Capital Celluloid 2013 - Day 233: Wed Aug 21

The Kid (Chaplin, 1921): Coram Secret Garden, 49 Mecklenburgh Sq, WC1N 2QA

The Nomad Cinema are screening this in a secret garden.

Here is their introduction:
“A picture with a smile – and perhaps, a tear” is promised in the first line of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 masterpiece and we agree… we think that even the most grown up and sensible of cynics out there will be charmed by The Kid.

This classic tale follows good old Charlie’s most loved character – the bumbling but good hearted tramp, decked out in his iconic baggy trousers, humongous shoes and bushy moustache – who finds an abandoned baby and tells of their misadventures, living in the slums of the 1920s.
As well as this being a lovely little bit of slapstick comedy that Chaplin was revered for, the film is also a beautiful tale of paternal love against a backdrop of depression and poverty. It makes for a poignant commentary and in 2011, the film was chosen to be preserved in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry for its “artful melding of touching drama, social commentary and inventive comedy”.

Coram Secret Garden is a truly magical environment in which to catch The Kid, as well as the other films featured in our Childhood, Lost and Found series, this summer.

Here is an extract.

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