This summer, the city of Cannes is honoring iconic figures in the film industry at a temporary museum set up at the Palais des Festivals. Following exhibitions on Goscinny, Louis de Funès, and Romy Schneider, the spotlight is now on Charlie Chaplin until August 25th, showcasing his first feature film, The Kid.
Curated in collaboration with Yves Durand, the designer of Chaplin’s World museum in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, the exhibition delves into how Chaplin drew from his impoverished childhood to tell the story of a tramp who takes in a young orphan.
By immersing visitors in 19th-century London, the exhibition reveals the conditions in which Charlie Chaplin grew up. The attic where the Tramp and the Kid live strikingly resembles the one where the filmmaker spent his childhood. The abandonment experienced by the little boy in the film mirrors Chaplin’s own experiences, with his father passing away when he was 12 and his mother battling mental illness, leading to frequent stays in psychiatric hospitals.
Despite these hardships, his mother always held a significant place in Chaplin’s life, as evidenced by the poignant letters exchanged between them on display at the exhibition. A personal tragedy involving Chaplin’s young wife, Mildred, giving birth to a deformed son who died after three days, may have served as the catalyst for the creation of The Kid. This profound loss sparked Chaplin’s creative revival, leading him to conceive the story of a tramp becoming a surrogate father to an abandoned child.
Shortly after his son’s death, Chaplin encountered a young boy named Jackie Coogan at a cabaret, who would go on to portray the Kid in the film. A talented performer, Jackie’s on-stage charisma captivated Chaplin, forging a genuine bond between the child and the filmmaker, launching Jackie’s own acting career.
The exhibition not only delves into the film’s origins but also offers a range of interactive installations, multimedia presentations, screenings, and workshops across eleven themed spaces. Visitors can experience Nickelodeon, a vintage cinema showcasing Chaplin’s short films, and witness lantern magic shows, an early form of cinema that fascinated Chaplin in his youth.
Moreover, a collaboration with the Museum of Photographic Apparatus in Vevey, Switzerland, adds a unique perspective to the exhibition. Beyond the cinematic insights, attendees can explore the legal legacy of Jackie Coogan’s financial exploitation by his guardians after his father’s accidental death, leading to the Coogan Act in 1939 protecting child actors’ earnings.
“The Kid, Charlie Chaplin” exhibition runs until August 25th, 2024, at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, offering a blend of historical context, interactive experiences, and cinematic nostalgia for visitors to enjoy.