The Navigator (1924)

No, it's not Buster Keaton's first movie, or his greatest, but "The Navigator" is something quite wonderful: A primer in motion as to who he was and how he left so indelible an impression.In a way, "The Navigator" synthesizes the different facets of Keaton from each of his three prior features: There's the goofball war with nature seen in "Three Ages," the stoic but hapless victim of "Our Hospitality," and the anything-goes surrealism of "Sherlock Jr." Yes, the plot is weak, there are a couple of forced gags, and a cop-out ending, but try not to laugh watching this wonder of silent comedy.You can even call this a sort of sequel to Buster's first feature, "The Saphead." Buster again is a rich, sheltered playboy, one Rollo Treadway, who we are told right away is "living proof every family tree must have its sap." Rejected by his girlfriend Betsy (Kathryn McGuire) when he proposes marriage, Rollo defiantly decides to board their honeymoon ship alone, doing so the night before because he can't bear the thought of getting up in the morning. When the vessel is set adrift that night, it leaves Rollo alone - until he discovers Betsy there, too.I tried to shorten that synopsis, but it was tough. The best thing you can say about the convoluted plot is the film wastes little time getting you past it and into the action on board with Rollo and Betsy. Everything about "The Navigator" is so economic, yet the film is dense with gags, so many it's easy to find new ones with every new viewing.There are great comic sequences, each showing a different side to Buster's talent. The great opening on the ship, where Rollo and Betsy run around trying to find each other, is a masterpiece of comic timing, with each popping up just as the other disappears from the frame. It only works in a silent movie, where you can't hear the patter of their running feet which would clue them into the other's whereabouts in a trice. You laugh not just because it's funny, but for the thrill of the inventively weird symmetry on display.Then there's a kitchen sequence where Rollo and Betsy try to prepare food, each not knowing much about how it is done from being waited upon all their lives. So she makes coffee with three whole beans and a pitcher of seawater, while he tries to open a can of condensed milk with a drill. Then they sit down and try to eat what they have wrought.The knock on "The Navigator" is that it lacks a bit for heart, playing more like an extended short. The substance and depth are entirely in the gags, which is great when they are so good. Buster was said to have issues about the film, namely the work of his co-director Donald Crisp. But how about poor Frederick Vroom, playing Betsy's father! He's the third-billed actor, gets a couple of scenes, and then is literally dumped ten minutes into the movie, his fate left up in the air. He plays a war profiteer, sure, but they don't even bother to spell his name right in the credits!I'm not wild about a couple of bits, one involving a menacing portrait (said to be of Crisp, though it looks more like Mussolini) and the other when a record suddenly plays "Asleep In The Deep." They get chuckles but feel contrived, unlike everything else in the gag department here. Buster is brilliant here, either on land or in the water, and he's matched by McGuire, who executes her pratfalls with exquisite timing and no small amount of daring.No, I wouldn't call this the greatest Keaton film I've seen. It's just timelessly funny and completely disarming. Most importantly, it's a great introduction to newcomers of what Buster brought to the table that made him so unique. Worth a viewing, and worth another and another even more.

Rollo Treadway (Buster Keaton) suddenly decides to propose to his neighbor Betsy O'Brien (Kathryn McGuire), and sends his servant to book passage for a honeymoon sea cruise to Honolulu. When Betsy rejects his sudden offer however, he decides to go on the trip anyway, boarding without delay that night.While I do not think this is Keaton's best film (that might have to be "Sherlock Jr"), it is still a fine display of physical comedy in the silent world. Some may say Charlie Chaplin is the master (and there is a good argument for that), but Keaton was right up there, often doing just as well and maybe even better.Case in point: the swordfish scene. Even if nothing else in this movie was funny, the swordfish made the whole thing worth watching. And, of course, it was funny much more than in just that moment!

Even though this wasn't my favorite of Buster Keaton films, it's still a really great one. Not only was the movie hilarious with the constant problems that was happening on the ship but I must give a huge pound of applause to the photographers and director Buster Keaton. The shots definitely helped the humor in the movie, especially in the scene where the two characters were running up and down the ship trying to find who else was on the ship but kept missing each other. The shots for that scene were fantastic because you could see each time how they just missed each other. Once again though Buster Keaton's over exaggerating movement and acting helped keep the film constantly comedy packed. As well as the chemistry with his costar Kathryn McGuire, the two of them keep the movie entertaining.

Buster Keaton does a great job keeping the audience on the edge of their seats during this silent film. What the movie loses from lack of sound, it makes up for with Keaton's expressions and seemingly clueless looks. He does a great job of portraying the helpless rich man who obviously has never needed to lift a finger to do anything for himself. I felt that the scenes on "The Navigator" steamboat were very funny and showed the comedy from the time. The only thing i was not impressed with was the part involving the natives. I just don't think it went with the rest of the movie well, and that the "terrorist" group in the beginning should have been reintroduced. Though i wasn't impressed with the natives, I did enjoy the scenes where Keaton was underwater attempting to fix the ship (especially the scene he fences with the swordfish).