The Navigator (1924 film)
Encyclopedia
The Navigator is a 1924
comedy directed by and starring Buster Keaton
. The film was written by Clyde Bruckman
and co-directed by Donald Crisp
.
) suddenly decides to propose to his neighbor across the street, 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. Because the pier number is partially covered, he ends up on the wrong ship, the Navigator, which Betsy's rich father (Frederick Vroom
) has just sold to a small country at war.
Agents for the other small nation in the conflict decide to set the ship adrift that same night. When Betsy's father checks up on the ship, he is captured and tied up by the saboteurs. Betsy hears his cry for help and boards the ship to look for him, just before it is cut loose.
The Navigator drifts out into the Pacific Ocean
. The two unwitting passengers eventually find each other. At first, they have great difficulty looking after themselves, but adapt after a few weeks. At one point, they sight a navy ship and hoist a brightly-colored flag, not realizing it signals that the ship is under quarantine
. As a result, the other vessel turns away.
Finally, the ship grounds itself near an inhabited tropical island and springs a leak. While Rollo dons a deep sea diving suit
and submerges to patch the hole, the black natives canoe out and take Betsy captive. When Rollo emerges from the ocean, the natives are scared off, enabling him to rescue Betsy and take her back to the ship. The natives return and try to board the ship. After a fierce struggle, Rollo and Betsy try to escape in a small dinghy. It starts to sink, and the natives swiftly overtake them in their canoes. Just when all seems lost, a navy submarine surfaces right underneath them and they are saved.
The actual vessel used was the USAT Buford, a passenger liner that had also served as a World War I
troopship and was infamous as the "Red Ark" for carrying 249 people deported during the Red Scare
of 1919-20. When it was scheduled to be scrapped, Keaton bought it to serve as a very large prop.
According to Robert Osborne
of Turner Classic Movies
, Keaton intended for Donald Crisp to direct the dramatic scenes, leaving him free to concentrate on the comedic ones. However, when Crisp wanted to work on the comedy, Keaton decided to do all the remaining directing himself.
said, "Buster Keaton's comedy is spotty. That is to say it's both commonplace and novel, with the latter sufficient to make the picture a laugh getter..." Variety also noted the novelty of Keaton's deep-sea diving costume and settings and praised "an abundance of funny business" in some of the film's underwater scenes.
More recently, film critic Dennis Schwartz wrote that the film "proved to be Keaton's biggest commercial success. Its theme of civilized man versus the machine (seen as making life difficult for modern man because we have become so dependent on it and it's not always reliable), was never used more effectively in cinema."
American Film Institute
recognition
1924 in film
-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
comedy directed by and starring Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
. The film was written by Clyde Bruckman
Clyde Bruckman
Clyde A. Bruckman was an American writer and director of comedy films during the late silent era as well as the early sound era of cinema. Bruckman collaborated with such comedians as Buster Keaton, W.C...
and co-directed by Donald Crisp
Donald Crisp
Donald Crisp was an English film actor. He was also an early motion picture producer, director and screenwriter...
.
Plot
Wealthy Rollo Treadway (Buster KeatonBuster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
) suddenly decides to propose to his neighbor across the street, Betsy O'Brien (Kathryn McGuire
Kathryn McGuire
Kathryn McGuire was an American silent-film actress and dancer.-Early life:Born in Peoria, Illinois, she was said to be recognized by critics and fans alike as one of the rising stars in film...
), 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. Because the pier number is partially covered, he ends up on the wrong ship, the Navigator, which Betsy's rich father (Frederick Vroom
Frederick Vroom
Frederick Vroom was a Canadian actor of the silent era. He appeared in 70 films between 1912 and 1939.He was born in Nova Scotia, Canada and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
) has just sold to a small country at war.
Agents for the other small nation in the conflict decide to set the ship adrift that same night. When Betsy's father checks up on the ship, he is captured and tied up by the saboteurs. Betsy hears his cry for help and boards the ship to look for him, just before it is cut loose.
