Go West and Battling Butler

This double feature of silent Buster Keaton comedies compiles two of his less essential films. In the somewhat subdued sentimental comedy Go West (1925), Keaton eschews his usual brand of spirited physical gags and elaborate set pieces to portray a character called 'Friendless,' a city boy who heads west, lands a job on a ranch, and develops an attachment to a cute little heifer—an actual big-eyed cow ostracized from the herd. They hardly smile at one another, but the inseparable pair are utterly charming and more convincing than the contrived romance between Keaton and the rancher's daughter (Kathleen Myers), the official love interest of the film. Battling Butler (1926) features Keaton as Alfred Butler, a meek son of affluence sent away by his father to toughen up who ends up being mistaken for a boxing champion—a charade he carries on to impress a rustic girl (Sally O'Neil). Although one of Keaton's weaker stories, Battling Butler nevertheless features creative gags, loads of physical inventiveness, and, of course, some of the greatest stone-faced takes in silent cinema. Extras include a bonus 1923 comedy short also called Go West, but featuring a cast of monkeys; a rare audio recording of Keaton; excerpts from an unproduced Keaton screenplay; and stills galleries. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Aug 27, 2018—Cohen, 136 min., not rated, DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1925/1926’s Seven Chances and Battling Butler feature fine transfers and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtracks. Extras include the behind-the-scenes featurette 'Buster Keaton: The Daredevil' (4 min.) and restoration trailers. Bottom line: these 4K restorations are the best-looking editions of these Keaton classics to date]