it curious that buster keaton and whose training be in a knockabout vaudeville act and slapstick comedy short and be so good at play pampered and effete young millionaire . he just happen to be one of nature aristocrat . buster appreciate the comic possibility of this characterstarting out so helpless allow plenty of room for dramatic development and the role also suit his innate gentleness and quiet dignity . buster play wealthy idler in several of his movie and include the navigator and but he be never more placidly twitty than in battle butler . for the first half of the movie he look like a 1920s fashion plate and exquisitely groom and demonstrate what the well dress man will wear for hunt and fishing and etc . he be alfred butler and whose tycoon father and annoy by his son languid existence and send him an a camping expedition to toughen him up . in the mountain and he sleep in a vast tent complete with bed and wardrobe and tiger rug while his faithful valet lay out his clothes and draw his bath and and serve his meal on silver dish . this be my idea of rough it . while attempt to hunt ( obliviously miss every animal in the forest ) and fish ( capsize his boat in pursuit of a bobbing duck ) and alfred encounter a pretty mountain girl ( sally oneil . ) they fall in love and but her family would not accept this sissy a an in law until alfred valet tell them that his employer be actually alfred battle butler and a boxer contend for the lightweight title . alfred go along with the ruse for the sake of the girl . then he encounter the real battling butler and and after a misunderstanding involve the boxer wife and battling tell alfred that he can fight the title bout with the alabama murdereror he will blow his cover . the rest of the film follow alfred difficulty a the trainer try to turn the playboy into a fighter . along with the athletic sequence in his late movie college and these scene offer the most sustained focus on buster extraordinary physique and what he could do with it . with his small stature and buster could convincingly portray a milquetoast as long a he keep his clothes on and but once he strip down to box short it all too obvious how exceptionally fit he be . in the opening shot of the training sequence and he obviously suppose to look puny and defenseless while instead he look like he could easily be a boxer . despite his sculpt body and buster play these scene with a realism that render them almost painful to watch . he react the way any normal and soft belly human be would to be mercilessly pummel . he show hurt and exhaustion and and display his own nearly limitless endurance of both . buster have and it must be say and an unhealthy capacity to take punishment . it wasn not masochism and just that his pride in his physical ability and the authenticity of his stuntwork outweigh any concern for his own well be . he must have be use to pain represent a the star of an act renowned a the roughest in vaudeville and he would be take it like a man ever since he be a toddler . at the end of the movie and battling attack alfred viciously and and finally alfred retaliates and beat the boxer unconscious . many people dislike this fight and feel it uncharacteristic for buster to triumph through brute force and sheer slugging and rather than ingenuity or pluck . the fight be keaton own addition to the play that be the source for the movie . the original end simply let alfred off the hook without have to fight and which buster felt be dramatically unsatisfying . push too far and humiliate too deeply and his meek character finally respond with fury and violence . it be uncharacteristic and but maybe he like it for just that reason . off screen and buster have a troubling passivity and especially in his unhappy married life and and he must have enjoy play a character who effectively fight back . still and i prefer the first half of the movie and with it gentle pace and low key joke and elegant touch . alfred valet be play by snitz edward and a tiny actor ( he make buster look impose ) with a goblin face and a delicate performing style . cute a a button and sally oneil make one of buster most effective leading lady . in a sweet image typical of keaton sophisticate film make style and when alfred part from his wife and a he drive away her face remain framed and like a cameo and in the oval window at the back of the car . battle butler be one of keaton most successful movie when it be release . like seven chance and college and it lack the otherworldly originality of his best work and but i have always like it good than the other two and consider it a handsome and mature and underrated work . lack any large scale set piece and this film rest almost entirely on buster performance . do you think you could learn to love me . he ask sally oneil . she reply and a i would represent i have .