The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey (1988)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Vincent Ward

Writers:

Geoff Chapple (writer)
Kely Lyons (writer)

Release Date:

15 December 1988 (Australia)

Genre:

Fantasy | Adventure

Tagline:

Time-Travel Adventure of the Year!

Plot:

Men seeking relief from the Black Death, guided by a boy's vision, dig a tunnel from 14th century England to 20th century New Zealand.

Plot Keywords:

England | 14th Century | Death | Black Death | Village

Awards:

21 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Bruce Lyons	...	Connor
Chris Haywood	...	Arno
Hamish McFarlane	...	Griffin
Marshall Napier	...	Searle
Noel Appleby	...	Ulf
Paul Livingston	...	Martin
Sarah Peirse	...	Linnet
Mark Wheatley	...	Tog 1
Tony Herbert	...	Tog 2
Jessica Cardiff-Smith	...	Esme
Roy Wesney	...	Grandpa
Kathleen-Elizabeth Kelly	...	Grandma
Jay Saussey	...	Griffin's girlfriend
Charles Walker	...	Old Chrissie
Desmond Kelly	...	Smithy

Also Known As:

The Navigator
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (alternative spelling)
The Navigator: An Odyssey Across Time (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Australia | New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Arenafilm

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

One of the most misunderstood movies ever...

I wish I could have a few minutes to hear Vincent Ward's take on the marketing of the movie, because I never have seen anything so mis-marketed. I could see some US film distributor scratching his head and saying, "gee? how are we going to make this dreary arty movie about the black plague appeal to the lowest common denominator of the US market?", "Ok, let's slap sci-fi and time travel on it..."

Navigator is a beautifully filmed, well acted, impressive movie that (hear this!) has nothing to do with time-travel, or "monks dodging 20th century stuff"...it is an allegory! (look that up). What Mr. Ward does is, rather than rely on expensive and silly special effects to spice up fantasy dream sequences, simply juxtaposes 20th century settings with the 14th century time frame of the film to give life to a boy's fantastic visions, and story told to give hope and entertain the desperate people of his village...his visions, done in color and film with the 20th century as it backdrop is as fantastic to the people of his village, as if someone from the 14th century actually did travel through time. With premonitions of the arrival of the plague to his village (which turn out to be heeded), the villagers of a winter bound poor community hover in fear and look for any omen good or bad to give them some sign of what is coming. With a fantastic narration of a quest (ala the holy grail) to mount a spire on a church in a faraway land, that if done before sunrise would save the village, a boy describes his fantasy which is shown to us, complete with sea monsters and dragons (all represented by 20th century contrivances).

For those seeking real time travel, stick to the true sci-fi, you will be disappointed...

For those interested in seeing a dark, moving tale of the desperation that must have been felt by the people who lived through the plague without understanding what it really was...a tale where the fantastic is really our wonderfully mundane world...check this out.