Good idea lost in the noise

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

A lot of Charlie Chaplin comedies are overdone with pathos and sentiment. He seemed to think that his public should constantly be reminded of poverty and deprivation in his films. This grows irksome rather quickly and his legacy has been affected. Fortunately, his short films still contain his best work overall. "The Rink" is one of them as there is no pathos, just comedy. Chaplin plays a waiter who after causing utter chaos at the restaurant, does the same at a local roller skating rink. We have Chaplin's usual cast of actors: Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Henry Bergen and Albert Austin. The slapstick takes place at the restaurant and roller skating rink and it is excellent. Chaplin uses the various props to the best of his advantage. A masterpiece!

This is an excellent example of what the Tramp could do; the premise is simple as the Tramp is working as a waiter (and there's some wackiness there with misunderstandings with a customer), and when he gets a few cents he goes to the roller rink. The stunts that he does over and over show off just how keen he was to get a gag just right, but it all comes down to us believing that Chaplin can really do this. I don't know if this took the number of takes that he would later do on his features (he could be a perfectionist actually as far as doing dozens of takes if he didn't like something), and it's amazing to think that he made this short, as he did for a lot of his films at the time, in a relatively short amount of time. The logistics for how he goes on the skates makes me almost think watching it 'Tony Hawk, eat your heart out!' That it's all consistently funny and charming, that it doesn't let up for 24 minutes, is the icing on the cake.

THE RINK (Mutual Studios, 1916), written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, offers the legendary comedian an opportunity in playing something other than a tramp. In fact, though identified mostly as the little tramp, there are numerous times he'd assume other characters in the Charlie Chaplin tradition, but the little tramp is what stays in memory. This time, Charlie plays a waiter with a talent for skating at a rink or social function as well as serving up trouble at the restaurant where he works. On his off hours, he does sport is trademark attire of derby, cane and tramp clothes he keeps in the stove rather than a locker. For his eighth comedy short for the Mutual Studio (Lone Star Corporation in most title card introductions), Chaplin resumes the fine comic support of his staff players of Edna Purviance, James K. Kelley, Frank J. Coleman, Albert Austin, Lloyd Bacon, Charlotte Mineau, and his most frequent adversary of the Mutual days, the late, great Eric Campbell.The slight plot provides many antics involving a waiter (Chaplin) in a local restaurant writing the bill for one of his customers, Mr. Stout (Eric Campbell), a businessman who's as much of a flirt with the women as his manly looking wife (Henry Bergman in drag) is with the men. At the nearby rink, Stout is seen skating with a young socialite (Edna Purviance), but their union is soon interrupted by the waiter taking a break from his job. As he skates at the rink with Edna, he offers his calling card which reads Sir Cecil Seltzer, C.O.D. Before returning to work, Cecil is invited to social function skating party at Edna's home. As Mr. Stout makes his entrance at Edna's party, he not only encounters his wife with an male escort, but trouble along the way with the rolling skating Cecil.More in the Mack Sennett slapstick tradition than Chaplin's more familiar technique of his latter years, THE RINK is brisk and funny regardless of its limitation in character development and plot outcome. Best moments occur as waiter Charlie, a/k/a Cecil, unwittingly serving a live cat to one of his customers. Another is the Charlie and Eric encounter, especially at the skating party. Interestingly, however, in Chaplin's other comedy short, THE IMMIGRANT (1917), the tables are turned with Eric playing the waiter and Charlie the customer, to better results. Since good comedy material is often reused and improved upon, Chaplin would recreate his skating technique in his final silent feature length comedy of MODERN TIMES (1936), where he also assumes the job as a singing waiter at one point of the story.Formerly presented on a frequent level on public broadcast television in the sixties and seventies or beyond, THE RINK did play part of educational television's THE SILENT YEARS (1975), hosted by Lillian Gish, as the second half to the 90 minute timeslot following the 52 minute comedy, PECK'S BAD BOY (1921) starring Jackie Coogan, Chaplin's discoverer and co-star to their classic union of THE KID (1921).Scoring and length to THE RINK vary, depending on distributor controlling the rights to it. Some prints come with piano scoring: Blackhawk/ Republic Video dating back to the 1980s-90s acquired orchestration and sound effects from 1930s reissue for its VHS releases. Restored prints, from KINO VIDEO, consist of new orchestration and slower silent correction speed. Broadcast history for cable television of THE RINK consists of Arts and Entertainment (1980s)along with Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 13, 1999), as prime examples. Next Chaplin Mutual Comedy: EASY STREET (1917) with Charlie playing a policeman, but without the use of skates. (***)

What can I say about a 20 minute short entitled 'The Rink'? I guess, that it's really the first Chaplin short I've seen. I haven't seen that many silent movies. Basically, Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp messes up a restaurant, and then goes roller-skating in order to impress The Girl. It's easy to understand why Chaplin was so popular, and why films like these made audiences laugh. He was a talented man, and truly unique with visual humour and timing! More fascinating than actually funny while watching this short, however, you will probably watch it with a wry smile on your face looking at the way comedy was done back then with it's exaggerated make-up jobs and The Tramp's constant causation of trouble! It's kind of cute! Baby cinema taking it's early steps in the form of Charlie Chaplin! Oh yeah, and expect to be impressed Chaplin's footwork whilst roller-skating. Even though the footage is sped up slightly, his movement and body positions for the purposes of comedy is extremely impressive. I liked this short, but like I said; more from fascination than storyline or laughs.***½ out of *****!