Kid, 1921, 68 min, Charlie Chaplin and the Biomechanical Art of Film

Accompanying screening of the film Kid (The Kid), 1921, directed by Charlie Chaplin for the exhibition Devětsil 1920–1931 at the Ponrepo cinema.

Devětsil’s key source of inspiration was popular culture, including American cinema and its stars. Devětsil’s perception of movie stars was very physical, mainly related to the built-up body of Douglas Fairbanks and the sad eyes of the distracted melancholy clown Charlie Chaplin. The sportsman Fairbanks impressed the public by his athletic abilities in genre films, often set in an exotic environment. Chaplin’s films, too, were based on a careful choreography (movements, gestures and facial expressions), although they consisted of a story composed of seemingly random events. The screening will present key works featuring both protagonists – Fairbanks in The Thief of Baghdad and Chaplin in Kid.