The Navigator (1924)

Do you even have to ASK why they called him The Great Stone Face?

Genre: Silent Comedy

Starring: Buster Keaton (Seven Chances; The General)

Directed By: Donald Crisp, Buster Keaton

Overview: This sea story set on a ship adrift has our hero trying to cope with life alone on a big old ship, just him and a girl, as they await rescue... hopefully they can also evade those cannibals that are eyeing them...

Acting: Wow, Buster, you never cease to amaze me. I swear Keaton had a penchant for having a different leading lady in every film. Whatever he did, it worked because him, her, the cannibals, the father and all the bad guys are just amazing fun to watch. Buster's physical comedy in this one is top-drawer.
Rating: 9

Cinematography: There's underwater scenes, there's clumsy kitchen scenes, there's the classic run after each other but just miss one another scenes. Buster Keaton bought the boat that he heard was going to be scrapped and used this enormous ship as a prop. If you're going to shoot a movie where a couple of people are adrift at sea, all alone on a huge passenger liner, this is the way to do it. Man those inventions, and all that intense action!
Rating: 9

Script: Silent Film. See it's when people make movies that don't have sound, so people don't tend to talk see. Sometimes their lips move and the scene cuts to this picture of words on a screen, called 'Intertitles'. That represents the words being spoken, you know like a speech bubble in comics? Right. You tell me how poetic the Saturday morning funnies are? Right. About that much. This one, just a little more funny than that, cute actually.
Rating: 8

Plot: Are you here for deep thoughts on philosophy? Do you want to know more about marine life or the socio-economic consequences of cannibalism on ocean-faring mercantile trading? No? Well jumping Jesus you're in luck. Boy meets girl, girl gets chased by cannibals, boy clunks around in big metal suit trying to scare them off. Is that original? Damn right.
Rating: 8

Mood: There's nothing as funny as watching a guy in full diving suit, underwater, getting ready to do some repairs, unless it's when he take as out a big sign that reads "Men At Work". Actually, the only thing funnier would be if he proceeded to wash his hands out of the bucket, underwater. Wait, maybe it's the swordfish duel... I can't decide, it just doesn't stop, it's killer good times. Fun - Fun - Fun!
Rating: 9

One Hell of a getaway!

Overall Rating: 86% (Guide your Way Over to This Current)

Aftertaste: Have you even heard of this one? I hadn't. It's too much of a well kept secret. It's too bad that people really don't know the hidden gems that are out there. Whenever I finish something like this, a film that is just under the radar, I almost mourn the fact that people aren't sharing this with the world. You, hey you, reading this! Watch this movie! I did and its a keeper. If you need me to, I'll lend it to you. It's that good, and hey, it's just an hour!