Charlie Chaplin's The Rink 1916

The Rink, a silent film from 1916, was Charlie Chaplin's eighth film for Mutual Film Corporation. The film co-starred Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell (actor), Henry Bergman, and Albert Austin, and is best known for showcasing Chaplin's roller skating skills. Chaplin at his absolute peak of physical comedy genius. In just 24 breathless minutes, Charlie the waiter turns a quiet restaurant into chaos, then heads to the roller rink where he becomes the most graceful, outrageous skater the screen has ever seen. Spins, stumbles, split-second timing, and that legendary backward glide, this is the short where Chaplin’s balletic brilliance and split-second comic invention reached pure perfection. Filmed at Mutual Studios during Chaplin’s golden 1916–1917 period, The Rink is regularly ranked among his finest comedies and one of the greatest short films ever made. “Pure joy on wheels. Chaplin skating is one of the miracles of cinema.” - Walter Kerr, film critic