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The greatest box office success of all his independent comedies, "Battling Butler" (1926, 71 min.) is a rarely seen gem that mingles Buster Keaton`s deadpan demeanor and awesome physical agility with a particularly dramatic storyline.
Keaton stars as Alfred Butler, a fragile young man whose father sends him into the country where he hopes masculinity will blossom. Ironically, he is there mistaken for "Battling" Butler, a renowned prizefighter of fiery temperament. To impress a young lady, Alfred carries on the ruse by engaging in a laughably inept training regimen, but his harmless charade is soon complicated by the untimely arrival of the true contender (Francis McDonald). When the long awaited opportunity to prove himself a man finally comes, it is before the gloved fists of the boxer, who initiates a locker room brawl. There, in a sequence of agonizing tension and delightful surprises, Battling Butler reaches its unforgettable climax.
Also featured on this DVD are two of Keaton`s rarely seen short films. A Yukon metropolis is the snowbound setting of "The Frozen North" (1921, 21 min.), presented in the most complete print available, wherein Buster parodies movie legends William S. Hart and Erich von Stroheim. "The Haunted House" (1922, 17 min.) has been meticulously restored to its original glory: an astounding series of sight gags and illusions, with Buster taking refuge in a mansion rigged with a series of frightening booby traps.
Buster Keaton