Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Navigator

In a port in the Pacific, two countries are at war. One purchases the title ship and the other plots to cut its lines and set it adrift. Before they do so, a millionaire's son and the ship owner's daughter whom he had just been rejected by are stranded on the ship. Now the hapless couple are in for adventure on the high seas, and must learn to fend for themselves for the first time in their lives. Silent film legend Buster Keaton's The Navigator contains his usual stunts and gags, one involving a picture over a porthole being particularly funny. However, segments in the film seem to stretch out with very little payoff. This however is redeemed by a fantastic finale involving Buster in scuba gear scaring off cannibals who have abducted the girl, retreating to the boat with the girl treating him like a boat, and warding off the attacking natives with roman candles and coconuts. The climax elevates the entire movie and proves what a genius Buster Keaton was at physical comedy.