Battling Butler

A comedy from the silent era. Alfred is the son of a rich family. He is good for nothing; his father sends him to the country to hunt and make a man of him. His valet comes along and the whole camp is set up like a drawing room. There he meets a woman. Her family does not think much of him; he seems weak, clumsy and useless. The valet invents a lie: Alfred is in fact a famous boxer, a contender whose name is in the papers. Hearing this, the family changes its mind. The trouble is that a real boxer of the same name exists. From there the film runs on an impersonation. Alfred goes to the training camp, pretends to train, and meets the real fighter. To keep the lie up he has to prepare, and then actually to get into the ring. What the narrative is interested in is not boxing but what is expected of a man: what everyone wants from him is clear, and he is not it. Keaton's usual large stunts are fewer here; the film is built more on situation, and the tone shifts toward the serious in places. The fight at the end is not funny but hard. It was one of his highest-earning films at the time. The source is a stage musical. Buster Keaton directed and stars. Snitz Edwards and Sally O'Neil are in the cast. Who it is for: anyone curious about silent comedy and Keaton's lesser-known films. Who it is not for: anyone looking for his best work; this one is calmer and does not meet the expectation of acrobatics.