Reviews of silent film releases on home video. Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

The Navigator (1924)

When asked to name Buster Keaton’s best film, many silent film enthusiasts will elect either The General (1926) or The Navigator (1924). And while we are certain that you can’t discuss Keaton’s best film without seriously considering a half-dozen other titles, we certainly agree that The Navigator is a top Keaton film.

The Navigator was directed by Keaton and actor/director Donald Crisp. Together they created a comic masterpiece that remains one of the silent era’s most memorable films. The film is filled with great Keaton gags, and the premise is inventive if not a little far-fetched. Keaton is the well-to-do and naive, impulsive suitor of Kathryn McGuire, who, through the machinations of plot that seem to be believable only in silent era comedies, ends up alone with McGuire on a large ship set adrift by anarchists. They quickly discover that their sheltered lives haven’t prepared them for surviving on their own. But Keaton’s character, as in other films, reveals his resourceful and inventive side and they not only survive their being without servants but also an assault by cannibals!

Keaton’s character, more than those of any other feature-length silent film comedian, crossed back and forth over economic and social lines and remained true to itself. Buster was not aggressive but was humbly confident, and while his character always had the audience’s sympathy he never asked for their pity. Keaton was equally true to himself when playing a penniless scrounger and a sophisticated societyperson.

— Carl Bennett

The film is accompanied by a music score arranged and conducted by Robert Israel. Excellent, as usual.

Supplemental material includes the featurettes “Buster Keaton: The Great Stone Face” (4 minutes) and “Buster Keaton: The Comedian” (4 minutes, both excerpted from the 2018 documentary The Great Buster: A Celebration); and two modern Cohen trailers for the restorations of these two films.

This is our recommended home video edition of the film, chiefly for the digital restoration work performed on the picture which improves the viewability of this disc over previous editions.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
This Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition is also available directly from COHEN MEDIA GROUP through . . .

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been transferred in high-definition from a 35mm print from Cohen Media Group’s Raymond Rohauer collection (ie. Buster’s collection), which is generally in very-good condition, with a significant amount of dust, speckling, print wear, frame instability, and other age flaws. Following the instructions for the initial release prints, this edition of The Navigator adds the color-tinting that was seen at the premieres of the film in major American cities.

The film is presented with the great ensemble music score, recorded in 1995 for David Shepard’s VHS edition, by Robert Israel, presented in 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo.

Supplemental material includes audio commentary by historians Robert Arkus and Yair Solan; a short documentary “Of Buster, Boats, Other Seacraft, and Working on The Navigator” by historian Bruce Lawton (9 minutes); a complete presentation of the 78rpm record of “Asleep in the Deep” performed by Wilfred Glenn, which is shown onscreen as a gag in The Navigator (3 minutes); and a stills gallery (16 images).

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

The film is presented with the great ensemble music score, originally recorded in 1995 for David Shepard’s VHS edition, by Robert Israel, presented here in 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo.

This is a great way to affordably acquire Buster’s films on Blu-ray Discs.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.co.uk. Supports Silent Era.

The film is accompanied by a music score arranged and conducted by Robert Israel.

Supplementary material includes audio commentary on The Navigator by historians Robert Arkus and Yair Solan; audio commentary on Seven Chances by historians Joel Goss and Bruce Lawton; video essay on all three films by David Cairns; a featurette on the making of The Navigator and Keaton’s fascination with boats as sources of comedy by historian Bruce Lawton; audio interviews with Buster Keaton and Irwin Allen from 1945 (6 minutes), with Buster Keaton and Arthur Friedman from 1956 (32 minutes), with Buster Keaton and Robert Franklin from 1958 (56 minutes), with Buster Keaton and Herbert Feinstein from 1960 (48 minutes), and with Buster Keaton and Studs Terkel from 1960 (38 minutes): a Harry Sweet short comedy from 1926 (19 minutes); and a 60-page insert booklet with articles on the three films, historical writings, and photographs.

Sight unseen, this is our recommended European home video edition of the film. North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.

United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region B Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.

This DVD edition, updated by Bret Wood from Kino’s 1999 DVD noted below,video transfer utilized for this DVD is (like the others in this Buster Keaton DVD series) from The Art of Buster Keaton has been transferred in high-definition from a 35mm print from Cohen Media Group’s Raymond Rohauer collection (ie. Buster’s collection), which is generally in very-good condition, with a significant amount of dust, speckling, print wear, frame instability, and other age flaws. Following the instructions for the initial release prints, this edition of The Navigator adds the color-tinting that was seen at the premieres of the film in major American cities.

The film is presented with the great ensemble music score, originally recorded in 1995 for David Shepard’s VHS edition, by Robert Israel, presented here in 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo.

Supplemental material includes audio commentary by historians Robert Arkus and Yair Solan; a short documentary “Of Buster, Boats, Other Seacraft, and Working on The Navigator” by historian Bruce Lawton (9 minutes); a complete presentation of the 78rpm record of “Asleep in the Deep” performed by Wilfred Glenn, which is shown onscreen as a gag in The Navigator (3 minutes); and a stills gallery (16 images).

Why be surprised that this is the best-looking DVD home video edition of The Navigator available? We highly recommend this disc for DVD collectors.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .

All of Buster’s nautical comedies are collected together in this DVD, which also includes The Boat (1921) and The Love Nest (1923). The Boat holds a lofty place among Keaton’s short films similar to those held by Cops (1922) or One Week (1920). It is considered by modern audiences to be one of Buster’s best short films. The Love Nest is very funny, with Keaton regular Joe Roberts playing a menacing ship captain. If you have not seen the films on this disc, we are certain you will be pleased and amused by all of them.

The video transfer utilized for this DVD is (like the others in this Buster Keaton DVD series) from The Art of Buster Keaton series originally released on laserdisc and VHS videotape in 1994-1995. The 35mm print of The Navigator is generally in excellent condition, with occasional wear and age flaws. Portions of The Boat were nearly lost forever to the print decomposition visible at times in this transfer. The Love Nest has been pieced together somewhat but is largely complete. The transfers of the short films are very good, with a generous, open framing.

The films on the disc also feature great music scores by Robert Israel and organist Gaylord Carter. While we have been a longtime fan of the late Carter’s work, we are continually impressed by Israel’s ensemble scores. On more than one occasion, the presence of Israel’s work has been a selling point for us. We enthusiastically recommend these great Buster Keaton films and this disc.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .

The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting music recordings.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .

Other silent film music scores by ROBERT ISRAEL available on home video.