Buster Keaton gained his famous nickname when someone witnessed him fall down some stairs as a kid and keep going as if nothing had happened. In this film, he shows that his childhood doing (often rough) physical comedy with a deadpan expression was good training for his role here. In this silent classic from the mid 20s, Buster plays Alfred Butler, the son of a wealthy man who is used to having everything handed to him his entire life. Alfred's father decides to make a man out of him by sending him on a trip to the mountains. While there, Buster fishes and meets a girl played by Sally O'Neil (she has no actual name). Alfred is instantly infatuated with her, but her thuggish brothers don't approve of their sister marrying such a wuss. Alfred's assistant tells the girl's brothers that Alfred is actually an accomplished professional boxer and that they're wrong about him. He even has a newspaper to back this up. The deception only works because by some strange coincidence there actually is a fighter by the name of Alfred Butler, but it's not the same Alfred played by Buster. Some time later, Alfred trains and finds he is woefully unprepared for his career as a boxer. He also tells the girl he doesn't want her to be present during any of his boxing matches. Alfred says it's because he doesn't want her to see him in such a violent state, but we all know it's really because she'll discover he's a fraud. At an event, the real Alfred is present and pummels his opponent into submission. The fake Alfred is relieved, since now, the crowd is probably mistaking him for a great fighter. Unfortunately, Alfred is confronted by the real Alfred Butler, who doesn't take kindly to being impersonated. They fight in the locker room, which goes badly for Alfred (Keaton), but after he notices the girl is watching him, he starts to fight back and eventually win. He then tells the girl the truth and says he only posed as a boxer in a pathetic attempt to impress her, but she still loves him. This is a pretty good movie. I wouldn't say it's my favorite example of Buster's work (that honor goes to either The General or The Navigator), but it's still filled with hilarious instances of physical comedy all fans of him are familiar with. One of my favorite parts is when he's trying to fish in a small canoe, and sees a fake duck off the starboard bow. He tries shooting it several times, but it keeps getting pulled under the water. Eventually, he loses his paddle and tries to use his shotgun as one, which doesn't prevent the boat from sinking. This is a film that shows perfectly how Buster's way of making people laugh will still be funny centuries from now.
Review of Battling Butler
