Buster Keaton Sails to Cinematic Glory in The Navigator

 

                 Among a rich filmography containing some of the greatest comedies ever made, with a plethora of ingenious sight gags marking the sign of a true master of the genre, 1924’s production of The Navigator stands as a peak example of the artistry the inspired Buster Keaton brought to the screen. After an early period of success with a series of highly imaginative short films, wherein Keaton developed his craft as a true visionary, he moved into feature-length productions starting with 1920’s The Saphead, then entered a golden period with such classics as Our Hospitality and, just before The Navigator, Sherlock Jr., also from 1924. Solid box office returns from his early films allowed Keaton to produce The Navigator on a larger scale in unfolding the tale of hapless heir Rollo Treadway (Keaton), who through a series of misadventures finds himself aboard the title vessel and lost at sea with his beloved, the charming, spirited and also affluent Betsy O’Brian (Kathyn McGuire, fresh from costarring with Keaton in Sherlock). How Rollo and Betsy manage to endure such calamities as a wayward ship seemingly intent on keeping the duo in a constant state of disarray and a group of cannibals also determined to bring catastrophe to the couple provides an entertaining and rollicking showcase of Keaton at the height of creative powers.

                Deftly adapting the amusing screenplay by Clyde Bruckman, Jean C. Havez, Joesph A. Mitchell and himself, with the help of co-director Donald Crisp, who focused on the more straightforward dramatic segments (also Keaton stated Crisp became too interested in the comedic elements of the story) while Keaton worked out the comedy sequences, such as an awesomely staged chase around the deck of the ship (really the USTA Bulford, first launched in 1890) wherein Rollo and Betsy seek out each other in a progressively more frantic state, Keaton appears to thrive illustrating the complex set pieces involved in the story. In one of the more daringly filmed escapades found in his work, Keaton finds a way to navigate the camera around bits of business filmed underwater, as Rollo attempts to mend the ship, with inference from sea creatures (namely swordfish and a territorial octopus), while also dealing with lack of oxygen due to an onslaught by cannibals aboveboard. Keaton had to experiment with filming in several locales, including Santa Catalina and a swimming pool, before finally completing the stirring scene via the icy waters of Lake Tahoe, with an admirable dedication that saw Keaton fighting the chills throughout filming, while maintaining Rollo’s stoic demeanor with a professional verve that belie the calumnious nature of the actual filming.

                In addition to the accomplished underwater centerpiece segment, Keaton properly utilizes his “stone face” persona to maximum effect throughout the film, while lending a more animated visage when appropriate, such as when Besty rebuffs his advances, or when battling adversaries both above deck, underwater or, briefly, while among the island natives after emerging from the sea to rescue Betsy before she suffers a sure-to-be fate worse than death. Keaton’s complete involvement in the movie shines through, as a viewer senses the strong will and talent at hand in forming his seamless, constantly amusing and riveting entertainment. Sustaining a very fruitful and artistically rewarding period in the 1920’s post-The Navigator, Keaton would thrive directing and starring in such dynamic offerings as Seven Chances, Go West, The General, College, Steamboat Bill, Jr. and The Cameraman before, along with many of his silent film contemporaries, slowly losing his place among the Hollywood elite with the event of sound films. However, Keaton would remain a presence in films until his death in 1966 at age 70, working at a variety of studios in the 1930s-40s before returning to MGM, wherein he had created some of his finest films, to costar in high-profile A-features such as 1946’s Easy to Wed and two of 1949’s big MGM hits, Take Me out to the Ballgame and In the Good Old Summertime. The 1950s brought a resurgence for Keaton, starting with a brief appearance in Sunset Boulevard as himself, followed by work opposite Chaplin in Limelight and television output which helped raise his profile to a new generation of fans interested in his masterful cinematic works, leading to a 1957 biopic starring Donald O’Connor as Keaton and cameos in two blockbusters, 1956’s Oscar-winning Around the World in Eighty Days and the all-star mammoth 1963 comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World. After lending class and his distinct, invaluable comic expertise to a series of films from the “Beach Party” genre, including Pajama Party, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini and the best of the bunch, the lively, frivolous Beach Blanket Bingo, before aptly rating a final screen appearance among other top comics such as Zero Mostel and Phil Silvers in 1966’s zany A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

                The petite but sturdy Kathyn McGuire proves herself an ideal leading lady for Keaton, committing to the various athletically inclined visual gags by exhibiting the same adventurous spirit and derring-do as her fearless costar. Trained as a dancer and pegged a new star after selection in 1922 as a “WAMPAS Baby Star,” the lovely and energetic McGuire uses her agile deftness to great effect, both in and out of the water as Betsy and Rollo continually work to find ways to manage daily living on the ship while surviving one setback after another. McGuire also graces the screen with a natural presence nicely suitable to Betsy, whether the character is demurely refusing the tactless Rollo’s direct offers of marriage at the film’s outset, or becoming more devoted to her admirer as time passes and the couple overcome a series of obstacles as their relationship develops under the most unorthodox conditions, lending them to ultimately find a level of comfort in their new surroundings. McGuire and Keaton create a sense of playful teamwork throughout the film, helping the audience believe in their pairing and the difficult state of affairs they find themselves privy to, while hoping this endearing couple will survive the assortment of adversities they face to gain happiness at the film’s end. Although McGuire’s film career only spanned the 1920’s (she married late in the decade and abandoned her burgeoning career), her terrific chemistry with Keaton and honest, beguiling playing in two of his greatest films ensure her a place among the most appealing ingenues of her era.

                Due to the nature of the script, few supporting characters factor in the story to any substantial extent, although Crisp makes a vivid appearance in photo form as a menacing picture that unsettles both Rollo and Betsy to a considerable degree in one of the film’s most amusing passages, as his image weaves in and out of sight in front of a porthole. Among the others, a talented monkey, possibly Josephine, who also turns up in other famous works, such as Keaton’s Cameraman and Chaplin’s The Circus, gains one of the movie’s biggest laughs throwing a coconut with perfect precision during a lively sequence wherein the cannibals attempt to overtake the ship using the coconut tree as a ladder to get onboard, with the mischievous simian apparently all for the idea as he spots Rollo, then forcefully hurls his round missile at the hero, resulting in Keaton delivering a beautiful pratfall to great comic effect.

Released in October of 1924 at New York’s Capital Theater, The Navigator found favor with audiences and critics, furthering Keaton’s status as a cinematic comic genius and placing on Photoplay’s list of top films and performances in December 1924. Keaton went on to claim the movie among his best, an opinion shared by the National Film Registry, which included The Navigator among its selections for preservation in 2018, and the American Film Institute, which placed the singular work at #82 on its 2000 list of the top comedies, one of three Keaton classic mentioned, along with Sherlock Jr. (at #62) and The General (at #18). The decades have only increased the reputation of one of Keaton’s most carefully-crafted and innovative endeavors, to the extent that The Navigator remains among the most indelible and captivating comedies to come out of Hollywood, containing the sincere, touching-yet-unsentimental approach that were a hallmark of Keaton’s trove of classic comedies, allowing them to maintain a freshness and undiminished modern air a century removed from Keaton’s 1920’s heyday.