Buster Keaton is mostly remembered for all the comedic movies he starred in that remain funny even a century later because physical comedy is ageless. What sets this movie apart from many of his other films is the fact that he plays a wealthy character. Not only this, but he lives literally right across the street from his sweetheart Betsy who he intends to take on a romantic honeymoon getaway. When she rebuffs him though, he takes it upon himself to board the ship alone, but what he doesn't know is that it's not the honeymoon ship he's boarding. Betsy coincidentally also boards the same ship Rollo (Buster Keaton) is on, since her wealthy father who sold it has gone missing. The stage is now set for one of the funniest movies ever devised. Now that Rollo and Betsy are on the Navigator together, they begin searching for each other, but both come to the conclusion the ship is completely empty. Eventually though, they do meet up and are forced to look after each other on an admittedly scary setting: being in the middle of nowhere on a ship where nobody can help them. There's a lot of hilarious moments in this movie, my favorite one being when Keaton gets a miniature cannon attached to a rope tied to his ankle. No matter which way he runs, he pulls the thing with him, and its fuse is ready to go off any second. Another standout is when he attempts to row the enormous vessel using a pathetic little wooden rowboat. The size contrast makes it all the more funny. Later in the movie they happen upon an island inhabited by cannibals, and they try to board the ship. It's one of the only moments in the film where there are more than 2 characters. It's a very minimalist movie. Low number of characters, simple setting, and not even an hour long, but I loved every minute of it. No matter how many decades or centuries pass, physical comedy is something that will never not be funny.
Review of The Navigator
