Just as in The General (1926), the other famous comedy by Keaton, the general is a locomotive, in this one the navigator is a steamer, which, through a series of accidents, drifts out into the ocean. The only ones on- board are an intrepid young man, scion of a rich family, and a young woman, daughter of a ship owner. According to Mario Soldati, while love is omnipresent in Keaton’s films, in this one it is by far the main theme. With all its uncertainties and misunderstandings, with its idyllic, tragic and of course comic moments, as well as with the counterpoints of emptiness and loneliness, at the end love triumphs.
Buster Keaton (1895-1966) spent his childhood with his parents on stage in American vaudeville. It is said that the famous magician Houdini gave him the name "Buster", when, only 18 months old, he survived after falling off a staircase. Also known as "The Great Stone Face", he shares with Chaplin the undisputed genius of American silent comedy, with a cooler, more geometric and less emotional style.
