Battling Butler

Rating:
Summary: Buster Boxes In "Battling Butler"
Review: According to the back of the DVD cover, BATTLING BUTLER (1926) represents Buster Keaton's greatest box-office success as an independent filmmaker. My mileage varied. There are some good gags in here, of course, but I found the whole thing to be more whimsical than hilarious. I can't say that I disliked it, yet I much prefer some of the other Keaton feature-length films.

In this film, Keaton once again plays the pampered son of privilege. Annoyed by his son's inability to do anything for himself (he even has a servant to remove his cigar ash), the father sends Keaton out onto a camping trip, hoping that fending for himself will toughen him. Unfortunately for the father, the son brings his manservant with him who provides Keaton with a luxury tent with all the amenities. Soon, Keaton finds himself impersonating an up-and-coming boxer with whom he shares the same name. He must keep the deception going in order to impress his girlfriend/fiancé/wife. I'd continue with the plot summary, except that, by now, the way the rest of the film unfolds should be fairly obvious.

The best jokes come in the film's first half, where the inept and spoiled Keaton is trying to come to terms with the outdoors. The second half isn't quite as good, although it does give Keaton the chance to show off his athleticism (one of the more obvious flaws is that the supposedly soft, pampered rich boy has the hard body of a skilled gymnast). The ending, with an out and out fistfight (I doubt it's a spoiler to reveal that a movie about boxing ends with a boxing match), is surprisingly brutal and almost sinister. I can't say I liked that scene very much, even as entertaining as Keaton always is.

THE HAUNTED HOUSE, a short film from 1921, is the highlight of the disc. It's another of those types of films with trapdoors, collapsing stairs and where pulling on a rope releases all kinds of hilarious terrors. Chasing a group of bank robbers back to their lair, Buster finds himself trapped in a bizarre house with the burglars and an utterly random group of actors, the cast of a production of "Faust". Men in obvious skeleton costumes or covered in large white sheets terrify the participants. It's extremely silly, but wonderfully entertaining.

THE FROZEN NORTH apparently only exists in pieces, and the version on this disc is a reconstruction of the surviving material. It holds together fairly well, but I must admit that I just didn't care for it. I think the biggest problem for me is that it's satirizing movies that I've never even heard of, much less seen. It's a bit rude of me to fault the film for that, but I honestly don't know if the film was funny or not. Many of the jokes flew right over my head. Maybe in a few years time, when I've seen a few more silent classics, I'll be more disposed towards liking the film. Still, it's nice to see Keaton playing against type, as a genuine bad guy.

This is one of the weaker entries in the "Art of Buster Keaton" collection, which is to say that while it has some brilliant parts, doesn't quite hold together well. I liked the HAUNTED HOUSE, but I would probably recommend one of the other discs in this series to someone unfamiliar with Keaton's work.

Rating:
Summary: Buster Boxes In "Battling Butler"
Review: According to the back of the DVD cover, BATTLING BUTLER (1926) represents Buster Keaton's greatest box-office success as an independent filmmaker. My mileage varied. There are some good gags in here, of course, but I found the whole thing to be more whimsical than hilarious. I can't say that I disliked it, yet I much prefer some of the other Keaton feature-length films.

In this film, Keaton once again plays the pampered son of privilege. Annoyed by his son's inability to do anything for himself (he even has a servant to remove his cigar ash), the father sends Keaton out onto a camping trip, hoping that fending for himself will toughen him. Unfortunately for the father, the son brings his manservant with him who provides Keaton with a luxury tent with all the amenities. Soon, Keaton finds himself impersonating an up-and-coming boxer with whom he shares the same name. He must keep the deception going in order to impress his girlfriend/fiancé/wife. I'd continue with the plot summary, except that, by now, the way the rest of the film unfolds should be fairly obvious.

The best jokes come in the film's first half, where the inept and spoiled Keaton is trying to come to terms with the outdoors. The second half isn't quite as good, although it does give Keaton the chance to show off his athleticism (one of the more obvious flaws is that the supposedly soft, pampered rich boy has the hard body of a skilled gymnast). The ending, with an out and out fistfight (I doubt it's a spoiler to reveal that a movie about boxing ends with a boxing match), is surprisingly brutal and almost sinister. I can't say I liked that scene very much, even as entertaining as Keaton always is.

