Reconciliation In The Kid And The Jazz Singer

In Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, and Alan Crosland’s The Jazz Singer, the protagonists both understand what it is like to have their happiness crushed by someone else and with the reality of life. In The Kid, Charlie, a man in the slums, ends up caring for the abandoned John. In Crosland’s film, a boy named Jakie aspires to become a jazz singer however his father wishes him to become a cantor. Despite the challenges the characters encounter, both films express elements that elicit a permanent reconciliation. By comparing and contrasting the final climactic events in both films through the consideration of repetitions, strands, as well as binaries, the films create a relieving aura for the audience by showing how the protagonists reconciled themselves

In The Jazz Singer, close-up shots are continuously applied to highlight emotions. Jakie is torn between performing on Broadway and singing Kol Nidre for his father. This struggle is noticeable in his close up as the audience can feel his undecided heart through his tears. When Jakie appears on his father’s bedside, a close up of his father is shown as he proclaims his love for Jakie. It was at this moment that Jakie realizes his father’s forgiveness. The film maintains this peace during the final climax as Jakie sings Kol Nidre instead of going to his opening show. During the final events in The Kid, the action of hugging is very repetitive. In the last climax, hugging shows a temporary reconciliation after reuniting with John when he was taken away by the men from the orphanage. A medium close-up is utilized to feature their content. Hugging again occurs when the mother and son finally reunite. The film can end right there and then, however only the mother is satisfied. The final embrace happens when Charlie reunites with John and his mother. This is taken as a long shot at an eye-level view again to capture the emotions of all characters in the frame. The film concludes here because lasting reconciliation is now accomplished. Overall, these repetitions play an importance in protecting the illusion of a lasting peace in the

Looking at the strands, both films involve iris shots, as well as character movement changes from fast to slow. The films differ in shot types, aimed to highlight different aspects in the film, having more close ups in The Jazz Singer to add dramatic effect. In Crosland’s motion picture, although Jakie dreams of becoming a jazz singer, his family is still important to him. He proves that he is worthy of becoming successful on his own, but now he must prove his worthiness as a son, even if it deviates from his dreams. The iris-in on his face clearly shows how he was torn by the truth that family must come first. Jakie’s movement was fast while deciding, turning his head back and forth on Mary Dale and his mother. He eventually slows down and stops his head when he looks at his mother. Although he misses his show, he still ends up performing on Broadway. This is the audience’s compensation as the film closes with him fulfilling his dreams. In The Kid, when John is taken away again, the iris-in of the setting in the evening shows Charlie’s worriedness, as he searches the whole day for John. Charlie’s movement is fast while looking for John but then eventually slows down, losing hope when he does not find him. Charlie lays in front of his house torn with the fact that he cannot do anything for he was not a legal father. In the end