Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

CitizenCaine Chaplin edited, wrote, directed, and produced his eighth film for the Mutual Film Corporation. The Rink is a simple comedy contrasting the styles of the slapstick, knock about Chaplin and his talent for elusiveness in chase scenes. Chaplin is a simple waiter who really has no business being a waiter. He has a unique way of adding up the tab, serving a dishrag with a scrub brush on the side, and mixing a drink. While this is going on Edna Purviance's father (James T. Kelley) is making time with Henry Bergman in drag as the wife of comic foil Eric Campbell. Chaplin goes to a party as a big-shot and roller skates to impress Edna. Along the way, the mismatched couples realize their gigs are up so to speak, and Chaplin creates havoc on the roller rink. The police get involved near the end, but of course to no avail. Chaplin's acrobatics on skates is the highlight of the film, as it appears he's inadvertently playing roller derby with the rest of the cast. Chaplin ends up escaping down the street by using his cane to hitch a ride so to speak. Not quite as good as other top Mutual films, but still entertaining nevertheless. **1/2 of 4 stars.

rdjeffers Monday September 24, 7:00 pm, The Paramount Theater An inept waiter (Charles Chaplin) visits a roller skating rink on his lunch hour. Posing as Sir Cecil Seltzer C.O.D., he meets a lovely young girl (Edna Purviance) who invites him to her skate party that evening. Inspired by Skating, a Vaudeville routine co-written by his brother Sydney and Fred Karno, The Rink showcased Chaplin's graceful and at times frightening roller-skating abilities. Charlie serves one customer a live cat, is responsible for another receiving a scrub-brush and soap for lunch, and douses the cook (Albert Austin) with the contents of a cocktail shaker. Romantic entanglements begin when Mr. Stout (Eric Campbell) flirts with Edna at the rink, while Mrs. Stout (Henry Bergman) flirts with Edna's father (James T. Kelley) in the café. They end in a wild free-for-all when everyone embarrassingly shows up at the party, and Charlie escapes by hooking his cane to the bumper of a passing car.

MartinHafer I've seen this film several times as well as clips from it. It seems that it is among his most famous shorts and it deserves the recognition. However, I must first say that when NOT skating, the movie definitely slows and is less funny. However, seeing Charlie on skates is a rare treat, as he was quite accomplished and seeing traditional slapstick done on skates was an amazing accomplishment. Plus, although Mack Swain (Charlie's nemesis) is shown as a guy who can't skate, it's obvious he was actually quite accomplished on skates as well to take all the wonderful falls. All-in-all, a breezy and fresh comedy short worth your time.FYI--if you like seeing Chaplin skate, also try watching his full-length silent film CITY LIGHTS (1931). At one point midway through the film, he does a wonderful skating segment while a security guard at a department store. Great stuff.

Cineanalyst I have and always will hold this short film in high regard. I don't recall when I first saw "The Rink", but I remember being taken aback by the graceful eloquence of Chaplin's skating. It has figured prominently in my memory since--especially in playing back the first moment when Chaplin rolls onto the rink. This must be what the French critics were referring to when they compared him to ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinksy. Chaplin skated again in "Modern Times" (1936), but for some reason, perhaps because there's so much more going on in that feature-length film, it hasn't had the same affect on me."The Rink" also reminds me of the earliest film I've seen of Chaplin's comedic forerunner and prominent influence Max Linder. In that very short film, of which no two sources seem to agree on the date or the exact title, Max skated on the ice, or, rather, attempted to skate; the humor supposedly being in the many pratfalls. There are plenty of pratfalls in Chaplin's film, but they're in addition to his elegant movements on the rink floor.In "The Rink", the agile skating makes for a nice contrast to the knockabout slapstick that the film is otherwise. Chaplin, by now, had managed to balance these two contrasting styles, and it makes for a very entertaining short. The direction almost seems intended to point out the differences in the styles; there are, as common then, many jump cuts when Chaplin's causing mayhem at the restaurant, but when he's skating, there are flowing, seamless camera movements. The restaurant gags, for the most part, aren't bad, either. Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell and other regulars aid in the fun, including Henry Bergman in the oft done but still funny drag role.