Overview
A comedic adventure on the high seas leads to unexpected romance and hijinks.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- deadpan
- playful
- classic movie night
- family comedy night
What critics said
Critics and audiences broadly regard the film as an inventive, highly entertaining Keaton comedy and a major silent-era commercial success.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rollo and Betsy must operate a steamship and its equipment despite their dependence on unreliable technology and lack of seamanship.
Two wealthy socialites are isolated aboard a drifting ship and must replace domestic comfort with improvised seamanship and survival skills.
The steamship, underwater sequences, diving suit, and shipboard machinery generate extended visual routines and practical gags.
Rollo and Betsy independently board the same ship and remain unaware of each other while their romantic relationship develops through their predicament.
Films like The Navigator, and why
Sherlock Jr.
silent slapstick comedy built around ingenious physical gags, mechanical obstacles, and an emotionally restrained comic protagonist
The General
Buster Keaton silent comedy combining romance, action, elaborate practical set pieces, and deadpan survival humor
The Gold Rush
adventure comedy centered on an isolated protagonist navigating hostile circumstances through physical ingenuity and visual gag construction
Movie Details
- Directors
- Donald Crisp, Buster Keaton
- Release Date
- 1924-09-28
- Runtime
- 65 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (290)
Cast
- Buster Keaton
- Kathryn McGuire
- Frederick Vroom
- Clarence Burton
- H.N. Clugston
- Noble Johnson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- FilmBox Live Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Navigator about?
- Two privileged strangers stranded aboard a drifting steamship turn maritime catastrophe into a brilliantly deadpan ballet of romance and invention.
- What is The Navigator like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Navigator as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Navigator violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Navigator as mild.
- What did critics think of The Navigator?
- Critics and audiences broadly regard the film as an inventive, highly entertaining Keaton comedy and a major silent-era commercial success.
- Which films are like The Navigator?
- Films with a similar feel include Sherlock Jr., The General, and The Gold Rush.
- How long is The Navigator?
- The Navigator runs 65 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Navigator?
- In United States, The Navigator streams on FilmBox Live Amazon Channel.