The Navigator drifts out into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The two unwitting passengers eventually find each other. At first, they have great difficulty looking after themselves, but adapt after a few weeks. At one point, they sight a navy ship and hoist a brightly-colored flag, not realizing it signals that the ship is under quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
. As a result, the other vessel turns away.
Finally, the ship grounds itself near an inhabited tropical island and springs a leak. While Rollo dons a deep sea diving suit
Diving suit
A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit typically also incorporates an air-supply .-History:...
and submerges to patch the hole, the black natives canoe out and take Betsy captive. When Rollo emerges from the ocean, the natives are scared off, enabling him to rescue Betsy and take her back to the ship. The natives return and try to board the ship. After a fierce struggle, Rollo and Betsy try to escape in a small dinghy. It starts to sink, and the natives swiftly overtake them in their canoes. Just when all seems lost, a navy submarine surfaces right underneath them and they are saved.
Production
The Navigator contains some of the most elaborate and well-known stunts by Keaton.The actual vessel used was the USAT Buford, a passenger liner that had also served as a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
troopship and was infamous as the "Red Ark" for carrying 249 people deported during the Red Scare
First Red Scare
In American history, the First Red Scare of 1919–1920 was marked by a widespread fear of Bolshevism and anarchism. Concerns over the effects of radical political agitation in American society and alleged spread in the American labor movement fueled the paranoia that defined the period.The First Red...
of 1919-20. When it was scheduled to be scrapped, Keaton bought it to serve as a very large prop.
According to Robert Osborne
Robert Osborne
Robert Jolin Osborne is an American actor and film historian best known as the primary host for Turner Classic Movies, and previously a host of The Movie Channel.-Life and career:...
of Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
, Keaton intended for Donald Crisp to direct the dramatic scenes, leaving him free to concentrate on the comedic ones. However, when Crisp wanted to work on the comedy, Keaton decided to do all the remaining directing himself.
Cast
- Buster KeatonBuster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
as Rollo Treadway - Frederick VroomFrederick VroomFrederick Vroom was a Canadian actor of the silent era. He appeared in 70 films between 1912 and 1939.He was born in Nova Scotia, Canada and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
as John O'Brien - Kathryn McGuireKathryn McGuireKathryn McGuire was an American silent-film actress and dancer.-Early life:Born in Peoria, Illinois, she was said to be recognized by critics and fans alike as one of the rising stars in film...
as Betsy O'Brien - Clarence BurtonClarence BurtonClarence Burton was an American silent film actor....
as Spy - H.N. Clugston as Spy
- Donald CrispDonald CrispDonald Crisp was an English film actor. He was also an early motion picture producer, director and screenwriter...
as Face on picture at porthole - Noble JohnsonNoble JohnsonNoble Johnson was an African American actor and film producer.-Biography:Standing 6'2" at 215 pounds, his impressive physique and handsome features made him in demand as a character actor and bit player...
as Cannibal chief
Critical reception
When the film was released, VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said, "Buster Keaton's comedy is spotty. That is to say it's both commonplace and novel, with the latter sufficient to make the picture a laugh getter..." Variety also noted the novelty of Keaton's deep-sea diving costume and settings and praised "an abundance of funny business" in some of the film's underwater scenes.
More recently, film critic Dennis Schwartz wrote that the film "proved to be Keaton's biggest commercial success. Its theme of civilized man versus the machine (seen as making life difficult for modern man because we have become so dependent on it and it's not always reliable), was never used more effectively in cinema."
American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
recognition
- 2000: AFI's 100 Years... 100 LaughsAFI's 100 Years... 100 LaughsPart of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs is a list of the top 100 funniest movies in American cinema. A wide variety of comedies were nominated for the distinction that included slapstick comedy, screwball comedy, romantic comedy, satire, black comedy, musical comedy, comedy of...
#81
Ratings
External links
- The Navigator at SilentEra