New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-14
"The Rink" Strong Plea
for Acceptance Of
Master Morality
FERMENT AT WORK
ON POPULAR FILMS
Discussion of Education
To Be Derived by Visit
to RialtO
BY HAYWOOD BROUN

The latest Charlie Chaplin film 10
called "The Rink" It is about roller
skating rink, and several people, in
Guiding the hero, foil during the course
Of the play. It will be well TO take
UT the plot before applying any OF the
critical measuring rods to the piece.
In the beginning, Charlie Chaplin ia
q waiter in a restaurant. A stout lady
enters and just as she is about to st
down Charlie inadvertently removes
the chair. As matter Of fact she
does sit down, but not on the chair.
Apologize, Chaplin puts the chair in
place. and on this occasion he warns
the visitor Just in time. While she
waits he removes first the right arm
Of the chair and then the left, as he
believes that only after these altera-
items will il be possible for the stout
lady to occupy IL. Abashed rather
than angry, the stout lady IS seated
and the play goes on.
Here there is a break. When next
We see Chaplin he is in the kitten IN
preparing two cocktails. These ne
makes by placing eggs and the shei's
into the shaker and adding irst WIS
key and later hot coffee. In demon,
strating his skill at pouring the llquIdi
| from the shaker to the container ana
I back TO the shaker again the hero care
! lessly misses his marx and nit5 INC
cook. However, the comic possibilities
OF a physical encounter between lhe
two men are neglected by the author
who is anxious to get down TO the
serious business OF his little play.
Approaching the oven. Chaplin opens
one Of the little doors and fetches ouI
hat and coat. This is perhaps tne
neatest touch in the whole drama. lie
then leaves the restaurant and enters
skating rink. Here he meets giri
named Edna, beautiful in a more OF
less obvious fashion, who informs him
that stout gentleman is annoying her
Chaplin picks a quarrel with the stout
man by tripping him up with cane.
In the battle which ensues the heros
agility stands him in good stead. Again
and again he skates about his ponder
Gus adversary, dealing him telling but
bv no means mortal thrusts with the
cane. The large gentleman desists
from fighting after he has fallen sew
{
upon skate away, arm in arm.
This is the play, barring few diver
sions Of no particular importance. IL IS
interesting TO note that Chaplin falls
only twice during the picture, both
times Of his own volition, and that not
once is he kicked. Is il not obvious
then. what ferment is at work in the
philosophy OF the Chaplin comedies?
Gone is the old comedy of submission,
as emphasized in "The Bank" THE
Tramp" "Shanghaied" and others, and
in its place there has grown up a
comedy of aggression. One cannot
overlook the influence OF Nietzsche ana
the "Will to Power" here.
Was it in "Menschliches, Allzumen-
schliches" or in ALSO sprach cara
thustra" that the sage declared it was
comic to kick, but never TO be kicked?
At any rate master morality" has set
its marx upon Charlie Chaplin and his
comedies. The old Chaplin, Of whom
il was said "here is the head upon
which all the ends of the world are
come and the eyelids are a little weary"
is done. welcome" has been erased
from his shoulder blades. The new
Chaplin is a superman, and though
the hordes of fat villains may rage
against him with pie and soup ana
siphons they shall not prevail.
Nowhere is the effort for an intel
lectual democracy more evident than in
one Of our big picture theatres. The
bill at the Rialto, for instance, begins
this week with the overture to The
Flying Dutchman" and ends with
Charlie Chaplin. Suitably enough Au-
gustus Thomas comes midway between
Chaplin and Wagner. The educational
effect Of such a bill is enormous. The
Wagnerites want Chaplin sorely. The
Chaplin fans, on the other hand, have
been raised in a broader school and
are less in need Of liberalism.
However, a bill at the Rialto con-
tains education enough for everybody.
Think of the worlds which the topical
review opens up. This week we have
dredging for gold. the largest turkey
in America, Lloyd George, shipping
30 900 geese to market, Asquith,
damming the Ohio, Mackensen, prize
bull and other cattle, Joe Cannon, and
threshing lima beans. Only fancy
threshing lima beans! One goes home
and looks at the cans with renewed in
terest.
Louis Sherwin discovered Mckay