The Navigator (1924)

100% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
89% of users liked it
(2,916 ratings)

At the request of his star Buster Keaton, producer Joseph M. Schenck purchased an obsolete ocean liner for $20,000. Keaton wanted to use the boat as a "prop" in his upcoming feature comedy, but went into production with nary a plot idea in his head. Eventually, Buster and his chief gagman Clyde… More At the request of his star Buster Keaton, producer Joseph M. Schenck purchased an obsolete ocean liner for $20,000. Keaton wanted to use the boat as a "prop" in his upcoming feature comedy, but went into production with nary a plot idea in his head. Eventually, Buster and his chief gagman Clyde Bruckman came up with a story involving two wealthy, pampered young people (played by Keaton and Kathryn McGuire), who through a series of fantastic but logical plot convolutions end up stranded together on a drifting, deserted ocean liner. At first, the young couple is helpless because they've never had to lift a finger in their lives. As the weeks pass, Keaton and McGuire become quite adept at fending for themselves, utilizing the huge facilities of the liner (its steam room, its enormous kitchen) for the simplest and most basic of necessities. An attack by a cannibal tribe requires Keaton to be more resourceful than ever; the build-up to the climactic contretemps between Keaton and the cannibals is almost as side-splitting as the climax itself. While the film is rife with some of Buster Keaton's most elaborate gags, he scores equally well with smaller, more intimate comedy bits, notably his losing battle with a deck chair and his attempt to shuffle a waterlogged deck of cards. Reasoning that the comedy in The Navigator would work best if built upon an utterly serious storyline, Keaton hired actor/director Donald Crisp to handle the "straight" scenes. Alas, as Keaton would later recall, the constitutionally humorless Crisp "turned gagman on us", resulting in miles of wasted footage. Thus, pay no attention to the "official" directorial credits: Buster Keaton alone is responsible for the helming of The Navigator. Joe Schenck's initial 20 grand investment proved sagacious when Navigator ended up as Buster Keaton's most profitable silent feature film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: Buster Keaton, Donald Crisp
Genres: Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1924 Wide
On DVD: Nov 20, 2001
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Keaton's master coup is in seizing Murnau's haunted ship as a gargantuan comic prop for a pair of stranded nitwits, who don't know what to do with it
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
One of Buster Keaton's best, which is to say comedy classic.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
One of the great slapstick comedies from silent comic Buster Keaton.
Gregory Weinkauf, ÜberCiné
Part of Keaton's charm is that he doesn't have to be zany in every single frame, which is charmingly illustrated here.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Keaton is the great metaphysical existentialist: a modernist in the finest sense of the word.
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide
Isn't as sophisticated and satisfying as [Keaton's] best (e.g., The General), but still brilliant slapstick comedy, with a rousing third act and a slam-bang climax.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The Navigator looks and feels like it could be one of today's summer mega-blockbusters.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Keaton and a girl are trapped on a ship together and try to find a way back to land, most of this movie is really hilarious, but there are some slow parts.
Stella D

completely charming. i never was a big fan of slapstick but buster won me over :D
Matthew Y

Chaplin carries more emotion and he's the better storyteller but Keaton is the better stuntman, sight gag performer, and above all director of the two. Never is it more prevalent than in The Navigator. A film that never quite gets it's due but has a high tomatometer and… More
Chaplin carries more emotion and he's the better storyteller but Keaton is the better stuntman, sight gag performer, and above all director of the two. Never is it more prevalent than in The Navigator. A film that never quite gets it's due but has a high tomatometer and IMDB ranking because it's just so damn well put together. The underwater scene are spectacular and the film is a technical breakthrough. I can't even remember the story because the images are burned into my retina.
cody f

Really entertaing silent film from Buster Keaton. It's about two rich people set adrift in the middle of the ocean on a old steam ship. Keaton and McGuire are great together as they try to adapt to sea life without any help from maids and butlers. Many funny gags that still work… More
Really entertaing silent film from Buster Keaton. It's about two rich people set adrift in the middle of the ocean on a old steam ship. Keaton and McGuire are great together as they try to adapt to sea life without any help from maids and butlers. Many funny gags that still work today and it is beautifully shot. One of Keaton's best.
Barry L

Loved Buster Keaton as a kid and havent seen any for years but they were laugh out load after so many years. His deadpan acting made the whole film cole alive.