasadena, Ca., near where the more modern 134 and 210 freeways meet. if you are from that area you might recognize the hills in the background) and contemplates suicide but has a change of heart after seeing another baby toddling by with his mother. At least, that is how I remember it from the laserdisc but haven't seen it in many years.
 
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arbogast

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The version on the LaserDisc runs for 68 minutes (probably difficult to compare various versions because of the varying camera speeds at which the original negative was shot)....

The version on the Image Entertainment DVD also runs 68 minutes.
 

Rob Willey

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Just received my copy and popped the disc in to check the PQ. All I can say is "Wow!" It's everything RAH said it is.

Highly recommended.
 

PMF

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Both Paramount and Universal stored their silent film negatives in a salt... ocean. Given that trend, it's rather amazing for Chaplin to have done this.

I'm missing the reference.

Anyway, I was hoping to learn if Chaplin's use of salt mines for preserving his OCN's were considered pioneering, on his part, in terms of where film preservation stands, today. If so, then is it safe to say that his use of salt mines played a part in why such releases as "The Kid" look so amazing today?
 

Jonathan Perregaux

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I was being sarcastic.

In the 1930's, I believe it was, both Paramount and Universal pulled up to the Pacific Ocean and proceeded to dump tons of O-neg nitrate reels into the ocean.
 

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