Topic: Keaton's BATTLING BUTLER/GO WEST, 9/27

[falsealarms]

BATTLING BUTLER and GO WEST hit Blu-Ray (and DVD) on 9/27/11.

From Kino:

Synopsis

With his trademark deadpan demeanor and his gift for inventive visual humor, Buster Keaton's unique brand of comedy has proven to be a timeless source of laughter and an enduring influence upon several generations of screen comics. This Ultimate Edition showcases two of Keaton's lesser known films, newly mastered in HD from the 35mm nitrate elements preserved by the Library of Congress.

In GO WEST, Keaton plays an idealistic young man known as "Friendless," who rides the rails to a dude ranch, forms a sentimental attachment with an especially lovable cow, and, in the film's breathtaking climax, finds himself at the center of cattle stampede through the streets of Los Angeles.

Based on a popular stage musical, BATTLING BUTLER stars Keaton as a pampered socialite who pretends to be a famed prizefighter in order to impress his girlfriend's bullying brothers. Once begun, however, the charade is not easy to end, and Butler - aided by his personal butler (Snitz Edwards) - must endure physical training, sparring, and, unless he can stop it, a title bout with the "Alabama Murderer."

Extras on DVD

· Go West (1923, 12 Min.), a western-themed comedy short produced by Hal Roach
· A rare 60-minute audio recording of Buster Keaton hashing out a script proposal for the western TV series "Wagon Train" (courtesy of Bob Borgen)
· Excerpts of the screenplay for an unproduced remake of Battling Butler, written by Keaton in 1947
· Gallery of photographs from the 1922 stage production of Battling Butler
· Two galleries of production stills

Extras on Blu-Ray

· Go West (1923, 12 Min.), a western-themed comedy short produced by Hal Roach
· A rare 60-minute audio recording of Buster Keaton hashing out a script proposal for the western TV series "Wagon Train" (courtesy of Bob Borgen)
· Excerpts of the screenplay for an unproduced remake of Battling Butler, written by Keaton in 1947
· Gallery of photographs from the 1922 stage production of Battling Butler
· Two galleries of production stills

http://kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=1233#.Tk10G6i2OSp

[metaldams]

The Hal Roach short sounds interesting, but something tells me it will show up on you tube.  Other than that, I already have the ART OF BUSTER KEATON set, I don't need to buy this again.  But for you guys who don't have these films, go for it.

By the way, I think GO WEST is Keaton's most underrtaed feature.  The opening gag sequence with him in the barrels is awesome, and the relationship with Brown Eyes the cow is bizzarely fun and refreshing.  Brown Eyes by far has the biggest utters of any Keaton leading lady.

[falsealarms]

DVDTalk review -

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/50613/battling-butler-go-west/