Sidewalk Stories

Lane's Sidewalk Stories is a unique homage to Chaplin, with a social message dealing with the stereotype of the homeless. Lane uses the character of the Tramp for comedy but also as a literal representation of a homeless man without being overly sentimental or heavy handed.

In the age of realism, don't expect the charm of Chaplin, but sundry Lane (writer director actor) gives a pretty good imitation of his pioneering namesake in this low Talkie tale (dog bark & closing comments) about a street artist who witnesses an alley murder and then assumes care of the victim's 2-year old child.

Think of a story in parts Paper Moon, Midnight Cowboy and The Kid (21) but this Charlie make is longer (98m) than the Coogan kind, more stressful, yet, like the Silent great, keeps you engaged on a scoop of romance (Wilson), dash of drama (kidnapping chase) and pinch of poignancy in closing message on plight of the homeless. Production values in camera (Dill) and score (Marder) are high, while Dad's (Williams) final game of chance (coin flip) adds whimsy of days long gone. And watch for an early Edie Falco (The Sopranos) as half a kissing couple in carriage ride (3/4).

It takes a lot of nerve to update a classic silent comedy, and do it again as a silent film, but that's the idea behind this Reagan-era remake of the 1921 Chaplin comedy 'The Kid'. Writer/producer/director Charles Lane himself takes the Little Tramp role, playing a homeless New York City street artist who reluctantly adopts an abandoned toddler (in real life Lane's own daughter). Both have big shoes to fill, Lane most of all because, unlike Chaplin, he isn't exactly a creative genius, and his attempts at visual comedy are never more than mildly amusing, at best.

But silence is golden, and more to the point for a struggling independent filmmaker, it can be economical as well. By muting the voices on screen Lane succeeds in muting the harsh impact of poverty, bringing some charm to what could have been a merely depressing backdrop. So why introduce the panhandler's begging voices in the final scene, when their faces alone would have been eloquent enough? It amounts to thematic overkill in an otherwise engaging novelty (if not much else), with a likable underdog as its director and star.

Never heard of it until I saw it on a classic movie channel in September 2020. I was drawn in and followed it to the end. Even if you're not a fan of silents this was a good one.

Going silent (or almost entirely silent) was an outstanding choice by Charles Lane, and his film feels like an homage to Chaplin in its humor and humanism. In updating the tramp character to a homeless person of color, he seems to ask mainstream audiences to remember a time when so many more were destitute, and to suspend our tendency to judge in favor of empathizing. He also inverts the 'get rich quick by meeting a rich man' theme from Depression era films by having a female shop owner be the wealthy one and love interest. Most of all, he makes a film that's touching and funny.

Not hearing these characters (or even seeing intertitles) in no way took away from the ability to tell the story, and ironically it made me connect to them more deeply. I should say, not hearing them until the very end, when hearing a few plaintive requests for help hits like an emotional ton of bricks. Nicole Alysia is adorable as the little kid, Charles Lane is heartfelt as the struggling street artist, and Sandye Wilson is compelling as the business woman whose heart is as big as her right cross. How did Charles Lane not get more opportunities after creating this film, even if 'True Identity' was a bust? How did Sandye Wilson never appear in a feature film again?