Orphans have big roles in family films

Leapin' lizards! Is there anything quite as sad as an orphan?

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Being a kid is tough enough, but having both parents - the bedrock of childhood - snatched away is the sort of emotional distress that time, tears and even the convenient intervention of a kindly Daddy Warbucks can never fully erase. Such an event will leave emotional scarring in even the most functional of families.

Yet Hollywood continues to orphan young actors. Whether it's a homeless waif or a poor little rich kid growing up alone, the film industry loves the idea of a child forced by fate to face the world alone. The device can be dramatic, traumatic and sometimes even funny. Here are a few favorite films that feature prominently placed orphans:

THE EARTHLING (1980): When a pampered American preteen (Rick, then Ricky, Schroder) watches his parents plunge to their deaths in an RV accident in the Australian Outback, it falls on an embittered dying man (William Holden) not to save him but to teach him to survive. Although often marketed as a family film, this fairly grim tale is as much about man's brief time on Earth as it is about personal growth.

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991): Having lost her own at an early age, Clarice Starling is clearly pining for a father figure. Enter Hannibal Lecter. Well, a girl could do worse. No, probably not. Still, the clearly unhealthy, if unstated, shared attraction helps fuel this classic thriller.

THE KID (1921): The archetype from which all cinematic orphans draw, Jackie Coogan's orphan sidekick to Charlie Chaplin's classic Tramp character adds emotional resonance to the master comedian's slapstick. While there's still much clowning, there's also a real sense of what it means, what it feels like, to be alone in the world.

OLIVER TWIST (1948): Not to be confused with the 1968 musical abomination, this fairly straightforward adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel featured a quite young Alec Guinness in the pivotal role of Fagin, the career criminal who "adopts" young Oliver and teaches him the ways of the world - well, Fagin's version, anyway.

SUPERMAN (1978): Often, orphans find some way to compensate for the loss of their parents. Some might act out, some might eventually use the bottle as a crutch, and some, it seems, will obsessively save the world from evil geniuses. Clearly a guy with issues, Superman won't tell people where he lives or even his real name, but he'll battle baddies at the drop of a hat.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.