One of the 12 short films Charlie Chaplin made for Mutual before embarking on feature projects, The Rink features a different sort of Chaplin persona than the one we get with The Tramp. As a waiter in an upscale restaurant, he’s a more intentional agent of chaos, a prankster who almost comes across as mean-spirited. On his lunch break, the waiter heads to a roller rink, where at least the pranks are rooted in defense of a young woman (Edna Purviance) who’s being harassed by a would-be suitor (Eric Campbell). Of course Chaplin proves to be an uncommonly elegant skater, weaving in and out of the others on wheels with grace, all while they tumble over each other. The funniest moments come when Chaplin, too, loses his balance, at one point somehow frantically skating in place while leaning backwards without ever hitting the ground. It’s the sort of comic clumsiness that only a superb athlete could manage.
