ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray January 16': Criterion to the rescue! Now that's more like it. It has been speculated that the recent Artificial Eye Chaplin Blu-rays were simply rehashed from the older Park Circus transfers. This certainly seems probable. The Criterion with "new 4K digital restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s 1972 rerelease version of the film" is a monumental leap over the UK video - and it brings out that 2015 BD's weaknesses even more prominently. The Criterion advances in every visual area - tighter, more layered contrast, more information in the frame etc. The Criterion is also beautiful in-motion - against the AE, in a phrase - "nolo contendere" (no contest.) The restoration is described in two text screens before the presentation:

Criterion go with their usual linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps (24-bit) as the best representation - in The Kid using the original score by Chaplin (using multiple orchestral instruments) - and it sounds impressive - very tight and clean. The Inter-titles are English and are restored representations of the72' re-release.

Supplements are endless as Criterion try to fill the dual-layered disc with extras starting with a brand new audio commentary featuring Chaplin historian Charles Maland going into educational detail about the production. There is an excellent new, 20-minute, video essay by Chaplin historian Lisa Haven entitled Jackie Coogan: The First Child Star. A Study in Undercranking is a new 25-minute piece featuring Silent-film specialist Ben Model expanding on how Chaplin used the difference between filming and projecting speeds to create unique gags that could only exist in Silent cinema. We get interviews with Coogan (11-minutes from 1980 recorded by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill for UK TV) and actor Lita Grey Chaplin for 10-minutes as she recalls her role as the flirtatious angel in The Kid, the production of The Gold Rush, and her eventual marriage to Charles Chaplin at the age of sixteen. This interview was conducted by Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance in 1993. There are also, about 20-minutes worth of excerpted audio interviews with cinematographer Rollie Totheroh and film distributor Mo Rothman. There are 13-minutes (total) of deleted scenes and titles from the original 1921 version of The Kid. “Charlie” on the Ocean, is a 4-minute 1921 newsreel documenting Chaplin’s first return trip to Europe - and like the Artificial Eye has some footage of Chaplin conducting his score for The Kid as well as the 1922 Silent short, Nice and Friendly, featuring Chaplin and Coogan, presented with a new score by composer Timothy Brock. Lastly are 3, unrestored, trailers and the package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by film scholar Tom Gunning.

A magnificent Blu-ray package of one of Chaplin's greatest works - this is the way to view and appreciate The Kid - our highest recommendation!

ADDITION: Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (August 2015): Firstly, while this is a massive improvement over my old DVD (I have the image Entertainment) it appears to have egregious DNR. The visuals in-motion look acceptable but there is no doubt it can be improved upon. It was crisper but the waxy, boosted, look is very unappealing. It's a shade cropped but no rounded corners (my preference.) It can look a little thin and frail and I wish I saw more grain. Manipulated? absolutely.

AE include another 26-minute Chaplin Today,” from 2003, originally on the 2-disc DVD sets, specifically focusing on The Kid - an educational documentary on the production with Amir Abbas, archival footage of Chaplin, Reza Hachemi and Abbas Kiarostami discussing Coogan, Edna Purviance etc., as well as a Chaplin short about his 'performer' existence entitled How to Make Movies running 15-minutes, short video pieces on Recording the New Score (with footage of Chaplin), another interesting introduction by David Robinson (running 5.5 minutes), some footage of Jackie Coogan at the Chaplin Studios, 6-minutes of Outtakes and another short - this one entitled Nice and Friendly Home Movies lasting almost 11-minutes. There are also some extracts from the Films in the Chaplin Collection and 8-minutes worth of international Trailers for The Kid.

***

ON THE DVDs: RE: the time differences: It says on the MK2 cover that Chaplin cut 6 minutes before the re-release in 1971. We still don't see that this and the PAL speed-up account for the difference (where is the other 10 minutes?). These deleted scenes are in the extras of the MK2 (under 'outtakes').

NOTE (from David Shepard): "I believe the difference is that I mastered THE KID at 20 fps and re-edited Chaplin's music to fit, whereas the MK2/Warner DVD uses the music "as is" and is probably mastered at 25 fps (since the NTSC DVD is converted from PAL)." (Thanks David!)

The MK2 have cropped about 11% off the top of the image. It is significantly brighter, but can look very unnatural at times in my opinion (overly contrasted). Saying that, MK2's blacks are blacker and the whites whiter. The Image Ent. disc is duller but there is not too much difference in sharpness - with a slight edge to MK2 as the contrast separation brings out textures and details more hidden on the Image DVD (see background walls etc.). My personal preference is the original theatrical version (at 20 frames per second). I've previously noted my feelings on these DVDs with their original aspect ratio cropping of City Lights and I don't share many people's opinions that these were the best DVDs of the year. My personal preferences, in almost every case, is for the original Image Entertainment discs, aside from the great extras available on the MK2's (and Warner). The Image DVD also has "A Dog's Life". I suggest owning both.

Chaplin came back into vogue with these new DVD releases, but for many of us his films never removed themselves from an elevated status. The fickle public has gone back to their flavors of the month, but I still cherish my Image Chaplin DVDs and watch them frequently (note: I don't have this one, but will get it !).

NOTE: The region 1 Warner Chaplin discs suffer from severe ghosting due to using the PAL masters. They are all flawed as far as I am concerned.

Gary Tooze

****

After the obvious masterpieces like Modern Times and City Lights, this is perhaps my favorite Chaplin film. Like in City Lights we get equal amount of laughter and tears. The film has very few and small print damages, and looks in my opinion outstanding for an over 80 years old movie. There are some great extras on this 2-disc edition to. We get the Chaplin today, the introduction by David Robinson, posters and trailers that's on ala the movies in the Chaplin Collection from mk2/Warner. But here is something other pretty cool namely a whole feature length film with Jackie Coogan from 1921 called "My Boy". I would like to recommend this for all Chaplin fans.

 - Arvid