The following is a clip from Charlie Chaplin's 1921 silent movie "The Kid", which was his first full-length film. In this scene we get to see Chaplin's character interact with a kid who he rescued from the street, and ironically it seems as if the kid is playing more of a father-figure to Chaplin than Chaplin to the kid. Chaplin's acting lets us know that his character is meant to be the funny, albeit irresponsible, parental figure. While the kid cooks breakfast, Chaplin lounges in bed smoking. Though there are no words it is clear from Chaplin's acting that the kid has gone to tell him to get out of bed and come eat, and that Chaplin begrudgingly does so while taking the blanket with him as a teenager might do. Similarly, once seated he counts the pancakes to make sure they each get an even amount. The lack of sound doesn't prevent the point from coming across, because Chaplin's facial expressions and emphasis of his movements lets the audience know what is going on.
While this film is a comedy, much of the content is actually quite dark, with issues of poverty and class differences shown throughout. Furthermore, Chaplin's own son died only ten days before production began, giving more meaning to the relationship between Chaplin's character in the film and the character of the kid who he saves and raises as his own. There is also speculation that many of the events and situations represented in the film are based off of Chaplin's own life growing up in London. One of the most extraordinary things about the film is that while it does contain a significant amount of sad and dark content it still manages to bring a smile to your face, and Chaplin's acting makes even the most dire of situations in the film still feel like a comedy scene. This accomplishment is even more noteworthy due to the fact that Chaplin not only starred in the film, but also wrote, directed, and produced it.
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