Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Navigator Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 15, 2020

Buster Keaton's "The Navigator" (1924) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include archival audio commentary by critics Robert Arkus and Yair Solan; new visual essay by critic David Cairns; archival program featuring critic Bruce Lawton; and more. Region-B "locked".

In the United States, the 4K restoration of Buster Keaton's The Navigator was introduced on Blu-ray by the Cohen Film Collection in 2019. To see our listing and review of this release, please click here.

The Navigator Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Navigator arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a 4K restoration of the film that was undertaken by the Cohen Film Collection and finalized at L'immagine Ritrovata in 2017. In the United States, the same restoration appeared in this set from the Cohen Media Group in 2019.

The restoration is actually a reconstruction -- see the technical credits in the screencaptures at the very bottom of this article -- which is why there are various obvious density and clarity fluctuations throughout the entire film. (Extremely similar source limitations are also present on the 4K restoration of Charlie Chaplin's The Circus). Some of these limitations are quite serious and it is rather easy to tell that even with modern restoration tools it was impossible to produce better results. For example, you can see the lack of proper depth in screencapture #4, and you can see the less than optimal delineation in screencapture #10. Despite various stabilization enhancements, some small but obvious image instability remains as well. Again, these are the type of serious source limitations that at best can be minimized, but not eliminated. However, there is still plenty of good detail in the visuals, occasionally with surprisingly nice nuances as well, but the age of the elements that were used to produce the restored master remains a factor. I like the grading, though in some areas it is actually rather difficult to tell whether balance is as good as it should be. Good examples of such areas can be seen in screencaptures #5 and 6. Obviously, the film has been cleaned up, but some light damage remains. All in all, given the nature of the surviving materials I think that the end product is quite good, but out of the three films in Eureka Entertainment's box set The Navigator has the least attractive appearance. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Navigator Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Music DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Obviously, the film has original English intertittles, which have been restored.

Each of the three films in the Buster Keaton box set arrives with musical scores composed and conducted by Robert Israel. So, my job is not to discuss the merits of the score that was produced for The Navigator but how the lossless track reproduces its native qualities. I did not detect any technical issues to report in our review. Obviously, because this is a chamber score the dynamic contrasts are quite modest, but the lossless track retains them as they are.

The Navigator Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for the recent 4K restoration of The Navigator. (1 min).

• Boats, Brides, and Boxers - new visual essay created by critic and author David Cairns. (35 min).

• Of Buster, Boats, Other Seacraft, and Working on The Navigator - a vintage program about the production of The Navigator and Buster Keaton's legacy created by critic Bruce Lawton. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critics Robert Arkus and Yair Solan and initially appeared on Kino Video's North American release of The Navigator.

• Book - limited edition 60-page perfect bound collector's book featuring new writing by Imogen Sara Smith and Philip Kemp; and a selection of archival writing and imagery.

The Navigator Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 4K restoration of Buster Keaton's The Navigator is clearly the best overall presentation of the film that you can get on Blu-ray. However, if you have the early Kino Lorber release with the tinted version of the film, I don't think it is a good idea to remove it from your collections. While it may appear technically inferior, the tinted version is still valuable, and I personally think that it is still an effective presentation of the film. The Navigator is included in this three-disc box set, together with Battling Butler and Seven Chances. (In the United States, these restored films are available on Blu-ray courtesy of the Cohen Film Collection). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.