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The Navigator (1924)
The Navigator (1924) poster

The Navigator (1924)

Comedy, Action, Adventure, Romance • 59m

Directors: Buster Keaton & Donald Crisp

Cast: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Frederick Vroom, Clarence Burton, H.N. Clugston, Noble Johnson

Best English-friendly & video release

Video notes:

France Lobster Films Blu-ray though a very weak encoding caps, is a newer master (4K scan of MoMA first gen nitrate print) than Cohen/MoC, which are themselves a newer master than Kino Lorber.

Lobster Films > Cohen/MoC > Kino Lorber

Updated 10 months ago


About the film

The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas.

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National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 2018

TSPDT
2026: #681
2025: #663
2024: #675
2023: #677
2022: #677

Featured in National Film Registry

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Director: Richard Brooks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Jonathan Demme

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has exclusive extras

Director: George B. Seitz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: Elaine May

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray > MoC > Olive Films. From nicolas:

The master is good but it’s not that big an upgrade from the Olive Films disc and Vinegar Syndrome’ encode has some blocky highlights. A shame that they didn’t hire David Mackenzie here.

Audio Notes:

Cinématographe has unnecessary noise gating not present on the previous releases.

Director: Sidney Lumet

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber US / Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K

Video Notes:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K but low pass filtered

Comparison between the 4Ks, Criterion on the AR choice

Audio Notes:

Other discs have unnecessary filtering and sound worse, the difference isn't substantial but audible

Director: Dennis Hopper

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony UK 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Plaion Germany Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K Blu-ray said to be coming from Criterion, per Bill Hunt

Video Notes:

Includes Director's Cut and Roadshow Version

Same master as old WB Blu-ray but better encoding

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.

Best Audio:

1984 MGM Hi-Fi VHS

More from Buster Keaton

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Directors: Charles Reisner & Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MoC/Cohen Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027

Video Notes:

MoC/Cohen Blu-ray > Kino Lorber

Director: Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber new Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. Blu-ray?

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027

Video Notes:

Lobster Films (Kino Lorber?) > Cohen/Eureka https://slow.pics/c/3KWXoMyR The new Kino Lorber's Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. might be using the same restoration as Lobster Films

Directors: Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Eureka MoC 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Probably. No comparison with French Factoris Films 4K Blu-ray, but former has Dolby Vision and higher bitrate.

Additional Info:

For standard Blu-ray, the MoC/Cohen are a 4k transfer https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=112722&page=5

Directors: Buster Keaton & Edward F. Cline

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MoC or Kino Lorber Buster Keaton: The Complete Short Films 1917-1923 boxset Blu-ray

Video Notes:

No comparison available

Directors: Edward F. Cline & Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly:

MoC Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection 1917-1923 Blu-ray boxset

Best Video:

MoC or Kino Lorber Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection 1917-1923 Blu-ray boxset

Video Notes:

(a newer restoration by Lobster Films compared to the older 1920-1923 boxset)

No comparison between MoC and Kino Lorber available

Additional Info:

MoC boxset has more extras and commentary tracks, while also providing a 184-page book, a substantially better extras package compared to Kino Lorber

Directors: John G. Blystone & Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly:

2019 Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

2019 Kino Lorber

Video Notes:

2019 Kino Lorber > MoC/Cohen > 2011 Kino Lorber

Director: Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MoC/Cohen Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Eureka/Cohen newer restoration than Kino Lorber

Directors: Edward Sedgwick & Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray, 4k transfer

More from Lobster Films

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Director: Marcel L'Herbier

Best English-Friendly:

Flicker Alley Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Same 4K restoration but no comparison available

Director: Frank Urson

Best English-Friendly:

Older Restoration: Flicker Alley Blu-ray

2026 Restoration: YouTube 4K Streaming

Best Video:

Older Restoration: Lobster Films DVD

2026 Restoration: YouTube 4K Streaming

Video Notes:

Older Restoration: Lobster Films DVD > Flicker Alley Blu-ray (Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD has every 25th PAL frame deleted)

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2022 Lobster Films

Video Notes:

2022 Lobster Films has a newer 2020 4K restoration, their encoding is often bad, but no caps to verify yet. Criterion is older 4k restoration

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Researched and maintained by

M_Avanshady

· last reviewed 10 months ago

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