Chaplin biographer David Robinson refers to the “extraordinary phenomenon” that Kid Auto Races At Veniceis, noting in particular that “at the time it was shot, the Chaplin persona had still not appeared on the screen. The spectators at the races were therefore the first people anywhere to glimpse the figure that was to become universally famous. We can observe this first audience, as they progress from initial bewilderment and embarrassment at the antics of this obstreperous little vagabond to uninhibited laughter as they realize he is an entertainer. Kid Auto Races is thus incidentally a documentary record of the world’s first encounter with its greatest clown.”
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