SILENT RUNNING

If the American Film Institute has its way, silents will be golden in cyberspace. On Jan. 22 the AFI launched its OnLine Cinema site (www.afion- line.org/cinema) -- and the first of its planned broadcasts of classic movies in their entirety -- by airing Charlie Chaplin's 1916 The Rink. ''I'm always struck by how many people have heard of films like The Rink but have never actually seen it,'' says AFI's Dan Harries. ''Most people wouldn't rent old Chaplin movies, but a lot would click into the site.'' He says AFI is starting with silents, accompanied by music, because at 20 minutes, they're easy on the system. Web surfers can catch The Rink through mid-February; then AFI hopes to make a splash with a one-month showing of Buster Keaton's 1921 The Boat.