Review of The Rink (1916) by Sgt. C — 13 Sep 2014

(72%).

Chaplin highlights his roller-skating talent in this briskly paced 20 minuter set around Charlie as a waiter.

There's some nice somewhat more subtle jokes centred around Charley working out the bill by seeing what customers have split onto their clothes, and a mix-up in the kitchen leading to a diner served a scrubbing brush.

Charlie's character is not a complete down and out, or very wealthy, but more fun loving and fancy free, and once he's given an hour of free time he hits the rink.

This is very much a standard Chaplin early movie that benefits from his skating ability and charm, although the version I saw is a poor cheap money grab as it needed some restoration.