On a whim, Rollo Treadway, an idle and not very resourceful young annuitant proposes to his neighbor in marriage and offers to take her on honeymoon to Hawaii. The latter, who sees no interest in it, rejects his advances. ” Will you marry me ? – Certainly not. » The unfortunate in love therefore resolves to go alone. But, hardly has he embarked than the ship is sabotaged and sent adrift. A lot happens in the first ten minutes of The Navigator Cruise (1924), Buster Keaton’s greatest success… And it’s not over!
By an improbable combination of circumstances, Rollo finds the chosen one of his heart aboard the boat, lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Far from their servants, these wealthy heirs, unable to cook an egg or open a tin can by themselves, are forced to learn to fend for themselves.
Twists and stunts
Chases, coffee with sea water, fencing fight against a swordfish, recalcitrant folding chair, furniture gone crazy… The scenes, ever more burlesque, follow one another without interruption. Each room of the boat offers a playground, like the kitchen and its panoply of excessive utensils, the hold and its explosive objects, or even the bridge which seems haunted. Frilling music accompanies this great whirlwind of gags which does not offer a minute’s respite.
Nothing is left to chance: Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire, serious faces, multiply the acrobatics and execute precise choreographies. Clumsy but touching, quirky but poetic, they form a perfectly tuned duo and create characters that are more subtle than it seems.
Certain sequences should be put into the context of the time, in particular the staging of black actors, represented according to the archetype of the savage cannibal… Despite this, nothing is dated. The charm of black and white, shiny hair or eyes underlined in pencil operates. A classic to see and see again.