THE HAUNTED HOUSE, a short film from 1921, is the highlight of the disc. It's another of those types of films with trapdoors, collapsing stairs and where pulling on a rope releases all kinds of hilarious terrors. Chasing a group of bank robbers back to their lair, Buster finds himself trapped in a bizarre house with the burglars and an utterly random group of actors, the cast of a production of "Faust". Men in obvious skeleton costumes or covered in large white sheets terrify the participants. It's extremely silly, but wonderfully entertaining.

THE FROZEN NORTH apparently only exists in pieces, and the version on this disc is a reconstruction of the surviving material. It holds together fairly well, but I must admit that I just didn't care for it. I think the biggest problem for me is that it's satirizing movies that I've never even heard of, much less seen. It's a bit rude of me to fault the film for that, but I honestly don't know if the film was funny or not. Many of the jokes flew right over my head. Maybe in a few years time, when I've seen a few more silent classics, I'll be more disposed towards liking the film. Still, it's nice to see Keaton playing against type, as a genuine bad guy.

This is one of the weaker entries in the "Art of Buster Keaton" collection, which is to say that while it has some brilliant parts, doesn't quite hold together well. I liked the HAUNTED HOUSE, but I would probably recommend one of the other discs in this series to someone unfamiliar with Keaton's work.

Rating:
Summary: Raging Buster
Review: BATTLING BUTLER (1926): Buster plays Alfred Butler, a pamperedrich kid who is sent out into the wilderness by his father in order to make a man out of him. This does no good, because Alfred takes along his valet who waits on him hand and foot, and provides him with the luxuries he's used to at home. However, he falls in love with a girl out there, and in order to reach the approval of her family, poses as a famous prize fighter, also named Alfred Butler, to prove he's not the weakling he has shown himself to be. Much of this film takes place at the training grounds where the fighter Alfred Butler trains (and where Buster pretends to train, in front of the girl).

"Battling Butler" is a farce comedy - a plot involving a case of mistaken identity that could easily be cleared up if any person involved would just explain what's going on. Buster made other farce comedies ("Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath", "The Passionate Plumber"). All were hits, but he didn't think farce comedy was best suited for his style, and never included those among his favorites. Ironically, "Battling Butler" made more money at the box office than any of his favorites.

The most exciting scene in "Battling Butler" is where Buster beats the fighter Alfred Butler to a pulp. He's ferocious and frightening, and looks as if he trained hard before he shot the scene. Buster was obviously a jack of all trades, master of all. In addition to boxing, he was highly competent as: silent film comedian with perfect timing, sound film comedian with perfect timing, actor, director, writer, editor, stuntman, pratfaller, singer, dancer, acrobat, baseball player, and private in the US Army!...

Rating:
Summary: Battling Buster
Review: Battling Butler is not as well respected as some of Keaton's more famous silent films. Leonard Maltin, for example, calls it 'one of Buster's weaker silent features.' It is true that it does not reach the heights of comic ingenuity that can be found in The General, but it is far from weak. It may not be as clever as some of Keaton's films but it is just as funny.

Battling Butler has a number of boxing scenes and it is natural to compare them with Chaplin's famous fight in City Lights. Whereas Chaplin is really a choreographed dancer disguised as a boxer, Keaton, though for the most part equally incompetent, shows that boxing has a dark and dangerous side. Keaton's fighting is finally savage and thus the comedy of his boxing scenes has a genuine tension which is lacking in the pure humour of City Lights. There is no danger of Charlie really getting hurt, but while watching Buster the viewer's laughter is mixed with fear for his well being. Keaton's athleticism makes his fighting realistic and gives rise to a genuinely shocking surprise at the end of the film. Both Keaton and Chaplin with their unique styles are wonderful comic boxers, but it is Keaton with his darker vision who most closely approaches the nature of boxing.

Keaton's leading ladies can be rather unmemorable. This is not the case in Battling Butler, for Sally O'Neil was obviously a fine comic actress. Her beauty is of the twenties style, a lost fashion which many fans of silent films admire so much. Moreover her character is someone to care about, an integral part of the story, rather than someone who merely acts as a prop for Buster's gags. Another memorable character is played by Keaton regular Snitz Edwards. Just looking at Edwards makes me laugh. His face contorts into the most marvellous of expressions and it is clear why he was a favourite with Keaton for he acts as a sort of contrast to Buster's stone face.

