The Navigator


Starring: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Frederick Vroom
Directed by: Donald Crisp, Buster Keaton
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Action, Comedy
1924

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two rich people (Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire) find themselves stranded on a luxury ship deep in the ocean.

Review:

Tim: I'm a huge Buster Keaton fan, so I was looking forward to The Navigator. Keaton made some great films, some disappointing films, and quite a few in between. This movie exists in the in-between area, but it's closer to being great than being bad. I actually really enjoyed this movie quite a bit.

As is the case with most of Keaton's movies, the quality of the film depends a great deal on the visual gags he pulls of on screen. The visual quality of this film is quite impressive- Keaton actually filmed on board a large passenger ship, which really lent a great deal of realism to the film. There were so many great scenes- I love how Keaton's hat kept flying off and he continued to replace it. I laughed out loud when Keaton and McGuire are running all over the ship looking for each other, continuously missing each other by seconds. The kitchen troubles they run into are quite funny as well, and the movie gets some great laughs out of the movement that happens when a ship rocks back-and-forth. The visual laughs were quite impressive in this movie. While they may not be as amazing as in a film like The General, they were quite well orchestrated and very fun to watch. They don't always have to be complicated, either. One of the funniest moments of the film is when Keaton jumps in his car to drive across the street, and when he goes for a "long walk" back across the street to his house. This isn't to say the more complex gags aren't good- some of the most visually impressive moments occur with Keaton underwater. I loved the scene where he sword-fights a swordfish with another swordfish, and washing his hands in a bucket created some big laughs for a simple gag. I loved that I was able to continually laugh throughout this movie.

One other aspect of this movie that I liked was the characters. In a silent film like this, the sight gags are great, but the real power of the story comes from the characters. In this case, we easily identify with Buster Keaton- he's certainly bumbling, but he is a kind person who wanted to get married and is rejected by his would-be bride. He and the woman end up drifting on a ship together. I loved how they created this dynamic between them- we care about the events and laugh along because we've invested in the story. It's not just two people behaving stupidly on board a ship- the potential relationship between them gives this film an added boost. Keaton's always someone we root for, but with something of substance at stake, we become more emotionally invested in the story.

I was impressed with the scale of this film. Keaton fully utilizing the large ship they are on, impressive underwater sequences, cannibals, and much more. It really felt like an comedy with a good deal of action and adventure thrown in. While I wasn't quite as blown away by the stunts as I'd liked, they are still incredibly impressive and draw the audience in. I didn't want to pull my eyes away from the screen for even a second, in case I missed something hilarious.

I really enjoyed Buster Keaton's The Navigator. The scope of the film helps, but it's really Keaton's personality and all the funny troubles and problems he gets himself into and out of, that makes this movie. I would highly recommend this entertaining film. Plus, it's a very quick watch at only 60 minutes.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The General, College, Sherlock Jr.