"The Kid"

Question 1

The Man

Answer 1

Carl Miller

Question 2

The Woman

Answer 2

Edna Purviance

Question 3

A Tramp

Answer 3

Charlie Chaplin

Question 4

The Kid

Answer 4

Jackie Coogan

Question 5

What is the narrative plot?

Answer 5

A mother gives up her child who by chance happens to be picked up by a tramp. The tramp, while initially reluctant, eventually takes care of the child as his own. Later, the kid gets sick causing a house doctor to find out about the non-biological nature of this. The doctor calls an orphanage

Question 6

How do costumes help create meaning in the film?

Answer 6

Clean and dirty clothing respectively for the different classes of people

Question 7

What special effects are used (particularly during the dreamland sequence?)

Answer 7

Wires, cuts with characters popping in and out, skating

Question 8

What genre is this movie?

Answer 8

Comedy/Drama

Question 9

What is the subject and possible theme of this movie

Answer 9

Family/Love, family doesn’t have to mean blood, Promiscuity (the condemnation of unwed motherhood)

Question 10

Consider the period in which the film was produced and released. What possible cultural meanings/themes does the movie suggest?

Answer 10

1921: The theme of poverty is prevalent, suggesting the perpetuation of it during the era and the difficulty of individuals rising above it,
women being over-emotional,
The Debauchery of Hollywood and the loose morals of the time

Question 11

What is the historical significance of “The Kid” in American filmmaking?

Answer 11

it was Charlie Chaplin’s first full-length, directorial debut
Jackie Coogan, who played the kid, went on to fight for the rights of child actors.