The quality of the print of Battling Butler is superb. It has almost no damage and the black and white images are sharp, clear and somehow more shining than is usually apparent with silent films. The prints of the short films which are included on this DVD are less good. The Haunted House is partially tinted with night scenes appearing blue. Unfortunately these blue scenes are a little too dark. Nevertheless this is a fine short film with some very funny moments. The Frozen North is described as surviving in only a fragmentary condition. However, it does not look as if a great deal of the film has been lost, as its running time of 17 minutes is not much less than other Keaton shorts and the continuity seems to be, for the most part, intact. The print quality though is quite poor with some of the images appearing bleached and indistinct. It is an enjoyable film with some good moments especially Keaton's impersonation of Stroheim's character from Foolish Wives.

Overall this is a wonderful DVD with a superb feature and two good shorts. It acts as a fine introduction to Keaton for those who are unfamiliar with his work, while for those people building a Buster Keaton collection it is indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: Battling Buster
Review: Battling Butler is not as well respected as some of Keaton's more famous silent films. Leonard Maltin, for example, calls it `one of Buster's weaker silent features.' It is true that it does not reach the heights of comic ingenuity that can be found in The General, but it is far from weak. It may not be as clever as some of Keaton's films but it is just as funny.

Battling Butler has a number of boxing scenes and it is natural to compare them with Chaplin's famous fight in City Lights. Whereas Chaplin is really a choreographed dancer disguised as a boxer, Keaton, though for the most part equally incompetent, shows that boxing has a dark and dangerous side. Keaton's fighting is finally savage and thus the comedy of his boxing scenes has a genuine tension which is lacking in the pure humour of City Lights. There is no danger of Charlie really getting hurt, but while watching Buster the viewer's laughter is mixed with fear for his well being. Keaton's athleticism makes his fighting realistic and gives rise to a genuinely shocking surprise at the end of the film. Both Keaton and Chaplin with their unique styles are wonderful comic boxers, but it is Keaton with his darker vision who most closely approaches the nature of boxing.

Keaton's leading ladies can be rather unmemorable. This is not the case in Battling Butler, for Sally O'Neil was obviously a fine comic actress. Her beauty is of the twenties style, a lost fashion which many fans of silent films admire so much. Moreover her character is someone to care about, an integral part of the story, rather than someone who merely acts as a prop for Buster's gags. Another memorable character is played by Keaton regular Snitz Edwards. Just looking at Edwards makes me laugh. His face contorts into the most marvellous of expressions and it is clear why he was a favourite with Keaton for he acts as a sort of contrast to Buster's stone face.

The quality of the print of Battling Butler is superb. It has almost no damage and the black and white images are sharp, clear and somehow more shining than is usually apparent with silent films. The prints of the short films which are included on this DVD are less good. The Haunted House is partially tinted with night scenes appearing blue. Unfortunately these blue scenes are a little too dark. Nevertheless this is a fine short film with some very funny moments. The Frozen North is described as surviving in only a fragmentary condition. However, it does not look as if a great deal of the film has been lost, as its running time of 17 minutes is not much less than other Keaton shorts and the continuity seems to be, for the most part, intact. The print quality though is quite poor with some of the images appearing bleached and indistinct. It is an enjoyable film with some good moments especially Keaton's impersonation of Stroheim's character from Foolish Wives.

Overall this is a wonderful DVD with a superb feature and two good shorts. It acts as a fine introduction to Keaton for those who are unfamiliar with his work, while for those people building a Buster Keaton collection it is indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: Buster Keaton is cool!
Review: Let's face it, talkies ruined the movies. This volume proves it as much as any other. Battling Butler is brilliant (especially the waterfall scene at the end), The frozen north is hilarious, and The haunted house is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen (especially the bank scenes). Get this movie now!

Rating:
Summary: Buster Keaton is cool!
Review: Let's face it, talkies ruined the movies. This volume proves it as much as any other. Battling Butler is brilliant (especially the waterfall scene at the end), The frozen north is hilarious, and The haunted house is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen (especially the bank scenes). Get this movie now!